Electrical Wire Sheathing Color Code

Electrical Wire Sheathing Color Code. This article describes the electrical wiring color code conventions for 120v or 240v ac circuit wiring in buildings in canada the u s the u k. The outer plastic sheathing or jacket and the inner color coded wires the sheathing binds the inner wires together and its outer markings indicate the number of wires and size of wire gauge within the sheathing. Understanding the information those colors convey helps you work with greater safety and ease when troubleshooting an electrical problem or making repairs or improvements to your electrical system.

Before about 2001 most nm cable had a white outer jacket but since 2001 most nm b cable has been jacketed with a vinyl outer insulation. A word of warning. The nec does however require that wire size be imprinted in the repeating data strip running along the sheathing. Color coding makes it easy to identify wire size in the cable at a glance but the national electrical code nec does not require it.

Electrical wire color codes what each wire color means for you if you live in the united states and your home was built after the 1940s or your outdated wiring has since been updated you can expect the electrical wires behind your walls to follow certain color standards.

Non metallic or nm 120 volt and 240 volt electrical cable come in two main parts. However older installed cable may not have this color coding. What do these electrical wire colors mean. A word of warning. It s important that properties get their wiring checked to see if the wiring colours are out of date have deteriorated over time and to check if they comply with bs 7671 wiring.