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BS 546 (5 A)

Type D plug and socket

The old British 5 A three-pin, still standard in India. Used in 33 countries.

Type D socket face

Pins: 3 round pins, 5.08 mm, in a triangle
Rating: 5 A / 250 V
Earth: Earthed
Standard: BS 546 (5 A)

What Type D looks like in use

Type D is the pre-war British three-pin standard, superseded in the UK by Type G in 1947 but never retired in India and its neighbours, where it is still the domestic norm.

It is rated at 5 A — enough for lights, fans and small appliances, but not for air conditioners or water heaters, which usually use the larger 15 A Type M.

Older installations often combine the two: a single “universal” socket face with round holes that accepts D, M and sometimes C plugs.

Watch out: Type D sockets accept Type D plugs. Indian sockets often also take Type M, and many accept Type C loosely — which is convenient but not earthed.

Countries using Type D

33 countries in total

Bangladesh 220 V / 50 Hz Bhutan 230 V / 50 Hz Botswana 230 V / 50 Hz Chad 220 V / 50 Hz Dominica 230 V / 50 Hz Ghana 230 V / 50 Hz Guyana 240 V / 60 Hz Hong Kong 220 V / 50 Hz India 230 V / 50 Hz Iraq 230 V / 50 Hz Jordan 230 V / 50 Hz Lebanon 230 V / 50 Hz Macau 220 V / 50 Hz Madagascar 220 V / 50 Hz Maldives 230 V / 50 Hz Myanmar 230 V / 50 Hz Namibia 220 V / 50 Hz Nepal 230 V / 50 Hz Niger 220 V / 50 Hz Nigeria 230 V / 50 Hz Pakistan 230 V / 50 Hz Qatar 240 V / 50 Hz Saint Kitts and Nevis 230 V / 60 Hz Senegal 230 V / 50 Hz Sierra Leone 230 V / 50 Hz South Sudan 230 V / 50 Hz Sri Lanka 230 V / 50 Hz Sudan 230 V / 50 Hz Tanzania 230 V / 50 Hz United Kingdom 230 V / 50 Hz Yemen 230 V / 50 Hz Zambia 230 V / 50 Hz Zimbabwe 220 V / 50 Hz

Other plug types

Type A socket

Type B socket

Type C socket

Type E socket

Type F socket

Type G socket

Type H socket

Type I socket

Type J socket

Type K socket

Type L socket

Type M socket

Type N socket

Type O socket

Check your own devices

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