In this guide: The short answer · The IEC 60320 family · Comparison table · Temperature classes · UK plug to IEC leads · Locking IEC · When gear uses powerCON · Which kit uses which · IEC in racks and PDUs · Popular picks · FAQ

The short answer

Most pro audio, lighting and IT kit with a detachable mains lead uses connectors from the IEC 60320 family. The one you will meet most is the C13, the female connector on the lead, which plugs into a C14 inlet on the equipment. Connector maker Interpower rates its C13s at 10A 250V AC internationally.

• C13 / C14: 10A, earthed. The everyday IEC lead for mixers, amps, moving heads and rack gear.
• C19 / C20: 16A, earthed. Found on higher-current equipment and on some PDU outlets.
• C15 / C16: 10A, earthed, rated for 120°C. The C16 inlet is keyed so a standard C13 will not go in.
• C5 / C6 (“cloverleaf”) and C7 / C8 (“figure 8”): 2.5A small-appliance connectors. C5 is earthed; C7 is not.
• Locking IEC stops a lead being pulled or vibrated out. Some types lock into any standard inlet; others need a matching inlet.
• powerCON is a different, twist-locking connector family from Neutrik, common on lighting fixtures and powered speakers. It is not interchangeable with IEC.

This guide helps you buy the right lead. It does not cover making up leads, choosing fuses or designing power systems. Design, installation and testing of electrical systems is a job for a competent person, and leads used at work should be inspected and tested; see our PAT testing guide.

The IEC 60320 family: what the C numbers mean

IEC 60320 is the international standard for appliance couplers: the detachable lead-and-inlet connection on equipment. Each shape has its own standard sheet number. Odd numbers are the connectors on the cable (female), even numbers are the matching inlets on the equipment (male). A C13 connector goes into a C14 inlet; a C19 goes into a C20.

Where the same shape is used as an outlet on a PDU or a lead, the numbering follows the part, not the job it does. An “IEC male to IEC female” extension, such as the Elumen8 2m IEC male to IEC female cable, is a C14 plug on one end and a C13 connector on the other. That is also the lead you use from a C13 outlet on a rack PDU to a C14 inlet on a piece of kit.

C13 and C14: the standard 10A IEC

Interpower describes the C13 as a 10A, 250V AC connector for Class I (earthed) equipment, for cold conditions. It lists common uses as including IT and test equipment, data centres and power distribution devices. In this trade it is the default lead for desks, amplifiers, wireless racks and most lighting fixtures that are not powerCON. People often call it a kettle lead.

C19 and C20: the 16A IEC

A larger connector than the C13. Interpower rates its C19 connectors at 16A 250V AC internationally (20A in North America), for cold conditions.

C15 and C16: the high-temperature 10A IEC

The high-temperature version of the C13 / C14 pair. Interpower rates C15 and C16 at 10A 250V AC with a 120°C rating, and says the C16 inlet includes a key that stops a cold-rated C13 from going in. Interpower’s rule is that a connector and inlet rated hot can be used in a cold environment, but not vice versa. Schurter lists standard C14 inlets, as well as C16 inlets, among the mating inlets for its own C15 connector. So a C15 lead will go into a C14 inlet, but a C13 lead will not go into a C16 inlet.

C5 / C6 (cloverleaf) and C7 / C8 (figure 8)

The small connectors. Interpower rates both at 2.5A 250V AC. The C5 has three contacts including earth, for Class I equipment. The C7 has no earth contact and is for Class II (double-insulated) equipment, and Interpower notes that a C7 must be moulded onto its cable: rewireable C7s are not allowed. If your kit has a C6 or C8 inlet, you need the matching small lead. We stock a Elumen8 1.5m 13A to IEC C5 cable for C6 inlets.

Comparison table

Current and voltage ratings are as published by connector maker Interpower for its own parts; temperature figures are the IEC 60320 pin-temperature classes as set out by Schurter. A finished lead is only as good as its weakest part, so the lead’s own rating is the one to go by.

Temperature classes: cold, hot and very hot

IEC 60320 sorts couplers by the maximum temperature at the base of the pins. Schurter, a Swiss connector maker, sets out the three classes as:

• Cold conditions: pin temperature up to 70°C. This covers the C13 and C19.
• Hot conditions: up to 120°C. This is the C15 / C16 pair. Schurter notes these are sometimes loosely called “warm condition” couplers.
• Very hot conditions: up to 155°C, for equipment that runs hotter still.

Schurter explains that the outlines are coded so couplers for hot conditions may also be used under cold conditions, and couplers for very hot conditions under cold or hot conditions. The reverse is blocked by the shape. In practice: if the inlet on your kit has the notch of a C16, a standard C13 lead physically will not go in, and you need a C15. Do not modify a connector to make it fit.

UK plug to IEC leads

In the UK the other end of an IEC lead is usually a BS 1363 13A plug. BS 1363 plugs carry a cartridge fuse to BS 1362, the standard for fuse links of up to 13A intended primarily for these plugs. The fuse fitted is chosen by the lead or equipment maker; if you are unsure what an item needs, ask the manufacturer or a competent person rather than guessing.

What to look for when buying:

• Cable type. For leads that get coiled, stepped on and gaffed down, rubber H07RN-F is the usual touring choice. Our power cable guide explains the code. The Elumen8 1.5m 13A to IEC cable and 5m version are listed in 1mm H07RN-F.
• Fuse fitted. Every BS 1363 plug carries a fuse. Elumen8 also lists a 1.5m 13A to IEC cable with a 5A fuse; which fuse an item needs is for its maker or a competent person to say.
• Length. Buy the length you need. A long lead coiled up behind a rack is bulk, weight and something else to trip over.
• Touring abroad. For mainland Europe there is the Elumen8 1.5m Schuko to IEC cable.

For extending an IEC lead, use a proper C14-to-C13 extension such as the Elumen8 5m IEC male to IEC female cable or the white-sheathed LEDJ 3m IEC male to IEC female cable for white set-ups where black cable would stand out. Splitters such as the LEDJ moulded Y split and LEDJ IEC male to 2 x IEC female adaptor share one supply between two loads, so the total on the upstream lead and socket still has to stay within their ratings.

Locking IEC: IEC Lock and V-Lock

A standard C13 is held in by friction. A lead that gets knocked, or kit that vibrates on a subwoofer or in a truck pack, can work loose and drop out mid-show. Locking IEC connectors deal with that. The two names you will see work differently.

IEC Lock

IEC Lock describes its product as a patented connector that “securely locks into any standard IEC inlet”. Because the lock is in the connector, no special inlet is needed: it works on the C14 inlet your kit already has. Our Elumen8 range includes a 2m 13A to C13 IEC Lock cable and a 1m 16A T-Connect to C13 IEC Lock cable for lighting rigs fed from T-Connect.

V-Lock

V-Lock is a system, not just a lead. Schurter describes it as a matching plug and socket combination: the cord connector has a pin that interlocks with a special notch in the appliance inlet, and you release it by pressing the release lever. The V-Lock parts are bright yellow, so they are easy to spot. The lock only works when the inlet has the V-Lock notch. Check the equipment’s inlet before buying V-Lock leads for it.

When gear uses powerCON instead

Neutrik’s powerCON is a twist-locking power connector made for stage and touring use. Many lighting fixtures, and some powered speakers, use it in place of an IEC inlet, often with a matching output socket so you can link power from one unit to the next. It does not mate with IEC in any way: you need a powerCON lead, or an adaptor lead with powerCON on one end and IEC on the other.

The versions matter. Blue and grey powerCON must not be plugged or unplugged live, while powerCON TRUE1 and TRUE1 TOP are rated by Neutrik for connecting and disconnecting under load. All of that, along with how many fixtures you can link from one supply, is covered in our powerCON and TRUE1 linking guide, so it is not repeated here. The physical shapes are compared in our pro audio connectors guide.

Where a system mixes the two, adaptor leads bridge them. Elumen8 makes a 1m TRUE1 to locking IEC cable, and for straight TRUE1 runs there is the Elumen8 2m powerCON TRUE1 TOP cable.

Which kit uses which inlet

There is no rule by product type, so check the manual or the back panel. Some examples from manufacturer documentation for products we sell:

• The Equinox Fusion 120 Zoom MKII moving head’s manual shows an IEC power input socket and no power output, so each unit needs its own IEC feed.
• Chauvet Professional’s Rogue R2X Wash manual lists powerCON in and powerCON out, so it takes powerCON leads and can link power to the next fixture within Chauvet’s published limits.
• Penn Elcom’s PDU16-AV takes a Neutrik 20A powerCON input and provides a four-way C13 outlet strip alongside universal sockets, so the kit plugged into it needs C14-to-C13 leads.

For DMX fixtures there are also combi cables that carry IEC power and DMX in one sheath, such as the LEDJ 5m combi IEC and 3-pin XLR cable.

IEC in racks and PDUs

Racks are where IEC earns its keep. A rack PDU with C13 outlets is compact, and short C14-to-C13 leads keep the back of the rack tidy. Watch the ratings, though: an outlet’s rating is not the same as the whole strip’s.

The Adastra 1U-PDU-2UK8IEC is an example. AVSL lists it with two UK sockets and eight IEC sockets, a hard-wired 1.8m lead with UK plug, and a maximum of 13A in total, 10A maximum per IEC socket. Eight IEC sockets do not mean eight 10A loads. Penn Elcom similarly gives the PDU16-AV’s C13 strip a combined maximum load of 10A.

How PDUs share their inlet between outlets, and which outlet type to choose, is in our 16A and 32A PDU guide. Planning power, ventilation and cable management in a rack is in building a rack. For stage distribution with RCD protection, see event distro boxes explained.

Popular picks from the shop

FAQ

What is the difference between C13 and C14?

The C13 is the female connector on the end of the lead; the C14 is the male inlet on the equipment. They are two halves of the same 10A IEC connection. Odd numbers are always the cable connector and even numbers the inlet.

Can I use a C13 lead in a C15 or C16 socket?

A C13 will not fit a C16 inlet: the C16 is keyed to stop cold-rated connectors going in. A C15 lead will go into a standard C14 inlet: Interpower says hot-rated parts can be used in a cold environment, and Schurter lists C14 inlets as mating inlets for its C15 connector. If your kit has a notched C16 inlet, buy a C15 lead.

Is a C19 the same as a 16A IEC?

Yes. The C19 connector and C20 inlet are the 16A members of the IEC 60320 family. They are a different shape from the C13 and will not interchange with it.

What is a figure 8 lead?

A C7 connector, the small two-pin lead used on double-insulated (Class II) equipment. It has no earth and is rated at 2.5A. The three-pin cloverleaf C5 is its earthed equivalent.

Do locking IEC leads need a special socket?

It depends on the type. IEC Lock connectors lock into any standard IEC inlet. V-Lock needs an inlet with a matching notch to lock.

Can I plug powerCON into an IEC socket?

No. powerCON is a separate connector family and does not mate with IEC. Use an adaptor lead with the right connector on each end, and see our powerCON guide for which powerCON types can be connected live.

Leads and PDUs used at work should be part of your inspection and testing routine. Our PAT testing guide explains what applies to event and hire equipment.