American NEMA 1 - 15P plug 2 pin 125v UL polarized power cord electrical cord

American NEMA 1 - 15P plug 2 pin 125v UL polarized power cord,

electrical cord

Quick Detail

Nema 1-15P

This "2-prong" plug and socket design, with two flat parallel non-coplanar blades and slots, is used in most of North America and on the east coast of South America on lamps; consumer electronics such as clocks, radios, and battery chargers; and other double insulated small appliances that don't require grounding (earthing).

All NEMA 1 devices are two-wire non-grounding devices (hot-neutral) rated for 125 V maximum. NEMA 1-15P plugs have two parallel flat blades, ¹⁄₄ inch (6.35 mm) wide, 0.06 inches (1.524 mm) thick, ⁵⁄₈–²³⁄₃₂ inch (15.875–18.256 mm) long, and spaced ¹⁄₂ inch (12.7 mm) apart.

Ungrounded NEMA 1-15 sockets have been prohibited in new construction in the United States and Canada since 1962, but remain in many older buildings, and this obsolete design is still available for repair use only. Since January 1, 1974, all new power outlets are required to have a ground connection, using grounded sockets (typically, NEMA 5-15 or NEMA 5-20) that accept both grounded and non-grounded plugs.^[3] Replacement of obsolete NEMA-1 receptacles requires either a NEMA-5 (for two conductors plus ground wire configurations), or a NEMA-5 GFCI for two-wire non-grounded configurations (when a ground conductor is not available).

Ungrounded NEMA 1 plugs are still popular with manufacturers for certain applications, because of their low cost and compact size. They are upward compatiblewith widely-available grounded NEMA 5 receptacles. Standards permit ungrounded plugs where the appliance does not require grounding due to low risk of leakage current, such as on double-insulated devices.

Specification

American NEMA 1-15P plug drawing