BS 546 'Old' British Standard

 

BS 546, also known as the Old British standard is used in countries that where electrified by the British, notably India, Pakistan, some East African countries and South Africa. In the UK BS 546 is occasionally used for special purposes. The history of BS 546 and preceding two and three round pin plugs is given on a separate page. Logos and notes on history of manufacturers of material shown on BS546 plugs and socket pages are given separately.

Related galleries: classic types non-earthed plugs (BS372) 2-pin (BS4573) shaver plugs bayonet cap (BS52) adapters Crater plug

 

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1, 4	BS 546 15A socket and plug. The socket has a switch, a quite common, but non-compulsary feature. The socket was bought in Malaysia. Inset: compulsory label that specifies certification according to Malaysian Standard, provided by SIRIM Berhad (Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia). Manufacturers: Clipsal* (socket) and DETA (plug). * Australian company, founded in 1920 in Adelaide; Schneider Electric aquired Clipsal in 2004.
2, 5	BS 546 5A socket and plug, bought in Ireland. This specimen has shutters to protect the live and neutral slots. They are opened by insertion of the longer earth pin. Safety shutters are compulsary for BS 546 sockets sold in the UK and Ireland. Manufacturers: Scolmore (socket); Wing Keung Electrical Accessories, Hong Kong (plug).
3, 6	BS 546 2A socket and plug. Nowadays 2A sockets are rare.   socket: {ASw} Manufacturers: CED, Countrywide Electrical Distributors (socket) and Lyvia (plug)
7	Characteristic detail of any BS 546 plug: an inspection hole in the plug housing. A compulsory feature to facilitate verification whether the earth pin is wired*. In the 1930-40s it was not yet generally accepted that earthing significantly enhances electrical safety. At least in those years it made sense to check whether a 3-pin plug was adequately wired. Inspection holes can also be found on older BS 1363 plugs and Dorman & Smith plugs. * Information given by 'Socketman' has been found at the UK radio repair and restoration discussion forum.
note	The triangular orientation of pins results in polarized plugs and sockets, i.e. line and neutral cannot be reversed. Each type of BS 546 plug fits only in a socket with a corresponding rating. Pin dimensions of the three variants are summarized in the table below. For safety reasons the proximal half of both the line and neutral pin is insulated. Usually, BS 546 plugs are not fused.

 

Plugs and sockets that are essentially identical to BS 546 Image nos. 8 - 13 show sockets and plugs, made in India according to IS 1293 standard. The devices are bought in Bhutan that, like Nepal, has adopted the Indian standard. Images 14 and 15 show South African SANS 164 plugs, also based on BS 546. According to IS 1293 (India) and SANS 164 (South Africa) the rating of British BS 546 15A and 5A is upgraded to 16A and 6A.

8, 9	Two types of Indian sockets that can be used for either 16A or 6A plugs (see image nos. 10 an 11) . Although fully comparable to BS 546, Indian IS 1293 plugs and sockets are rated at 240V - 16A or 6A, rather than 15A and 5A. Both types of sockets have safety shutters. Socket no. 9 has also a fuse and control light. The fuse is not hard wired; it is up to the electrician when installing the socket to wire the fuse (or not). Switch and fuse are not compulsory.
10	Indian 6A - 240V socket that can be used for earthed 6A plugs (3-pin, see no. 12) or non-earthed 6A plugs (2-pin, see no. 13).  The spacing between L and N pins of earthed and non-earthed plugs differ. This is intrinsic to all BS 546 based plugs (see South African gallery for data).
11, 12	IS 1293 16A plug (no. 11), and 6A (no. 12) plugs. The green arrows indicate the spacing between line (left) and neutral (right) pin. Also 3-pin IS 1293 plugs have an inspection hole to check earth pin wiring (see insets; compare with no.7).
13	Non-earthed 6A plug. This 2-pin plug is similar to the BS 4573 shaver plug, but lacks the partial insulation of the pins.
14	IS 1293 6A adapter plug for one earthed plug (as no. 12) and two not earthed plugs (as no. 13).   {MSt} Manufacturers: Anchor Electricals PVT.LTD , India (nos. 8, 10-14) and CPL Pigmy, India (no. 9).
note	Pin spacing (centre to centre) differs somewhat from data given in BS 546 table below. Construction details of some plugs allow quite some tolerance in pin spacing.

We are supplying electric material and accessories as per German and all foreign standards. www.Spezialelectric.com D-71634 Ludwigsburg Germany

15, 16

South African plugs according to SANS* 164 specifications. No. 15 is an example of SANS 164-1, rated at 16A-250V, while no.16 shows a 6A SANS 164-3 plug. Two aspects differ from BS 546 plugs used in the U.K.: (i) partial insulation of power pins is not compulsory and (ii) plug housing do not have an inspection hole for earth pin wiring. Manufacturers: no. 15: Litemaster (part of Crabtree, South Africa) and no. 16: Procast Manufacturing, South Africa.    {FSE} More material is displayed in the South Africa gallery.  * SANS stands for South African National Standard.

17

SANS 164-1, 16A-250V plug with a partly transparant housing. Manufacturer: Lumex (Lumex Clipsal Pty, now Schneider Electric). {PO}

 

More BS 546 plugs, adapters and multi-plugs

18	Plug of a power cord meant for double insulated appliances. The plug has a non-conductive 'earth' pin, which is needed to open the safety shutters and to enforce the correct orientation of line and neutral pin. The official name of a non-conductive pin is an Insulated Shutter Opening Device (ISOD).
19	15A, 2-way converter plug (the second, top side set of slots is not visible), which allows the use of BS 1363 plugs in a house equipped with BS 546 sockets. According to BS 1363 standards converter plugs are provided with 13A fuse. Manufacturer: Voltex, South Africa.
20	BS 546 2A, 3-way multi-plug. Manufacturer: Clang.   {JM}

21.   BS 546 15A plug with longitudinal triple 15A outlets. The adaptor has been made for the South African marked and complies with SANS 164-1 specificationss. For that reason the indicated rating is 16A - 250V.    {MP} Adapter has been made by sEletrix/SGA; manufacturer and supplier of electrical products abd accessories to the South African market. sEletrix is a product of SGA Trading in Durban, South Africa.

 

Fused BS 546 plugs In contrast to BS 1363 (see above comments) by far the most BS 546 plugs do not have a fuse. However, fused BS 546 plugs are offered as an extra means of protection.   {DF}

22, 22a	5A BS 546 plug with a 5A fuse. Note that fused BS 546 plugs have a rectangular shape, in contrast to the triangular, non-fused counterparts (see nos. 4 and 5). Manufacturer: MK Electric, England.
23, 23a	Fused 15A BS 546 safety adapter meant for a 15A and 5A BS 546 plug. Both outlets have safety shutters. It is indicated that the total loading must not exceed 15 Amps. The fitted 5A fuse only protects the 5A outlet. Manufacturer: MK Electric.
note	Both plugs have a small type of cartridge fuse (BS 646), rather than the larger BS 1362 fuses that are used in BS 1363 plugs.

 

Characteristics of BS 546 plugs (spacing and offset refer to pin centres)	15 Amp	5 Amp	2 Amp
Diameter of L and N pins	6.9 mm	5.1 mm	3.7 mm
Diameter of earth pin	8.4 mm	7.1 mm	5.2 mm
Spacing of L and N pins	25.4 mm	19.1 mm	14.5 mm
Offset of earth pin	25.7 mm	20.4 mm	12.5 mm

 

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