The clock
The socket face is read as a clock: the wide keyway at 6, the earth contact at one of twelve positions. On 3P+E, 6h is 380–415 V, 9h 200–250 V, 11h the marine 440–460 V 60 Hz and 3h reefer containers.
Reference tool — not a selection
Read an IEC 60309 plug or socket before it goes in an RFQ.
IEC 60309 connector
Pins, earth, colour.
Type the designation as on the label, or pick the poles and the earth position; on the drawing, an hour can be tapped. Below the fields, an offered part can be checked against it. The supply, the colour and the RFQ line update with every change.
Examples:
Replacement check
On the designations alone: matching pins and earth position mean the plug goes in; the load and the mounting go by the label.
All 130 engineering tools
Shore power, deck and engine-room outlets and reefer containers connect through industrial IEC 60309 connectors. A plug for another supply does not go into the socket: the number of pins and the earth contact’s position against the keyway set the voltage and frequency, and the housing colour the voltage range. Type the designation from the label, or pick the poles and the earth position, and the reader names the supply, checks the colour, checks an offered part and writes the RFQ line.
The load, the cable size and the mounting are not selected here: they go by the label and the maker’s drawing.
How a connector is read
Keyway at 6, earth by the clock.
The pins
Three pins are 2P+E (two poles, or a phase and the neutral, with earth), four 3P+E, five 3P+N+E. Ratings are 16, 32, 63 and 125 A; a plug of one rating does not go into a socket of another.
The colour
The housing colour is the voltage range: violet 20–25 V, white 40–50 V, yellow 100–130 V, blue 200–250 V, red 380–480 V, black from 500 V, green for 100–500 Hz.
| Clock | 2P+E · 3 pins | 3P+E · 4 pins | 3P+N+E · 5 pins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1h | — | — | — |
| 2h | above 50 V, 300–500 Hz | above 50 V, 300–500 Hz | above 50 V, 300–500 Hz |
| 3h | 50–250 V, DC | 380 / 440 V, 50 / 60 Hz (reefer containers) | 220/380 / 250/440 V, 50 / 60 Hz (reefer containers) |
| 4h | 100–130 V, 50/60 Hz | 100–130 V, 50/60 Hz | 57/100–75/130 V, 50/60 Hz |
| 5h | — | 600–690 V, 50/60 Hz | 347/600–400/690 V, 50/60 Hz |
| 6h | 200–250 V, 50/60 Hz | 380–415 V, 50/60 Hz | 200/346–240/415 V, 50/60 Hz |
| 7h | 480–500 V, 50/60 Hz | 480–500 V, 50/60 Hz | 277/480–288/500 V, 50/60 Hz |
| 8h | above 250 V, DC | — | — |
| 9h | 380–415 V, 50/60 Hz | 200–250 V, 50/60 Hz | 120/208–144/250 V, 50/60 Hz |
| 10h | above 50 V, 100–300 Hz | above 50 V, 100–300 Hz | above 50 V, 100–300 Hz |
| 11h | — | 440–460 V, 60 Hz (marine) | 250/440–265/460 V, 60 Hz (marine) |
| 12h | isolating transformer, 50/60 Hz | — | isolating transformer, 50/60 Hz |
1P+N+E: 4h is 100–130 V 50/60 Hz, 5h 277 V 60 Hz. The standard keeps 1h for special applications. Left out: 8h at 1000 V and 12h on 3P+E (the sources disagree) and the North American Series II.
Sources
Earth positions: IEC 60309-2:2023 table 210 as Mennekes reproduces it, checked row by row against the Wikipedia article’s table on IEC 60309; the rows where both agree are given. Mennekes’ notes: 11h “mainly for marine installations”, 3h “only for reefer containers (ISO standard)”. Colours: Palazzoli’s and Wikipedia’s tables (their upper bound for black differs: 690 V against 1000 V). Ratings 16–125 A and pin counts: Wikipedia and the Mennekes table’s columns. Reefer sockets 32 A 3P+E 3h at 380 V 50 Hz / 440 V 60 Hz: the Palazzoli and Amphenol reefer ranges and a BALS catalogue entry.
Before you send the request
Questions about IEC 60309 connectors in an RFQ
What does 3h mean on a red 32 A plug?
The earth contact sits at 3 o’clock against the keyway at 6. On a 3P+E plug that is the reefer container position, 380 V 50 Hz or 440 V 60 Hz; the standard keeps it for reefer containers.
Which plug is 440 V 60 Hz on a ship?
The standard’s marine position is 11h: 3P+E or 3P+N+E at 440–460 V 60 Hz. Reefer sockets use 3h instead.
Do the colour and the earth position have to agree?
They should: the colour gives the voltage range (yellow 100–130 V, blue 200–250 V, red 380–480 V) and the earth position the supply. A red four-pin plug with the earth at 9h reads 200–250 V, which is blue, so the plug is worth a second look.
What should the request include?
Plug, socket, coupler or inlet; the rating, poles and earth position from the label (for example 32 A 3P+E 3h); the IP rating; the mounting (surface, panel, angled); the cable size; the quantity.
Connector read?
Send the line with a photograph of the label.
A decoded connector is a cross-check, not a selection. Attach photographs of the label and the connector face, and Vessel Core checks them before an offer goes back.
Buyer tools
