Lookup table
NEMA Plug and Receptacle Reference Chart
Common independently verified straight-blade and locking families.
Type a designation such as 5-20R, 14-50, or L14-30P, or filter by electrical rating. P means plug; R means receptacle.
Designation decoder
Enter a complete NEMA designation above to decode it, or choose View on any row.
No verified NEMA configuration matches these filters. Check the designation or clear one or more filters.
Scroll horizontally to view additional columns and vertically to view additional rows. The NEMA configuration column and column headers remain visible while scrolling.
| Plug | Receptacle | Actions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5-15 | Straight blade | 125 V | 15 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | 5-15P | 5-15R | |
| 5-20 | Straight blade | 125 V | 20 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | 5-20P | 5-20R | |
| 5-30 | Straight blade | 125 V | 30 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | 5-30P | 5-30R | |
| 5-50 | Straight blade | 125 V | 50 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | 5-50P | 5-50R | |
| 6-15 | Straight blade | 250 V | 15 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | 6-15P | 6-15R | |
| 6-20 | Straight blade | 250 V | 20 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | 6-20P | 6-20R | |
| 6-30 | Straight blade | 250 V | 30 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | 6-30P | 6-30R | |
| 6-50 | Straight blade | 250 V | 50 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | 6-50P | 6-50R | |
| 10-30 | Straight blade | 125/250 V | 30 A | 3 | 3 | Non-grounding | 10-30P | 10-30R | |
| 10-50 | Straight blade | 125/250 V | 50 A | 3 | 3 | Non-grounding | 10-50P | 10-50R | |
| 14-20 | Straight blade | 125/250 V | 20 A | 3 | 4 | Grounding | 14-20P | 14-20R | |
| 14-30 | Straight blade | 125/250 V | 30 A | 3 | 4 | Grounding | 14-30P | 14-30R | |
| 14-50 | Straight blade | 125/250 V | 50 A | 3 | 4 | Grounding | 14-50P | 14-50R | |
| L5-15 | Locking | 125 V | 15 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | L5-15P | L5-15R | |
| L5-20 | Locking | 125 V | 20 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | L5-20P | L5-20R | |
| L5-30 | Locking | 125 V | 30 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | L5-30P | L5-30R | |
| L6-15 | Locking | 250 V | 15 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | L6-15P | L6-15R | |
| L6-20 | Locking | 250 V | 20 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | L6-20P | L6-20R | |
| L6-30 | Locking | 250 V | 30 A | 2 | 3 | Grounding | L6-30P | L6-30R | |
| L14-20 | Locking | 125/250 V | 20 A | 3 | 4 | Grounding | L14-20P | L14-20R | |
| L14-30 | Locking | 125/250 V | 30 A | 3 | 4 | Grounding | L14-30P | L14-30R |
Use this chart to identify a NEMA configuration—not to size conductors, overcurrent protection, or approve an installation. Exact geometry and compliance-critical dimensions belong to the current ANSI/NEMA WD 6 standard.
Utilities and scope
Full CSV download is intentionally unavailable because this page does not reproduce the complete proprietary WD 6 configuration chart.
How to Read a NEMA Plug Number
A NEMA designation identifies a wiring-device configuration family. In L14-30P, the L indicates a locking configuration, 14 identifies the configuration series, 30 is the ampere rating, and P identifies a plug. The matching receptacle uses the R suffix.
- L prefix
- Locking configuration. A designation without L in this chart is straight blade.
- Series number
- Identifies the voltage/conductor configuration family; it is not itself a voltage value.
- Ampere number
- The number after the hyphen is the nominal ampere rating for the configuration.
- P / R suffix
- P = plug. R = receptacle. A family such as 14-30 can refer to the matched P/R configuration pair.
Do not choose by amperage alone. A 30 A device can belong to 125 V, 250 V, or 125/250 V families with different conductor arrangements and incompatible configurations.
Common NEMA Configuration Examples
NEMA 5-20R
20 A, 125 V, 2-pole, 3-wire grounding receptacle. The matching plug designation is 5-20P.
Sanity check: 5-series entries in this table are 125 V configurations; a 250 V load belongs to a different configuration family.
NEMA 14-50R
50 A, 125/250 V, 3-pole, 4-wire grounding receptacle. The four-wire arrangement includes two ungrounded conductors, a neutral, and equipment grounding conductor.
Limitation: this identification does not determine branch-circuit conductor sizing or continuous-load requirements.
NEMA L14-30P
30 A, 125/250 V, 3-pole, 4-wire grounding locking plug. The corresponding receptacle is L14-30R.
Sanity check: L14-30 is not interchangeable with L6-30 even though both can be rated 30 A.
Straight-Blade, Locking, Grounding, Poles, and Wires
Straight blade vs. locking
- Straight-blade devices connect by insertion/removal.
- Locking configurations use the L designation and a twist-locking interface.
- Do not substitute one family for the other with improvised adapters.
Grounding matters
- Most modern configurations shown are grounding types.
- The 10-30 and 10-50 rows are explicitly shown as non-grounding configurations.
- A grounding conductor is not interchangeable with a neutral conductor.
Poles vs. wires
- Poles describe current-carrying contacts used by the circuit configuration.
- Wire count includes all conductors represented by the configuration, including grounding where applicable.
- Confirm equipment nameplate voltage and circuit topology before choosing a device.
Identification is only one design step. Verify conductor ampacity, breaker/fuse requirements, receptacle environmental suitability, equipment instructions, and applicable electrical code separately.
Standard, Source, and Rights Scope
Dataset label: Common NEMA plug/receptacle identification subset verified against ANSI/NEMA WD 6-2021 scope and current manufacturer technical references; source checked August 7, 2026.
ANSI/NEMA WD 6-2021 is the controlling dimensional specification for plugs and receptacles in this scope. This page reorganizes a limited set of independently verified configuration facts for fast lookup and intentionally does not reproduce NEMA’s selection-chart artwork or dimensional drawings.
- ANSI/NEMA WD 6-2021 — Wiring Devices — Dimensional SpecificationsControlling standard scope for plugs, receptacles, and wall plates used in residential, commercial, and industrial installations; the online standard includes selection-chart navigation for the principal configuration categories.
- Eaton Wiring Devices Digital Buyer’s GuideIndependent manufacturer reference containing NEMA straight-blade and locking configuration information.
- Bryant Technical ResourcesIndependent manufacturer reference and NEMA configuration chart resource used for designation/rating cross-checks.
- NEMA 2026 Standards PlanLists ANSI/NEMA WD 00006-2026 as a technical revision with an expected publication date of August 30, 2026; do not treat it as published until NEMA does.
Dataset and Source-Check Details
- Controlling edition
- ANSI/NEMA WD 6-2021
- Displayed scope
- 21 common straight-blade and locking configuration families
- Units
- Nominal volts and amperes; poles and wires are counts
- Rights decision
- Limited transformed reference only; no full standard-table CSV or proprietary configuration artwork
- Publisher
- Turn2Engineering
- Maintenance trigger
- Recheck when ANSI/NEMA WD 6-2026 is actually published
NEMA Plug Chart FAQ
It identifies a 20 A, 125 V, 2-pole, 3-wire grounding receptacle in the NEMA 5-series; the matching plug is 5-20P.
P denotes a plug and R denotes a receptacle, so L14-30P and L14-30R are the mating device designations for the same configuration family.
The L prefix identifies a locking configuration; a 14-30 designation without L is a different straight-blade configuration.
No. Amperage alone is insufficient; the exact NEMA family, voltage/system, poles, wires, grounding arrangement, and plug/receptacle configuration must match.
No. This page identifies wiring-device configurations; conductor ampacity, overcurrent protection, voltage drop, installation method, and code compliance are separate checks.
Use the Exact Configuration, Not Just the Amp Rating
Start with the equipment voltage and circuit arrangement, then match the exact NEMA family, ampere rating, grounding arrangement, and P/R device type. Use the table and decoder for identification, then complete conductor, protection, voltage-drop, environmental, and code checks separately.