How to Wire a UK Plug

Download Article

Co-authored by Ricardo Mitchell

Last Updated: September 27, 2024

Download Article

This wikiHow will teach you how to put together or fix a UK three-pin plug.

Steps

Download Article

Take off roughly 3 centimeter (1.2 in) of white covering, leaving you with three thinner cables.^{[1]
X
Research source}
Advertisement
Leaving the plug on a desk/table/floor, take the stripped end of the thick white wire and separate the three wires inside it from each other, so each one is relatively maneuverable.
Strip roughly 0.5 to 1 centimeter (0.2 to 0.4 in) off of the end of the blue, brown and striped wires, so that the copper insides are clearly visible.
Put all three wires through the cable grip, along with the thick white cable, until the cable grip can be securely tightened onto the thick white cable. The cable grip may have to be loosened with a Philips screwdriver in order to fit the cable underneath it.^{[2]
X
Research source}
The Blue (Neutral) wire (bl = bottom left) goes into the hole in the bottom left (when the three pins of the front of the plug are facing away from you).^{[3]
X
Research source}
The Brown (Live) wire (br = bottom right) goes into the hole on the right, connected to the fuse (which should be clipped in).^{[4]
X
Research source}

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

How would I wire a brown and blue cable?

Community Answer

Blue to the left and brown to the right, as shownabove. It's a standard cable for a device which doesn't need an earth wire.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 22 Helpful 35
Question

If the wires are black and red, which is Live and which is Neutral?

Community Answer

Red will be Live and Black will be Neutral.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 16 Helpful 26
Question

The cable for my hob has four wires: green/yellow, blue, black and brown, whilst the plug only takes three. Can I use either the brown or black?

Community Answer

No! Usually a brown wire is live and black or blue wires are neutral, so they are NOT interchangeable. I haven't seen such a connection in my hobs, so I would recommend that you contact the supplier, manufacturer, or a professional electrician.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 12 Helpful 24

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

You will have to take out the fuse to put the wires in place inside the plug. Make sure you put it back in afterwards or the plug won't work as there will not be a complete circuit without the fuse.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Warnings

This can go quite wrong if wired incorrectly, and death/serious injury can occur.

Thanks
Helpful 16 Not Helpful 0
If unsure, it may be a good idea to have an electrician check things over/do the whole job himself, as getting this wrong can be very dangerous.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0