Charging guide - Industry Contact / CEE

Industrial plugs and sockets (IEC 60309) is often abbreviated CEE and is an international standard from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for "plugs, outlets/sockets and connectors for industrial purposes". Many also call them rundstift in Norway.

Such plugs and connectors can be found e.g. around industrial buildings, marinas, campsites, car parks and these are now more often used for charging electric cars and plug-in hybrids as these have been developed to withstand a higher load over time.

The earth conductor, which is also the largest conductor on the plug, is placed in different clock positions according to nominal voltage, frequency and standard. This is done to prevent incorrect use as there are different sizes of conductors, as well as different dimensions of plugs and connectors. Thus, a 32A plug will not fit into a 16A socket on the wall as the picture below illustrates.

 

Blå CEE 32A og Blå CEE 16A

The table shows the most common industrial connectors and plugs used for charging electric vehicles today.

 Desgination Ground Position (h) Color Code Amperage (A) Voltage (V) Phases (r) Number of Poles
Dimensions (W x H)
216-6 6 Blue 16 230 1 3/2P+E 47 x 118 mm
232-6 6 Blue 32 230 1 3/2P+E 63 x 146 mm
316-9 9 Blue 16 230 3 4/3P+E 53 x 124 mm
332-9 9 Blue 32 230 3 4/3P+E 63 x 146 mm
416-6 6 Red 16 230/400 3 5/3PN+E 61 x 131 mm
432-6 6 Red 32 230/400 3 5/3PN+E 70 x 152 mm

 

The designations for the various connectors and plugs are unique for ease of use and are read as indicated below. A 216-6 plug is often colloquially called a 16A/1-phase 3-pin Blue CEE, industrial plug or round pin.

Forklaring av betegnelse


The actual position of the earth conductor is determined by looking at the connector from the front with the keyway down. The earth conductor is placed at one of the positions in a 12-hour dial. To find the operating voltage of the connector/plug, identify the color and the position of the earth conductor in relation to the dial. For example, we see that a 400V industrial plug is red and has the earth conductor at 6 o'clock (6h) as the picture below shows.

 

Urskive for jordleder for industrikontakter og -støpsler

 

Blue Industry Contacts and Plugs - 230V IT

In Norway, you mainly have access to "two" types of IT network, namely 230V 1-phase and 3-phase. This means that we get a total of 4 different contacts that are used when charging vehicles.

1) 216-6 = 16A / 230V / 1-phase blue CEE plug / contact
2) 232-6 = 32A / 230V / 1-phase blue CEE plug / contact
3) 316-9 = 16A / 230V / 3-phase blue CEE plug / contact
4) 332-9 = 32A / 230V / 3-phase blue CEE plug / contact

Although the theoretical charging power (kW) when connected to 230V/3-phase is higher, unfortunately few cars support this. The reason is that the charging standard is mainly developed for either 230V/1-phase or 400V/3-phase, and thus 230V/3-phase falls between two chairs for many car manufacturers.

Red Industry Contacts and Plugs - 400V TN

Red industrial plugs have a rated current of up to 400V / TN network and are more normal in newer buildings in Norway and two connectors / plugs are normally used for charging electric vehicles:

1) 416-6 = 16A / 400V / 3-phase red CEE plug / contact
2) 432-6 32A / 400V / 3-phase red CEE plug / contact

Should you remain unsure about which plug or connector you have, or which adapter you need for charging, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Newsletter

Subscribe to the newsletter to get the latest updates, competitions and super offers.