Wire Color

Installation guidelines

Introduction

With effect from 1 July 2007, colour for identification of conductors in fixed electrical installations has been changed, and the details are shown in Table 1 below and Amendment No. 1:2007 to the Code of Practice for the Electricity (Wiring) Regulations (CoP).

Function	Colour		Letter Code
	Old Colour Code	New Colour Code
Phase of single phase circuit	red (or yellow or white or blue )	brown	L
Phase 1 of 3-phase circuit	red	brown	L1
Phase 2 of 3-phase circuit	yellow or white	black	L2
Phase 3 of 3-phase circuit	blue	grey	L3
Neutral	black	blue	N
Protective conductor	green and yellow	green and yellow	--

Table 1 – Change of Cable Colour Code

 

The change is applicable to all new electrical installations as well as addition & alteration to existing electrical installations. Existing installations with cables adopting the old cable colour code will not be affected.   A Working Group on the Review of Cable Colour Code in Hong Kong comprising members from the trade and industry was established in year 2003 to study the cable colour change issue in Hong Kong. In mid-2004, the Working Group proposed to adopt the new cable colour code in Hong Kong. The change was then endorsed by the Electrical Safety Advisory Committee in September 2004. The new cable colour code complies with the requirements of relevant national and international standards (such as IEC 60446, EN 60446, BS EN 60446 and BS 7671) and has been adopted by the majority of the western countries countries (e.g. UK, France, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, etc.).