--- title: "Electrical and appliance symbols explained" description: "Every electrical and appliance symbol and what it means — 16 of them, with what each looks like and what happens if you ignore it." url: https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical/ site: "At One Place" --- # Electrical and appliance symbols 16 electrical and appliance symbols, each with what it looks like and what it actually requires. | Symbol | Looks like | Means | | --- | --- | --- | | CE mark | The letters CE in a distinctive geometric form, the C and E drawn as arcs of the same circle. | The manufacturer declares the product meets the EU rules that apply to it. | | UKCA mark | The letters UKCA in a plain sans-serif block. | The manufacturer declares the product meets Great Britain's rules — the British counterpart to CE. | | UL Listed | The letters UL in a circle, with the word LISTED and a control number beside it. | A complete product tested by Underwriters Laboratories against its safety standard. | | UL Recognized Component | A backwards UR, like a mirrored letter U joined to an R. | A component certified for use inside a larger product — not a certification of the finished item. | | FCC mark | The letters FCC in a stylised block, the C shapes squared off. | The device meets US limits on radio-frequency interference. | | RoHS compliant | Usually the letters RoHS in a badge, sometimes green with a tick or a leaf. There is no official artwork. | The product restricts ten hazardous substances, including lead, mercury, cadmium and four phthalates. | | Crossed-out wheelie bin (WEEE) | A wheeled rubbish bin with a large cross through it, usually with a solid bar underneath. | Do not put this in household waste — take it to a separate collection for electrical items or batteries. | | Crossed-out bin with Pb, Cd or Hg | The crossed-out wheelie bin with the chemical symbol Pb, Cd or Hg printed underneath it. | A battery for separate collection which also contains lead, cadmium or mercury above the reporting threshold. | | Double insulated (Class II) | A small square drawn inside a larger square, moulded into the casing or printed on the rating plate. | The appliance is protected by two layers of insulation and needs no earth connection. | | Protective earth (ground) | A circle enclosing a line that descends to three horizontal bars of decreasing length, like a stack of plates. | This terminal must be connected to the protective earth conductor. | | IP rating (IP67, IPX4) | The letters IP followed by two characters, such as IP67, IP44 or IPX4. | How well the enclosure keeps out solids and water. First digit solids 0–6, second digit water 0–9. | | EU energy label (A to G) | A ladder of coloured arrows from dark green at the top to red at the bottom, lettered A down to G, with the product's grade called out beside it. | How efficient the appliance is, on a scale from A to G, alongside consumption figures. | | EnergyGuide label (US) | A large yellow rectangle with black text, showing an estimated yearly running cost and a bar comparing it with similar models. | The estimated annual energy cost of this appliance in the US, and how it compares with the range for its class. | | Alternating current (AC) | A single wave — one shallow S laid on its side. | Alternating current. On a power supply it marks the mains input side. | | Direct current (DC) | A solid horizontal line above a dashed or dotted line of the same length. | Direct current. On a power supply it marks the output side. | | Barrel jack polarity (centre positive or centre negative) | A small circle with a dot in the middle, a C-shape around it, and plus and minus signs — the plus attached to whichever part is positive. | Which conductor of a barrel plug is positive: the inner pin or the outer sleeve. | - [CE mark](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-ce/) — The manufacturer declares the product meets the EU rules that apply to it. - [UKCA mark](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-ukca/) — The manufacturer declares the product meets Great Britain's rules — the British counterpart to CE. - [UL Listed](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-ul-listed/) — A complete product tested by Underwriters Laboratories against its safety standard. - [UL Recognized Component](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-ul-recognized/) — A component certified for use inside a larger product — not a certification of the finished item. - [FCC mark](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-fcc/) — The device meets US limits on radio-frequency interference. - [RoHS compliant](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-rohs/) — The product restricts ten hazardous substances, including lead, mercury, cadmium and four phthalates. - [Crossed-out wheelie bin (WEEE)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-weee/) — Do not put this in household waste — take it to a separate collection for electrical items or batteries. - [Crossed-out bin with Pb, Cd or Hg](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-battery-bin/) — A battery for separate collection which also contains lead, cadmium or mercury above the reporting threshold. - [Double insulated (Class II)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-double-insulated/) — The appliance is protected by two layers of insulation and needs no earth connection. - [Protective earth (ground)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-protective-earth/) — This terminal must be connected to the protective earth conductor. - [IP rating (IP67, IPX4)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-ip-rating/) — How well the enclosure keeps out solids and water. First digit solids 0–6, second digit water 0–9. - [EU energy label (A to G)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-eu-energy-label/) — How efficient the appliance is, on a scale from A to G, alongside consumption figures. - [EnergyGuide label (US)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-energyguide/) — The estimated annual energy cost of this appliance in the US, and how it compares with the range for its class. - [Alternating current (AC)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-ac/) — Alternating current. On a power supply it marks the mains input side. - [Direct current (DC)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-dc/) — Direct current. On a power supply it marks the output side. - [Barrel jack polarity (centre positive or centre negative)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/electrical-polarity/) — Which conductor of a barrel plug is positive: the inner pin or the outer sleeve.