Why the GFCI cord cannot go
A UL 943 GFCI is a 120 V (or 120/240 V) device with a NEMA plug. In a 230 V, 50 Hz country it has the wrong voltage, the wrong plug and no recognised approval mark. The local electrician will not connect it, the local inspector will not pass it, and the local insurer may not pay out. The equivalent there is a residual current device, and on a cord that means a plug-head RCD or a portable RCD (PRCD) to IEC 61540. Guide 2 has the two side by side.
The plug, country by country
| Destination | Plug | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Greece, Turkey, most of Eastern Europe | Schuko CEE 7/7 | 16 A, 250 V | The 7/7 hybrid also fits French and Belgian CEE 7/5 sockets. Schuko RCD cords |
| France, Belgium, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia | CEE 7/7 | 16 A, 250 V | Same plug; the earth pin in the socket engages the 7/7's earth aperture. |
| United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, UAE, Saudi Arabia | BS 1363 | 13 A, 250 V | A fused plug; the RCD plug-head carries its own 13 A fuse. Portable RCD plugs are made to BS 7071. |
| Italy, San Marino | CEI 23-50 (10 A or 16 A) or Schuko | 10 / 16 A, 250 V | Modern Italian sockets accept both patterns. Italian RCD cords |
| Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji | AS/NZS 3112 | 10 A or 15 A, 250 V | The 15 A plug has a wider earth pin and needs a 15 A socket. RCD plugs to AS/NZS 3190. |
| Switzerland, Liechtenstein | SEV 1011 (T12) | 10 A, 250 V | Not Schuko. A Schuko plug does not fit a Swiss socket. |
| Israel | SI 32 | 16 A, 250 V | Newer sockets accept Schuko; the dedicated SI 32 plug is still the safe specification. |
If the destination is not in the table, ask. There is a plug pattern for it and we have probably built to it.
The trip level
30 mA is the default for protection of persons everywhere the IEC rules apply: BS 7671 in the UK, AS/NZS 3000 in Australia and New Zealand, DIN VDE 0100-410 in Germany and its equivalents across the EU. Specify 30 mA unless the customer's site rules or the equipment's own standard say otherwise. 10 mA turns up in hospitals, schools, laboratories and wet trades, and some site owners ask for it on any portable equipment. It also trips more readily on a machine with several filtered drives. If the customer specifies 10 mA, build it, but tell them what it may do with their inverter drive.
The type letter
Specify Type A unless told otherwise. It catches pulsating DC leakage from the rectifiers in modern equipment and is the default across Europe. Type AC is being phased out of new installations in several countries. Type B is for smooth DC leakage from three-phase drives and EV chargers and is rare on a cord. Guide 2 lists the types.
Approvals on the device
The mark that matters is on the RCD body, not on the cable. Expect VDE or ENEC or KEMA-KEUR for continental Europe, the BSI Kitemark or an ASTA mark for the UK, IMQ for Italy, the RCM (formerly SAA) for Australia and New Zealand, and the standard number, IEC 61540 or the national edition, printed beside it. CE on its own is a manufacturer's declaration, not a third-party test, and most inspectors know the difference. The cable carries its own approvals (HAR for harmonized European cordage), which is a separate question.
The cordage
European cord sets use harmonized cordage: H05VV-F (PVC, indoor and light duty) or H07RN-F (rubber, outdoor and heavy duty), in 3G1.0 or 3G1.5 mm² for 10 to 16 A. Conductor colours are brown (line), blue (neutral) and green/yellow (earth), not the black, white and green of a North American cord. A UL/CSA SJT cord with an RCD plug fitted to it is a common shortcut and a poor one: the wire colours confuse the next electrician and the cordage carries no European approval.
Reset behaviour
A PRCD-S is the manual-reset type and will not switch on without a working earth conductor; it is what tools and portable equipment should have. The ordinary PRCD re-closes when power returns, which is what refrigeration and pumps need. The reasoning is the same as at 120 V: guide 3.
What to put on the drawing
"RCD cord set, [plug pattern], 30 mA Type A to IEC 61540, PRCD-S manual reset, H07RN-F 3G1.5 mm², [length], [connector or open end], [approval mark of destination]". That single line replaces "GFCI cord" and answers every question the destination's electrician will ask.
Next: Glossary.