NEC Conductor Colours

[davidknopp]

We have sold a dimmer unit to the US and I am looking for details on Conductor Colours

Our standard 3 phase cable is
Neutral Blue
Earth Gn/Yel
Phase1 Brown
Phase2 Black
Phase3 White

I am told the Neutral in the US is White

I am currently looking through the NEC2002 book for details

Can anyone supply details on what colours can and can not be used for the different conductors and what section in the NEC book this info can be found

Thank you to anyone who can help

 

[jwelectric]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

read article 200

 

[jimwalker]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

Ran into your blue neutral other day.Someone drove off on a lift with charger still pluged in.Sounds simple to fix till your looking at blue,yellow /green and forgot the other one.Fixed it but did make me think a few minutes and ohmed it out

 

[davidknopp]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

still looking through the NEC book

Neutral White
Earth Gn/Yel
Phase1 ?
Phase2 ?
Phase3 ?

can anyone tell what section may cover this?

 

[ryan_618]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

It is not addressed. Refer to 210.5(C) if you have more than one nominal system, however.

 

[petersonra]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

actually, if it is part of a manufactured system as opposed to an installation, none of the NEC requirements would apply.

UL allows lt blue to be used for power cords if I am not mistaken.

 

[kiloamp7]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

400.22(C) of '05 NEC does recognize a light blue grounded conductor in an appliance cord.
Where I usually run into them is in "foreign-type" equipment.

 

[davidknopp]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

Thanx to all for your input

 

[benaround]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

David,

Phase 1 Black
Phase 2 Red
Phase 3 Blue

Grounded/Neutral White

These are for 120vac. 3ph 4wire system.

 

[iwire]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

Originally posted by benaround:
Phase 1 Black
Phase 2 Red
Phase 3 Blue

Grounded/Neutral White

These are for 120vac. 3ph 4wire system.

Frank unless you have local amendments that is just habit.

You can identify any voltage brown, orange, yellow or pink, violet, tan.

You can also make them all one color, it is up to the installer or job specifications.

 

[butch]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

I just returned from Ghana, Accra Africa blue in fixtures and appl. is the neutral and brown is the hot. On the 3 phase system we worked on the colours used where brown red yellow and white for the neutal. It changed alot so dont quote the phase1,2,3.

 

[larryz12302]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

Having gone through NECA/IBEW apprenticship training (20 + years ago) , I was taught and have always found the following:
120v/208/220 - Black, Red , Blue, White netural and Green gnd,

480/277 and up
Brown, Orange, Yellow, Gray neutral and Green gnd.
There are a number for sections that dictate the correct color coding for the GROUNDED conductor, as well as the Highleg. But this is the only written information I found on the UNGROUNDED conductors.
210.4(D) Identification of Ungrounded Conductors. Where more than one nominal voltage system exists in a building, each ungrounded conductor of a multiwire branch circuit, where accessible, shall be identified by phase and system. This means of identification shall be permitted to be by separate color coding, marking tape, tagging, or other approved means and shall be permanently posted at each branch-circuit panelboard.

Larry Zuravin
Latham International
Maintenance Supervisor
Scotia, NY

 

[peter d]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

Larry, What you desrcbibe is common trade practice, but as you discovered in not required by the NEC.

The bottom line is that the NEC allows electricians and designers our choice of colors for ungrounded conductors, and that's exactly how it should remain.

The NEC is not a design manual, and it would be a major stretch to say that insulation color has anything to do with safety. In fact, it's been argued many times here that requiring a color code may actually decrease safety, because electricians will then rely on an assumption (insulation color) rather than on their testers.

 

[larryz12302]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

Peter,
I do agree that this is a trade practice. As we have read, the NEC is really more concerned about identifying the Neutral and ground. You are right that the colors aren't specified for ungrounded conductors, but I believe that adhering to a standard, weather it is B/R/B or B/O/Y, is important in that it identifies phasing ( and that could also be done numerically, 1,2,3 or alphabetically, A,B,C), identifies the ungrounded conductor, as well as (in my opinion) presenting an asthethicly pleasing, professional looking and organized load center. And speaking of good practices, I wholeheartedly agree about using your tester. All I speak of is the practices I've encountered in the Northeast. Though I would hope that if I went to another part of the country, that what ever the practices of that area were, that they would be consist ant.

Larry

 

[jim dungar]

Re: NEC Conductor Colours

For internal control panel wiring, neither UL508A nor NFPA79 "suggest" coloring coding of phase conductors, they prefer other means of identifying circuits. They do have specific requirements for colors of grounded and grounding conductors.

Their recommendations include:
Black for all ungrounded conductors at supply voltage
Red for all ungrounded AC conductors at less than supply voltage
Blue for all ungrounded DC conductors
Yellow for all ungrounded conductors that remain energized when main disconnect is "off".