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About this tool
The UK runs 230 V at 50 Hz on the fused BS 1363 type G socket — check your plug, the fuse rating and whether you need a converter.
This guide decides whether your device needs a plug adapter, a voltage converter, or nothing at all in the United Kingdom, and which fuse belongs in the plug. The UK supplies 230 V at 50 Hz on the shuttered BS 1363 socket — the three rectangular-pin type G pattern — and is one of the few countries where the plug itself carries a BS 1362 cartridge fuse sized to the appliance rather than the circuit. Enter your plug type and the voltage range printed on the label to get the verdict, the current drawn and the correct fuse rating.
Open Plug and Voltage Guide for UK on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
Add your input to the workspace.
Adjust the options until the result looks right.
Copy or download the output and put it to work.
Picks the smallest BS 1362 rating above the appliance current instead of defaulting to 13 A.
Compares the label voltage range against 230 V rather than leaving it to chance.
Warns when a load exceeds the roughly 20 VA a bathroom shaver supply can deliver.
A type G adapter, the three rectangular-pin BS 1363 shape. UK sockets are shuttered and the shutters only open when the longer earth pin goes in first, so no US, European or Australian plug will enter one — a shape adapter is genuinely required, not optional.
230 V at 50 Hz, legally allowed to vary from about 216 V to 253 V (230 V +10% / -6%). Anything labelled 100-240V 50/60Hz — nearly every laptop, phone and camera charger — runs on it with just a plug adapter. A single-voltage 110 V or 120 V appliance needs a step-down transformer.
The smallest standard rating above the appliance's current draw, chosen from the 3 A, 5 A and 13 A BS 1362 fuses sold in shops. At 230 V a 3 A fuse covers about 690 W, a 5 A fuse about 1,150 W and a 13 A fuse about 2,990 W, which is why the old rule of thumb says 3 A up to roughly 700 W and 13 A above it. The fuse protects the flexible cord, so fitting a larger one than needed removes that protection.
No. A shaver supply unit to BS EN 61558-2-5 is an isolating transformer rated at only about 20 VA, which is enough for a shaver or an electric toothbrush charger and nothing more. A 1,500-2,000 W hair dryer will trip it or damage it; use a socket in the bedroom instead.