Wiring in conduit, colours?

[Darren Cutler]

What colour wires should be used for the switched live in 1 and 2 way switching, when run as singles in conduit? Is red allowed for all, or should I use blue and yellow for the 2 way?

Out of interest, does the colour of 3 core & earth, 2 way switching cable change to black, brown and grey, as part of this European harmonisation thing?

Thanks, Darren

[BigWallop]

link to the IEE .pdf document should answer your question. (you'll need a "portable document file" reader like Adobe Acrobat or the like to view it correctly)

And remember that just because you read it, it doesn't make you an electrician. :-))

[Andy Wade]

[Old colours] Red is required. Blue or yellow may be used, but must be marked at the ends with red sleeving.

Yes, you can buy it now.

If mixing old and new colours remember the requirements for marking / labelling. See

in particular

[Dave Plowman]

I don't think it matters. Provided every wire that might be live is red, identification is a matter of choice for you. Cable markers are cheap.

[Paul C Lewis]

You might as well use any colour you fancy (except green/yellow), as since our masters have now graciously harmonised our colour coding, no-one in the future will ever know which colour code you were working to, so will HAVE to examine the terminal connections of a conductor to deduce it's purpose. (the contradictory changes to the colour coding mean that it's purpose will now no longer be unambiguously identified by it's colour!)

[Z]

In article , Darren Cutler writes

Until 2006 red or brown is not just allowed it is obligatory at least at the terminations.

No

Brown, brown and brown.