16 Amp Socket for Home: What It Runs and What It Costs

What is a 16 amp socket?

A 16 amp socket is the large three pin power socket on an Indian switch board. Its three holes are bigger than those of a 6A socket: the earth hole on top is the largest, with the live and neutral below it, and the pins of a 16A plug are thick enough that they will not go into a 6A socket at all. That is deliberate. The heavy plug can only go where the wiring behind the wall was laid for heavy current.

In a home it is the socket for the geyser, the AC, the iron, the microwave, the room heater and the washing machine. If you are still deciding which points need it, our 6A vs 16A socket guide goes appliance by appliance. This page is about the 16A socket itself: what it can carry, our codes and MRPs, how it is wired and what it costs to build a 16A point.

How much load a 16A socket carries

At our 230 V supply a 16A socket is built for 16A x 230 V = 3,680 W. That is the ceiling, not a target. A heater that runs for an hour should sit well under it, because the plug, the socket contacts and the wire all warm up with time.

Two such loads on one socket through a multi plug, say a geyser and a heater (3,000 W + 2,000 W = 5,000 W, about 22 A), pass 16A together. One 16A socket is meant for one heavy appliance.

Our 16A sockets and their MRPs

We make the 16A socket in all three of our ranges. In VIZA the plain 16A socket comes two ways: V263 with a porcelain base and V264 in polycarbonate (PC); and in VIZA Black as V1266 (porcelain) and V1267 (PC). KEMPS makes it as a 6A & 16AX universal socket with shutter, and VIYONA makes it for conventional boards.

The VIZA V270 universal socket is printed as 2 module in our catalogue, and the V263, V1266 and V1267 are listed as 2M in our product data. All of them are packed 10 per box.

Plain 16A or a 6 & 16A universal socket?

A plain 16A socket takes only the large 16A plug. A 6 & 16A universal socket has a face that takes both the 16A plug and the small 6A plug, so one point can serve a microwave today and a phone charger tomorrow. Our universal socket guide explains the 3 in 1 and 5 in 1 versions.

• V270 VIZA 6 & 16A universal socket (2M), ₹130: the lowest MRP way to a 16A face in VIZA.
• V269 VIZA 6 & 16A twin PC socket, ₹150.
• K193 KEMPS 6A & 16AX universal socket with shutter, ₹205; the sumo version K194 is ₹220.
• 153 / 154 VIYONA 6 & 16A universal socket, with shutter ₹90 or porcelain base ₹93.

Where small children live, the shutter on the KEMPS K193 and the VIYONA 153 keeps the holes closed until a plug pushes in. Our socket shutter guide explains which points need one most.

PC body or porcelain base?

VIZA and VIZA Black each offer the 16A socket two ways. The porcelain base costs a little more: V264 PC ₹150 against V263 porcelain ₹160, and V1267 PC ₹170 against V1266 porcelain ₹179.

Porcelain is a ceramic. It does not soften or char where a contact runs warm, which is why it is the common choice for a socket that feeds a heater, a geyser or an iron for long stretches. The PC socket is the usual pick for a kitchen appliance used for a few minutes at a time. Our porcelain switch guide and switch materials comparison go further.

How a 16A socket is wired

A 16A point has three wires from the distribution board: phase through a switch, neutral straight to the socket, and earth to the big top hole. Seen from the front, live is on the right and neutral on the left.

A 16A socket point, from the DB to the wall

Drawn by us, not to scale. Phase is switched; neutral and earth run straight to the socket.

The switch beside it should be rated at least 16A. In VIZA that is a 20A piano switch, V121 ₹89, or with an indicator, V123 ₹109. In KEMPS, K106 20AX is ₹107. A 1M switch plus a 2M socket fills a 3M plate. Our switch board wiring diagram shows a full board.

The MCB and wire behind the socket

The socket is only as good as the circuit. A 16A socket is fed from a 16A MCB at most, never a 20A one, through wire that can carry 16A for hours. Our wire catalogue, for wire made for us by a partner, rates 2.5 sq mm at 18 A in conduit and 1.5 sq mm at 13 A. So 1.5 sq mm sits below a 16A MCB and is the wrong wire for this point.

Our VIYONA 401 single pole MCB, 6 to 32A, is ₹145 MRP and has 10 kA breaking capacity. Our which MCB for home guide and wire size for AC and geyser explain how the MCB, the wire and the socket are chosen together.

What a 16A point costs at MRP

Here is a single 16A point in VIZA, the kind fitted beside a washing machine or a microwave: a V121 20A switch at ₹89, a V263 porcelain 16A socket at ₹160, a V1153 Cherry 3M plate at ₹83 and a V613 3M concealed box at ₹68. The parts come to ₹400 at MRP.

Swap in the V123 switch with indicator (₹109) and the V270 universal socket (₹130) and the same point is ₹390, with an indicator and a face that also takes a 6A plug. In KEMPS, a K106 20AX switch (₹107), a K193 universal socket with shutter (₹205), an Orchid K303 3M plate (₹135) and the same box come to ₹515. Wire, the MCB and labour are extra. Our switch board price guide prices whole rooms the same way, and our socket price list has every socket we make.

Mistakes people make with 16A sockets

• Adaptor on a 6A socket: a 16A plug forced into a 6A point through an adaptor runs heavy current through a socket and wire never meant for it.
• One socket, two heaters: a multi plug on a 16A socket lets two heavy loads share one contact.
• Loose plug top: a 16A plug that no longer grips heats at the pins. Our VIYONA 16A 3 pin top is ₹105 (242); the Royal 244 is ₹110.
• Light switch on the point: a 6A or 10A switch in front of a 16A socket is the weak link.

A brown plug, a warm plate or a burning smell are signs to stop and call an electrician. Our guide to a hot switch or sparking socket covers what to check, and our 3 pin plug guide covers the plug side.

Buying 16A sockets for a site or a shop

We sell in full boxes only, so it helps to count points before ordering. Our 16A sockets are packed 10 per box: the VIZA V263, V264 and V270, the VIZA Black V1266 and V1267, the KEMPS K193 and K194, and the VIYONA 153 and 154. One box covers the 16A points of a typical 2BHK with a few to spare for a later AC or a second geyser.

Contractors usually standardise on one 16A code for the whole job, so every point takes the same plug and spares are interchangeable. A common split is the porcelain base for geyser and heater points and the universal face for the kitchen and utility, where small appliances come and go. A dealer stocking for walk-in buyers can cover both plug sizes and heater points with the lowest MRP universal socket in each range plus one porcelain 16A socket.

The switches that go beside them are packed differently: VIZA 1M 20A piano switches come 30 to a box. Our switch price list gives box quantities for every switch.

Where a home needs 16A sockets

A typical 2BHK has a handful of 16A points, each with a job:

• Kitchen microwave, induction, mixer area and the refrigerator.
• Bathroom the geyser, high on the wall and out of reach of the shower, on a circuit with a 30 mA RCCB: see our geyser socket guide.
• Bedrooms, living room the AC point near the indoor unit: see our AC socket guide.
• Utility the washing machine and the iron; a wet utility area also wants a 30 mA RCCB on its circuit.

Our kitchen electrical points guide places each kitchen socket. Everything else on a board, from bedside chargers to the TV, runs on 6A sockets, which are covered in our 6 amp socket guide.

Where we supply

Everything on this page is made at our works in Marol, Andheri East, Mumbai, and sold through dealers and distributors across Maharashtra and in many other states. See where we supply in Maharashtra and how we supply the rest of India. Orders placed through our office are delivered all over India, in full boxes only.

From our catalogue: VIZA V263 16A socket (porcelain base), VIZA Black V1267 16A socket (PC), KEMPS K193 6A & 16AX universal socket and VIYONA 16A switch and universal socket.