Under current Australian rules, active (live) is brown, neutral is blue, and earth is green-and-yellow. Older homes may still show red active and black neutral from earlier standards. Colour is a guide, not a guarantee — always prove conductors with proper testing. Identifying wires is fine from a safe distance; changing fixed wiring is licensed work.
| Function | Colour |
|---|---|
| Active (live) | Brown |
| Neutral | Blue |
| Earth | Green / yellow |
On three-phase circuits, actives are commonly brown, black and grey, with blue neutral and green/yellow earth. Always confirm with testing — sleeving and joins can mislead.
Before the brown/blue change, red was widely used for active and black for neutral, with green (sometimes bare) for earth. Many Inner West roofs still contain that mix beside modern TPS.
Cloth-covered or rubber (VIR) cable may not show clear colours at all once aged. Look, do not touch — see our old-wiring guide.
A two-pole voltage tester and insulation tests in the hands of a licensed electrician beat any chart on the internet.
Blue Link Electrical Services · licence 332956C · 0421 772 661.
On three-phase work the three actives are identified brown, black and grey under current practice, with blue neutral and green/yellow earth. Older multi-phase installs may still show red/white/blue actives from earlier eras. That is another reason colour charts alone are not enough — the era of the cable matters.
Lighting circuits often use a switched active that is still “active” even when the switch is off at the wall plate if someone has miswired a loop. DIY voltage sticks can lie. Permanent installation testing by a licensed electrician is the safe way to label conductors before a renovation.
Imported lamps, EV accessories and travel adaptors sometimes follow European or North American colours. Never assume a brown conductor in a foreign lead matches Australian fixed wiring rules without checking the product documentation and testing on site.
Before a renovation, take clear photos of the switchboard with the cover off only if a licensed electrician has made it safe — otherwise photograph the labelled cover and any visible consumer mains. Those pictures help us brief you on era, colours and whether ceramic fuses or missing safety switches need attention first.
When we rewire or add circuits we sleeve and label to current practice so the next person is not guessing. If your renovation electrician left unmarked junctions, ask for a tidy-up before the plasterer closes the walls. Mystery joins are how reverse polarity and borrowed neutrals sneak into otherwise neat kitchens.
We cover all of Sydney. Natural next reads if you are local:
Brown for single-phase active under current AS/NZS identification. Multi-phase actives use brown, black and grey.
Older Australian wiring used black for neutral and red for active. That still exists in many period homes.
Green-and-yellow is the protective earth. Plain green alone is not the modern standard.
No. Misidentifying conductors is how shocks and reverse polarity happen. Call a licensed electrician.
Related: Neutral vs earth — what’s the difference?.
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