In 2018, the Australian government updated the old wiring standards to better comply with global standards. While you may currently have the old colours, there is no need to worry as each wire performs its function the same.
In this review, we’ll look at what the old wiring colours used to be and have a look at the new set of colour standards.

Depending on the year your mains were installed and the type of wiring used, they can have a different colour scheme to distinguish the connections from your neighbour’s.

Obsolete wiring colours

Today’s standards for single-phase wiring call for the following colours: brown for active, blue for neutral, green, and yellow for earthing. Let’s imagine that the cord is needed for active use to supply your home with electricity. In this case, the colour of the wire would be brown.

Three-phase wiring is also modified along similar lines. It involves this colour scheme: brown for phase one, black for phase two, grey for phase three, blue for the neutral, green and yellow for the earth.

According to the above standards, it can be concluded that neutral and earthing, in general, have identical colour schemes. However, the key difference is the colours of the individual phase conductors which reflect the type of wire used.

Actual wiring colours

If your wiring was installed before 2018, your wiring colours are likely to be different. However, even if the colours of your wiring are out of date, this does not mean that the circuit is not working.

Single-phase wiring was introduced and assumed the following colours: red was used for active, black for neutral, and green for the earth.
Prior to 2018, three-phase wiring colours were used: red was used for phase one, white for phase two, blue for phase three, black for neutral, and green for the earth.

The main problem with updated wiring colour schemes is that old and new standards can be confusing and misleading. When planning to hire builders for a renovation project, they need to know the ins and outs of the colour standards, as the old ones may not match the new colours on the Internet.
In addition, there is the danger of careless interaction with live wires, which can be life-threatening.

However, it is important to realise that professionals are aware of the innovations in wire colours and this shouldn’t cause problems.