Plugs by country, decoded
A quick map of the plug types you meet across the US, UK, Europe and Asia — and how one Fortys covers them.
There are fifteen plug types in the world. You will, in practice, meet about four of them — and a single adapter handles all of them if you pack the right one. Here's the short version, minus the engineering.
The four you'll actually hit
- Type A / B — North America, Japan. Flat blades, sometimes with a round earth pin.
- Type C / F — most of Europe. Two round pins; F adds side earth clips.
- Type G — UK, Ireland, Singapore, the Gulf. The big chunky three-rectangle plug.
- Type I — Australia, New Zealand, China. Two angled flat pins.
Carry those four shapes and you're covered across roughly 150 countries.
Voltage is the part nobody mentions
Plug shape is one thing; voltage is another. Most of the world runs 220–240V, while North America and Japan sit around 100–120V. Modern chargers — laptops, phones, anything USB — are dual-voltage, so they handle both automatically. The thing to never improvise with is a high-wattage appliance like a travel kettle or hair tool.
A travel adapter changes the plug shape. It does not convert voltage — and for your devices, it doesn't need to.
Why one adapter is enough
A good universal adapter slides between all four shapes, so you stop carrying a drawer of dongles. That's the whole idea behind Fortys: pack one thing, plug in anywhere, never think about outlets again.
