We'd like to use analytics cookies to understand which symbols people look up, so we know what to research next. They are not used for advertising and we set none of them unless you say yes. What we store.
The symbols printed on rating plates, switches and power supplies: which power state a control selects, whether a terminal expects alternating or direct current, and how the appliance protects against electric shock. Several pairs are near-identical by design and mean materially different things — a broken circle versus a closed one, a double square versus an earth terminal.
A vertical bar (|) — IEC 60417-5007, marking the control position that places equipment into a fully powered state.
A plain circle (◯) — IEC 60417-5008, marking the control position that disconnects power from the equipment.
A vertical line entering the top of a broken circle — IEC 60417-5009, marking a control that puts equipment into a low-power state rather than fully disconnecting it.
A vertical line inside an unbroken circle — IEC 60417-5010, marking a button that switches equipment between fully on and fully off.
A wavy line (∼) — IEC 60417-5032, indicating on a rating plate that equipment is suitable for alternating current.
A solid line above a dashed line — IEC 60417-5031, indicating on a rating plate that equipment is suitable for direct current.
A circle enclosing a three-bar earth glyph — IEC 60417-5019, marking the protective earth (ground) terminal on Class I equipment.
A small square inside a larger square — IEC 60417-5172, marking equipment protected by double or reinforced insulation rather than an earth connection.