A popular European travel destination, Luxembourg is bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. If a tourist wants to visit this country, some of the things he or she must know are the primary types of electrical outlet and plug used by the electronic gadgets and appliances, as well as the standard voltage.

In Luxembourg, the primary types of electrical outlet and plugs that are commonly found in household are the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug and Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko. These two are also the most widely used type all over Europe. For the standard voltage, electronic gadgets and appliances in Luxembourg use 220-240 volts with a frequency of 50Hz.

Adapters and voltage converters will also come in handy in a tourist’s trip to Luxembourg. Adapters are used when the shape of the electrical outlet is not similar to the shape of the plug while voltage converters are for instances that the voltage of the electronic gadget or appliance is not compatible with the voltage present in the electrical outlet in Luxembourg.

Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug Electrical Outlet and Adapter

Typoe C plug and outlet

The Type C Europlug is also known as the CEE 7/16 (Europlug 2.5 A/250 V unearthed), which is a bit similar, only slightly smaller, to the CEE 7/17 and it is one of the most commonly used electrical outlet and plug in Luxembourg. The Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug alters the shape of the appliance’s plug so that it could be used into a “Type C” European CEE 7/16 Class II non-grounded Europlug socket or a Soviet-era Russian GOST 7396 Class II non-grounded socket used in Luxembourg.

Type C adapter

Also, the receptacle end of the adapter is usually compatible with any standard electronic household plug in Indonesia and from any country, aside from the “Type M” South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546 Large) plug. The pins of the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug are 4.0mm in diameter, 19mm long and are spaced 19mm apart. In using appliances and gadgets in Luxembourg, the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug could also be safely used with the Type C, Type E, Type F, and some Type L electrical outlets. In addition, the Type C CEE 7/16 Europlug is also the most widely used electrical outlet all over continental Europe and in the former Soviet Republics. This plug in Indonesia is also non-polarized and non-grounded. Aside from Luxembourg, there are also countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Pacific Rim region, Central and South America, and Caribbean that use this kind of adapter.

Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko Electrical Adapter Plug and Electrical Outlet

Type F plug and outlet

Commonly known as the Schuko plug, the Type F CEE 7/5 plug and electrical outlet was derived from the German word “Schukostecker” which means “protective contact plug.” This electrical outlet in Luxembourg is also similar to the Type E with the difference being its two earth clips on the side instead of the female earth contact. The Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko is used for the “Type F” CEE 7/4 Schuko style electrical socket of Germany or to a “Type E” CEE 7/5 socket of France. The receptacle end of Type F CEE 7/7 Schuko is compatible with most sockets except the “Type M” South African SABS1661 (Old British BS-546) plug and the non-grounded CEE 7/16 Europlug Socket because of its 4.0mm pin receptacles that are too small for the 4.8mm pins of the Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko.

Type F adapter

This Schuko plug and receptacle in Luxembourg also has side grounding contacts which allow symmetrical connection system for live and neutral to be reversed. Most European countries including Luxembourg use the Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko except Denmark, Italy, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Malta, and Cyprus that have their own standard electrical outlet. On the other hand, the plug end of Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko is compatible with the variations of the Schuko electrical outlet for France and Germany. The pins of this adapter in Luxembourg are 4.8mm in diameter, 19mm long, and spaced 19mm apart. They have both side-grounding clips and a receptacle for the male grounding pin which is found in French Schuko sockets. If the appliance or electronic gadget to be used in Luxembourg is already a Schuko, there is no need to use the Type F CEE 7/5 Schuko adapter for the electrical outlet.

Voltage Converters, Adapters, and Universal Adapters

Universal Adapters

If a tourist wants to use his or her gadget in Luxembourg, the best way is by using voltage converters such as the resistor-network converters, transformers, and in some cases the combination of both. Most appliances and electronic gadgets made in the United States of America (USA) have a voltage of 110-120 and using it directly on a 220-240 electrical outlet in Indonesia would cause damage to the appliance or electronic gadget, to the extent that it might be totally fried out or  might even cause a fire.  There is a switch that enables the changing of modes from resistor-network converter to transformer, depending on the tourist’s needs in Luxembourg. The resistor-network converters to be used in Luxembourg are usually advertised to support as much as 50-1600 Watts and are just ideal to use for short periods of time. The resistor-network converter is also not recommended for digital devices like laptop computers however it is great for lightweight electronics like hair dryers and irons.

Transformer

If a tourist would want to use a laptop computer or charge batteries for camera, mp3 players, camcorders, and radios in Indonesia, the ideal voltage converter would be a transformer which lowers maximum watt rating. It could be used for long periods of time but is a little bit heavy because of the large iron rods and copper wires. The last kind of voltage converter in order to use electronics in Luxembourg that are not compatible with the electrical outlet present in Luxembourg is the combination of resistor-network converters and transformer. These voltage converters and adapters will be very useful if a tourist would plan a trip to Luxembourg and intends to bring along some gadgets that require a particular voltage. There are certain adapters that would fit particular plugs and these could be bought in hardware stores or electrical outlets in Luxembourg or before heading there. Another is that there are also universal adapters that could be used with any type of plug and electrical outlet, may it be in Luxembourg or another country.