What is the ICEA color code for multi-conductor cable?

ICEA S-73-532 (NEMA WC57) defines standard color sequences for identifying conductors in multi-conductor cable. Method 1 uses colored insulation, with tracers added once the solid colors run out. Table E-1 covers 21 conductors starting Black, White, Red, Green, Orange, Blue; Table E-2 covers 36 conductors starting Black, Red, Blue, Orange, Yellow, Brown.

What is the difference between ICEA Table E-1 and Table E-2?

Table E-1 includes white and green conductors. Table E-2 omits white and green, replacing them with yellow and brown, so no conductor can be mistaken for a neutral (white) or equipment ground (green). E-2 is commonly specified for control cable in NEC installations for that reason.

What color is conductor number 1 in a multi-conductor cable?

Black, in both ICEA Table E-1 and Table E-2. Conductor 1 lies at the center of the cable assembly, with the remaining conductors numbered outward through the layers.

What are the standard wire colors for 480V three-phase?

The common North American convention for 277/480V systems is brown, orange, and yellow phases with a gray neutral. For 120/208V systems it is black, red, and blue phases with a white neutral. The NEC mandates white or gray for grounded neutrals and green or bare for equipment grounds; the phase colors are industry convention rather than code, except the orange high-leg requirement in NEC 110.15.

Why do some control cables have numbers instead of colors?

That is ICEA Method 4: black insulation with a contrasting printed number on each conductor. It is the most common identification method on modern tray and control cable because it stays legible at high conductor counts where color-and-tracer combinations become hard to distinguish.

Wire & Cable Color Code Chart

The ICEA Method 1 conductor color sequences for multi-conductor cable: Table E-1 (21 conductors) and Table E-2 (36 conductors), with visual swatches for every base color and tracer combination, plus the standard building wire color conventions.

How Cable Color Coding Works

Multi-conductor cables built to ICEA S-73-532 (NEMA WC57) identify each conductor one of four ways. Method 1, colored insulation with tracer stripes, is what the charts below cover. Method 2 uses a neutral-colored compound with colored tracers in the same sequence, Method 3 uses colored braids, and Method 4 prints a number on black insulation, which is what you'll find on most modern tray and control cable.

In every case, conductor 1 sits at the center of the assembly and the count works outward through the layers. Solid colors come first; once they're used up, the sequence repeats each base color with a contrasting tracer stripe.

ICEA Table E-1 (21 Conductors)

Table E-1 uses six base colors including white and green. You'll see it on instrumentation and signal cable where the conductors don't land in an NEC branch-circuit context.

#	Base / Tracer	#	Base / Tracer
1	Black	12	Black / White tracer
2	White	13	Red / White tracer
3	Red	14	Green / White tracer
4	Green	15	Blue / White tracer
5	Orange	16	Black / Red tracer
6	Blue	17	White / Red tracer
7	White / Black tracer	18	Orange / Red tracer
8	Red / Black tracer	19	Blue / Red tracer
9	Green / Black tracer	20	Red / Green tracer
10	Orange / Black tracer	21	Orange / Green tracer
11	Blue / Black tracer

Conductor 1 is at the center of the assembly. Sequence per ICEA S-73-532 / NEMA WC57, Method 1, Table E-1.

ICEA Table E-2 (36 Conductors)

Table E-2 drops white and green from the palette so that no conductor can be confused with a neutral or an equipment ground, substituting yellow and brown. It's the sequence most often specified for control cable in NEC installations, and it extends to 36 conductors.

#	Base / Tracer	#	Base / Tracer
1	Black	19	Orange / Blue tracer
2	Red	20	Yellow / Blue tracer
3	Blue	21	Brown / Blue tracer
4	Orange	22	Black / Orange tracer
5	Yellow	23	Red / Orange tracer
6	Brown	24	Blue / Orange tracer
7	Red / Black tracer	25	Yellow / Orange tracer
8	Blue / Black tracer	26	Brown / Orange tracer
9	Orange / Black tracer	27	Black / Yellow tracer
10	Yellow / Black tracer	28	Red / Yellow tracer
11	Brown / Black tracer	29	Blue / Yellow tracer
12	Black / Red tracer	30	Orange / Yellow tracer
13	Blue / Red tracer	31	Brown / Yellow tracer
14	Orange / Red tracer	32	Black / Brown tracer
15	Yellow / Red tracer	33	Red / Brown tracer
16	Brown / Red tracer	34	Blue / Brown tracer
17	Black / Blue tracer	35	Orange / Brown tracer
18	Red / Blue tracer	36	Yellow / Brown tracer

Conductor 1 is at the center of the assembly. Sequence per ICEA S-73-532 / NEMA WC57, Method 1, Table E-2.

Building Wire Color Conventions (NEC Systems)

Single-conductor building wire follows a different set of rules. The NEC only mandates a few of them: grounded neutrals must be white or gray (NEC 200.6), equipment grounds must be green, green/yellow, or bare (NEC 250.119), and the high leg of a delta system must be orange (NEC 110.15). The phase colors below are near-universal North American convention:

Conductor	120/240V & 120/208V	277/480V
Phase A	Black	Brown
Phase B	Red	Orange
Phase C	Blue	Yellow
Neutral	White	Gray
Equipment ground	Green, green/yellow stripe, or bare copper

Phase colors are industry convention, not code, except where noted. Panel shops wiring to NFPA 79 machine standards use a different scheme again (e.g., red for AC control, blue for DC control, yellow for foreign-voltage circuits).

Frequently Asked Questions

Which table does my cable use?

Check the cable's spec sheet. As a rule of thumb: instrumentation and signal cable often uses E-1, control and tray cable is usually E-2 or printed numbers (Method 4). When ordering, specify the table if conductor identification matters to your termination drawings.

What's a tracer?

A thin contrasting stripe applied along the conductor insulation. Once the solid base colors are used up, the sequence repeats each base color with a tracer, so "red with black tracer" is a different conductor than plain red.

Why does Table E-2 skip white and green?

In NEC installations, white and gray identify grounded neutrals and green identifies equipment grounds. Omitting them from the control-cable palette removes any chance of a phase or control conductor being mistaken for either one.

Can I get custom colors or striping?

Yes. Most of our hook-up wire and multi-conductor lines are available with custom colors, stripes, and ID printing. Tell us the color schedule when you request a quote.