In a typical 120/240 V circuit, which color is commonly used for the second hot conductor?

In a typical 120/240 V circuit, which color is commonly used for the second hot conductor?

• A. White
• B. Red
• C. Blue
• D. Black

Answer: (B)

Color coding helps you identify each conductor’s role in a circuit. In a typical 120/240 V residential setup, there are two hot legs, a neutral, and a ground. The second hot conductor is commonly colored red to clearly distinguish it from the first hot leg (usually black). White is reserved for neutral, while green or bare is ground. Blue can appear as a hot in some multiwire or 3‑phase situations, but for standard single‑family 120/240 V circuits the second hot is red. If a conductor normally used as neutral is repurposed as hot, it must be re-identified with tape or paint.

Color coding helps you identify each conductor’s role in a circuit. In a typical 120/240 V residential setup, there are two hot legs, a neutral, and a ground. The second hot conductor is commonly colored red to clearly distinguish it from the first hot leg (usually black). White is reserved for neutral, while green or bare is ground. Blue can appear as a hot in some multiwire or 3‑phase situations, but for standard single‑family 120/240 V circuits the second hot is red. If a conductor normally used as neutral is repurposed as hot, it must be re-identified with tape or paint.