Which colors are commonly used for hot conductors in a typical 120/240 V circuit?

Which colors are commonly used for hot conductors in a typical 120/240 V circuit?

• A. Blue and orange.
• B. White and green.
• C. Black and red (and sometimes blue for travelers or other phases).
• D. Yellow and brown.

Answer: (C)

Hot conductors are the ungrounded wires that carry current from the panel to outlets and devices. In a typical 120/240 V circuit in the United States, the usual colors for these hot wires are black and red, providing two separate live legs. Sometimes blue is used as an additional hot or as a traveler in certain switch configurations or multi-wire setups. White is reserved for neutral, and green (or bare) is reserved for grounding. Yellow and brown aren’t standard for hot in this common residential arrangement. So the best answer is black and red, with blue appearing only in more complex wiring contexts.

Hot conductors are the ungrounded wires that carry current from the panel to outlets and devices. In a typical 120/240 V circuit in the United States, the usual colors for these hot wires are black and red, providing two separate live legs. Sometimes blue is used as an additional hot or as a traveler in certain switch configurations or multi-wire setups. White is reserved for neutral, and green (or bare) is reserved for grounding. Yellow and brown aren’t standard for hot in this common residential arrangement. So the best answer is black and red, with blue appearing only in more complex wiring contexts.