Color Codes

AC wiring color codes

Generally, the green Ground should not be attached to the engine block in your boat. This wire goes to a grounding rod at the transformer, usually mounted on a power pole. This ground might not be at the same potential as the water surrounding your boat. Connecting to the engine block could complete the circuit through your prop or hull.

Take the green Ground to each outlet box onboard, but do not attach it or them to the ship's bonding system. Each ac appliance should be grounded to the dock and isolated from the bonding system.

Better yet, use an isolation transformer. Connect the green shore power Ground to the transformer frame, which should be isolated from the boat. Take one secondary wire to the ship's ground through a 20KOhm 1 Watt resistor. It is the white Neutral. The other secondary wire is black Hot. Connect the green ship's Ground to the ship's bonding system.

Conductor	US 115v AC	US 230v AC	Europe 240v AC
Ground	Green	Green	Green and yellow
Neutral	White	White	Light blue
Hot	Black	Black	Brown
Hot		Red

ABYC color codes

Note that black is no longer used for DC return. Use yellow. Bilge blowers, which used to be yellow, are now brown/yellow.

COLOR	ITEM	USE
Yellow w/red stripe (YR)	Starting circuit	Starting switch to solenoid
Brown/yellow stripe (BY) or Yellow (Y) - obsolete	Bilge blowers	Fuse or switch to blowers
Dark gray (Gy)	Navigation lights Tachometer	Fuse or switch to lights Tachometer sender to gauge
Brown (Br)	Generator armature Alternator charge light Pumps	Generator armature to regulator Generator Terminal/alternator Auxiliary terminal to light to regulatorFuse or switch to pumps
Orange (O)	Accessory feed	Ammeter to alternator or generator output and accessory fuses or switches. Distribution panel to accessory switch
Purple (Pu)	Ignition Instrument feed	Ignition switch to coil and electrical instruments. Distribution panel to electric instruments
Dark blue	Cabin and instrument lights	Fuse or switch to lights
Light blue (Lt Bl)	Oil pressure	Oil pressure sender to gauge
Tan	Water temperature	Water temperature sender to gauge
Pink (Pk)	Fuel gauge	Fuel gauge sender to gauge
Green/stripe (G/x) (Except G/Y)	Tilt down and/or trim in Tilt and/or trim circuits	Tilt and/or trim circuits
Blue/stripe (Bl/x)	Tilt up and/or trim out Tilt and/or trim circuits	Tilt and/or trim circuits
Yellow	Direct current return	All wires to the negative side of the battery are now yellow, to avoid confusion with the AC hot which is black

ABYC Wire Sizes

AWG Wire Size	Ohms / 1000ft	Max Amperes outside engine room	Max Amperes inside engine room
18	6.385	20	17
16	4.016	25	21.3
14	2.525	35	29.8
12	1.588	45	38.3
10	0.9989	60	51
8	0.6282	80	68
6	0.3951	120	102
4	0.2485	160	136
2	0.1563	210	178.5
1	0.1239	245	208
0	0.09827	285	242.3
2/0	0.07793	330	280.5
3/0	0.06180	385	327.3
4/0	0.04901	445	378.3

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