What’s the Frequency Kenneth? A List of AC Frequencies Throughout the World

You probably know that plugging a 110-120V appliance into a 220-240V wall outlet will destroy that device and very possibly start an electrical fire. (FYI: Plugging a 220-240V electrical device or appliance into a 110-120V outlet will be far less dramatic, with the device working at one-quarter capability.) 

Using an appliance or electronics at the AC line frequencies other than the frequency compatible with the product won’t exactly start a fire the way that over-voltage can, but with large-motor appliances, the wrong frequency can lead to poor performance and the device burning out within a few months.

AC line frequency, if you’re unfamiliar with it, is the number of times per second that the AC current completes a full 360° cycle between positive and negative. (You can read more about AC line frequency here.) In the USA, Canada, and other countries that use 110-120V as the voltage standard, the line frequency is 60 cycles per second (as measured in the unit Hertz, or Hz) but not always. Most 220-240V countries use 50 cycles per second, or 50Hz, but that’s not always the case. Countries using the 127-130V standard arbitrarily use 50 or 60Hz. Japan, which uses a 100V standard, has 60Hz frequency in its southern part and 50Hz up north.

Many newer appliances have power supplies that can adjust for 50 or 60 Hz, particularly most electronics. Nonetheless, large-motor (greater than 1 horsepower) appliances need to operate at the AC frequency they were designed for, lest they turn too fast or slow and eventually burn out. It’s therefore essential that large-motor appliances (refrigerators, freezers, coolers, air conditioners, clothes washers, to name a few) operate at the right AC frequency. Toward that end, ACUPWR’s ADC and AUC models convert voltage and AC frequency, and address the voltage and frequency requirements of large-motor appliances.  

Meanwhile, here’s a comprehensive list of countries and their respective AC line frequencies.

Countries using 50 Hz AC Line Frequency

Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Azores, Bahrain, Balearic Islands, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Channel Islands, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dubai, East Timor, Egypt, England, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Faeroe Islands, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guyana, Gabon, Gaza Strip, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan (North), Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea (North), Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Madeira, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia,  Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Ireland, North Korea, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Pitcairn Islands, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, St. Lucia, St. Helena, St. Vincent, Samoa, San Marino Sao Tome, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Somaliland, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tahiti, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Vietnam, Wales, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries using 60 Hz AC Line Frequency

American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guam, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Japan (South), South Korea, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Montserrat (what’s left of it), Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, St. Barts (St. Barthelemy), St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Martin, Sint Eustatius, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Suriname, Tahiti, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States of America, US Virgin Islands, Venezuela, British Virgin Islands,