British Standard cable colours

Click here for cables sorted by circuit.
 
Cable colours sorted by system
Circuit  Alt Body Trace System Function
97   Black     All earth connections
106   Black Pink   spare
17   Blue Green   spare
107   Black Slate   spare
10   Brown Pink   spare
16   Blue Purple   spare
30   Red Lt Green   spare
6   Brown Lt Green   spare
131   Orange Brown   spare
132   Orange Red   spare
37   Purple   Accessories Accessories connected to battery, not via ignition switch
49   Green   Accessories Accessories connected via ignition switch
48   Purple Orange Accessories Aerial motor to "down" switch
47   Purple Slate Accessories Aerial motor to "up" switch
42   Purple Lt Green Accessories Demister relay
85 b Yellow   Accessories Door locks
88 b Yellow Red Accessories Door locks
96   Yellow Orange Accessories Door locks
95   Yellow Slate Accessories Door locks
94   Yellow Pink Accessories Door locks
93   Yellow Black Accessories Door locks
92 b Yellow White Accessories Door locks
91 b Yellow Lt Green Accessories Door locks
89 b Yellow Purple Accessories Door locks
87 b Yellow Blue Accessories Door locks
90 b Yellow Green Accessories Door locks
86 b Yellow Brown Accessories Door locks
112   Slate Red Accessories Electric windows power
110   Slate Brown Accessories Electric windows power
118   Slate Black Accessories Electric windows power
117   Slate Yellow Accessories Electric windows power
111   Slate Blue Accessories Electric windows power
114   Slate Green Accessories Electric windows power
116   Slate White Accessories Electric windows power
115   Slate Lt Green Accessories Electric windows power
109   Slate   Accessories Electric windows power
119   Slate Pink Accessories Electric windows power
113   Slate Purple Accessories Electric windows power
120   Slate Orange Accessories Electric windows power
64 b Lt Green Red Accessories Entry/exit door closed switch to door actuator
71 b Lt Green Slate Accessories Entry/exit door open switch to door actuator
39   Purple Blue Accessories Heated rear light relay or switch and warning light
46   Purple Pink Accessories Heated rear light to switch or relay
82   White Pink Accessories Ignition switch to radio
43 a Purple White Accessories Interior lights 
40   Purple Red Accessories Map, engine bay, glove box or boot lights if directly powered
28   Red Purple Accessories Map, engine bay, glove box or boot lights if switched by sidelights
66 a Lt Green Green Accessories Start inhibit relay to change speed switch
72 b Lt Green Orange Accessories Switch to cab lock-down warning light
59 a Green Slate Accessories Switch to heater motor ("fast" on 3-speed)
66 b Lt Green Green Accessories Switch to heater motor ("medium" on 3-speed)
56   Green Yellow Accessories Switch to heater motor ("slow" on 3-speed)
69   Lt Green Black Accessories Switch to screen washer motor - front
72 a Lt Green Orange Accessories Switch to screen washer motor - rear
102   Black Green Cooling Radiator fan motor from relay
108   Black Orange Cooling Radiator fan motor to thermal switch
85 a Yellow   Engine Gear selector switch to starter switch
79 c White Lt Green Engine Inhibitor to starter relay or solenoid
79 b White Lt Green Engine Oil pressure switch to fuel pump
74 b White Brown Engine Oil pressure switch to starter relay
85 a Yellow   Engine Overdrive
87 c Yellow Blue Engine Overdrive
89 c Yellow Purple Engine Overdrive
90 c Yellow Green Engine Overdrive
79 a White Lt Green Engine Starter switch to interlock
76 a White Red Engine Starter switch to solenoid or inhibitor or relay
85 a Yellow   Fuel Fuel injector #1
86 a Yellow Brown Fuel Fuel injector #2
87 a Yellow Blue Fuel Fuel injector #3
88 a Yellow Red Fuel Fuel injector #4
89 a Yellow Purple Fuel Fuel injector #5
90 a Yellow Green Fuel Fuel injector #6
91 a Yellow Lt Green Fuel Fuel injector #7
92 a Yellow White Fuel Fuel injector #8
12   Brown Orange Fuel Fuel/diesel shutoff
78   White Green Fuel LH fuel pump to changeover switch
77   White Purple Fuel RH fuel pump to changeover switch
38   Purple Brown Horn Horn relay
45   Purple Black Horn Horn relay to switch
44   Purple Yellow Horn Horn to relay
80   White Yellow Ignition Ballast resistor or starter to coil
133   Pink White Ignition Ballast resistor to distributor
81 a White Black Ignition Coil to contact breaker 
75 b White Blue Ignition Electronic distributor to drive resistor
73   White   Ignition Ignition switch or starter solenoid to ballast resistor
7   Brown White Instruments Ammeter to control box/main alternator terminal
83   White Slate Instruments Coil to current operated tachometer
81 b White Black Instruments Coil to voltage impulse tachometer
105   Black Yellow Instruments Electric speedometer
100   Black Red Instruments Electronic speedometer to sensor
57   Green Black Instruments Fuel gauge or voltage stabiliser to tank units or changeover switch
71 a Lt Green Slate Instruments Fuel tank switch to LH tank unit
64 a Lt Green Red Instruments Fuel tank switch to RH tank unit
31 d Red White Instruments Fuse to fibre optics lamp
31 b Red White Instruments Fuse to instrument light dimmer, or light or map light
31 c Red White Instruments Fuse to instrument light switch
76 b White Red Instruments Ignition to lamp failure unit
63 b Lt Green Blue Instruments Sensor to coolant level control unit
98   Black Brown Instruments Tachometer generator to tachometer
99   Black Blue Instruments Tachometer generator to tachometer
63 c Lt Green Blue Instruments Test switch to coolant level control unit
61   Lt Green   Instruments Voltage stabiliser to instruments
51   Green Blue Instruments Water temperature sender to gauge
34   Red Pink Lamps Fuse to lighting relay
58   Green Pink Lamps-direction Fuse to flasher unit
52   Green Red Lamps-direction LH indicators to switch
55   Green White Lamps-direction RH indicators to switch
62   Lt Green Brown Lamps-direction Switch to flasher unit
19 d Blue White Lamps-driving Long range driving lamp switch to dip switch
20   Blue Yellow Lamps-driving Long range driving lamp switch to lamp
36   Red Orange Lamps-fog Fuse to rear fog lamps
27   Red Blue Lamps-fog Power to front fog lamp switch
32   Red Yellow Lamps-fog Switch to front fog lamps
26   Red Brown Lamps-fog Switch to rear fog lamps
41   Purple Green Lamps-hazard Hazard flasher
70   Lt Green Pink Lamps-hazard Hazard flasher to switch
54 a Green Lt Green Lamps-hazard Hazard flasher to warning light
15   Blue Red Lamps-head Dip switch to dipped head lamp fuse
19 a Blue White Lamps-head Dip switch to main beam fuse
23   Blue Slate Lamps-head Fuse to LH main beam or inboard head lamps if independently fused
22   Blue Pink Lamps-head Fuse to LH main head lamp
24   Blue Orange Lamps-head Fuse to RH dip head lamp
21   Blue Black Lamps-head Fuse to RH main head lamp
19 b Blue White Lamps-head Head lamp flasher to main beam fuse
14   Blue Brown Lamps-head Head lamp relay to head lamp fuse
13   Blue   Lamps-head Head lamp switch to dip switch
50   Green Brown Lamps-reverse Reversing lamp to switch
43 b Purple White Lamps-side Door safety lights to switch
33   Red Black Lamps-side Fuse to LH side and rear lamps and number plate lamps
31 a Red White Lamps-side Fuse to RH side and rear lamps
35   Red Slate Lamps-side Lamp failure unit to LH side and rear lamps
29   Red Green Lamps-side Lamp failure unit to RH side and rear lamps
54 b Green Lt Green Lamps-stop Stop lamps to lamp failure unit
53 a Green Purple Lamps-stop Stop lamps to switch
9   Brown Black Power Alternator battery sensing lead
4   Brown Purple Power Alternator regulator power
8   Brown Yellow Power Alternator to warning light
5   Brown Green Power Alternator/dynamo field connection to control box
3   Brown Red Power Compression ignition aid or main battery power to double pole ignition switch
2   Brown Blue Power Control box power to ignition and lighting switches
1   Brown   Power Main battery power
11   Brown Slate Power Starter relay to starter solenoid
104   Black White Warnings Brake fluid level & hand brake switch to warning lamp; or radio to speakers
103   Black Lt Green Warnings Brake vacuum or differential switch to warning light
75 a White Blue Warnings Choke switch to choke solenoid and/or warning light
59 b Green Slate Warnings Coolant level to warning light
19 c Blue White Warnings Dip switch main beam warning light
63 a Lt Green Blue Warnings Flasher unit to LH warning light
68 a Lt Green Yellow Warnings Flasher unit to RH warning light
65   Lt Green Purple Warnings Flasher unit to warning light
60   Green Orange Warnings Fuel level to warning light
53 b Green Purple Warnings Lamp failure unit to switch
74 a White Brown Warnings Oil pressure switch to warning light or gauge
67   Lt Green White Warnings Sensor to low air pressure buzzer and warning light
68 b Lt Green Yellow Warnings Switch to differential lock warning light
84   White Orange Warnings Switch to hazard light warning lamp
101   Black Purple Warnings Temperature switch to warning light
18   Blue Lt Green Wipers Head lamp wiper motor to head lamp wash pump motor
125   Orange Purple Wipers Intermittent unit to motor parking circuit
126   Orange White Wipers Intermittent unit to motor parking circuit
25   Red   Wipers Power from sidelights switch
123   Orange Green Wipers Switch to front motor fast
124   Orange Black Wipers Switch to front motor parking circuit or timer or intermittent unit
122   Orange Blue Wipers Switch to front motor slow or timer or intermittent unit
128   Orange Lt Green Wipers Switch to head lamp wiper or rear motor parking circuit, timer or relay
127   Orange Yellow Wipers Switch to head lamp wiper or rear motor, timer or relay
129   Orange Pink Wipers Timer or relay to head lamp or rear motor
130   Orange Slate Wipers Timer or relay to head lamp or rear motor parking circuit
121   Orange   Wipers Wiper circuits from ignition switch

Based on BS-AU7a 1983. The "Alt" column disguishes different uses for the same colour code, and the "System" column is my own addition.

This page was created by Paul Gover on Tuesday, October 12, 1999.