What does the Protective earth symbol look like?

Earth sign (vertical line over three shrinking horizontal lines) inside a circle. It is also called “PE”, “earth symbol”, “earthing mark” and “ground symbol”.

Which standard defines the Protective earth symbol?

It is listed as IEC 60417-5019.

Protective earth symbol: earth sign (vertical line over three shrinking horizontal lines) inside a circle — IEC 60417-5019

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Safety and compliance marks

Protective earth

Earth sign (vertical line over three shrinking horizontal lines) inside a circle. · also called “PE”, “earth symbol”, “earthing mark”, “ground symbol”

What the Protective earth symbol means

Protective earth connection

Marks the terminal or screw where the protective earth (yellow-green) wire must be connected. On appliances: the earthing cable goes here, and the socket must be earthed. Never leave it unconnected.

Source · Manufacturer manual Candy built-in oven and vitroceramic hob instruction manual · checked Nov 10, 2026

Where it appears

Safety and compliance marks

IEC 60417
—This meaning

Questions about the Protective earth symbol

What does the Protective earth symbol mean?: Marks the terminal or screw where the protective earth (yellow-green) wire must be connected. On appliances: the earthing cable goes here, and the socket must be earthed. Never leave it unconnected.
What does the Protective earth symbol look like?: Earth sign (vertical line over three shrinking horizontal lines) inside a circle. It is also called “PE”, “earth symbol”, “earthing mark” and “ground symbol”.
Which standard defines the Protective earth symbol?: It is listed as IEC 60417-5019.

Checked against the source · Nov 10, 2026 · How we verify

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