Standard receptacle buying guide: ratings, TR/WR and wiring

Buyer information, not installation instructions. Requirements depend on the adopted local code and exact product. Electrical work and site diagnosis should be performed by qualified professionals.

Choose a receptacle by its electrical rating, plug configuration and required protection features. Then select the terminal type and matching wallplate. Our model designations keep those choices separate.

Start with the rating and plug configuration

A NEMA designation identifies the plug and receptacle configuration. Record it alongside current and voltage in the purchasing brief. [Source]

D15 is listed as 15A, 125V AC, NEMA 5-15R; D20 is 20A, 125V AC, NEMA 5-20R. The project electrician must match the selection to the circuit and equipment. A higher face rating alone is not an upgrade for an existing installation.

The industrial catalog range lists CR15 at 15A, 125V/250V, and CR20 and CD20 at 20A, 125V/250V. All three use side/back wiring. Review their exact plug configurations separately from the 125V models below.

Compare the required features

TR means tamper-resistant: internal shutters restrict access to the contacts by foreign objects. [Source]

WR means weather-resistant. The cover and enclosure must also suit the location, including protection while a plug remains inserted where required. [Source]

TR and WR do not provide GFCI protection. The standard receptacles here have no integral GFCI function; the project team must specify how any required ground-fault protection will be provided.

D/DT/DW models have decorator faces; R/RT/RW have traditional duplex faces. DT and RT add TR; DW and RW combine TR with WR. The table shows selected catalog models.

Read the terminal specification

In Leviton’s explanation, screw-clamp back wiring uses a screw-operated clamp; side wiring uses a side screw terminal. These terms describe connection methods, with permitted conductors set by each model’s instructions. [Source]

For R15 and R15Q, the Q identifies side/push-in quick wiring; R15 uses side/back wiring. Catalog page 18 marks the 15A push-in terminal “#14 AWG Only”. Check conductor material, solid or stranded suitability, strip length and torque for the selected terminal.

Leviton’s 5325 lists its side terminals and Quickwire terminals separately. Its values are not installation specifications for FAHINT; request the limits for the exact FAHINT terminal. [Source]

Pair the device and wallplate

A traditional duplex plate has two shaped openings; a decorator plate has one rectangular opening. Check the device and plate together, including the outer dimensions and mounting fit.

Compare color and sheen under the project lighting. Record the plate model and whether it is packed with the receptacle or supplied separately.

Check the certificate’s model list

The supplied December 13, 2021 report E498095-20211123 names 18 receptacle models: D15, D15Q, D20, DT15, DT15Q, DT20, DW15, DW15Q, DW20, R15, R15Q, R20, RT15, RT15Q, RT20, RW15, RW15Q and RW20. Its US and Canadian lists are on PDF pages 2 and 4.

C/CT/CW models, CR15, CR20 and CD20 are outside that addendum. Request their corresponding records and confirm current listing status. A missing PDF in this library does not mean a model is uncertified.

Use C15/C15Q/C20 for the commercial standard range, CT15/CT15Q/CT20 for TR, and CW15/CW15Q/CW20 for TR/WR. Keep the complete designation, including Q where applicable, when matching the order to its documents.

R15, R15Q and R20 link to a shared receptacle range drawing showing 33.2 mm width, 106 mm overall height and 23.8 mm depth. Use it as a dimensional reference; the exact model’s approved drawing remains necessary for fit and feature confirmation.

Send one line per configuration

• Full model designation, quantity and any Q suffix.
• Current, voltage and NEMA configuration.
• TR, WR and the separate GFCI protection requirement.
• Terminal type and conductor requirements from the project team.
• Finish, wallplate model and approved sample reference.
• Destination, delivery date, pack contents and authorized artwork.
• Current model documents and approved drawings.

A model-page inquiry carries its model number into the form. Include any unresolved rating or document question so it can be addressed with the quotation.

Reading the prefix: what R15, RT15 and RW15 actually differ by

The first letter of a FAHINT receptacle model names the face: R for the standard duplex, C for the commercial duplex, D for the decorator opening, CR and CD for the industrial range. The T that follows adds tamper resistance, and the W adds weather resistance on top of it. So RT15 is a 15 A duplex with shuttered slots, RW15 is the same device built for damp and wet locations, and C15 is the commercial duplex with no shutter at all. Three letters apart, three different specifications.

The Q in R15Q marks a different terminal arrangement rather than a different electrical rating, which is why the pair appears on one catalogue page and in one price list. If the installation method is fixed — back-wire or push-in — the suffix decides the order line, and switching it later changes what the installer can do on site.

The number is the simplest part and the one most often mistyped: 15 A models sit on 14 AWG circuits, 20 A models on 12 AWG, and the NEMA face follows. A 20 A device on a 15 A circuit is not a capacity upgrade, it is a mismatch that the inspector will find.

Finishes run across the range, so the same wall can carry a GFCI, a USB outlet and a receptacle from three different families and still look deliberate. That only works if the finish is written on the order line rather than chosen at packing.