Definition
The IEC 60320 C13 and C14 form the most common appliance coupler in computing and small mining hardware. The C14 is the male inlet mounted on the equipment or power distribution unit; the C13 is the female connector on the end of the cord that plugs into it. The pair is a grounded three-wire (line, neutral, earth) coupling rated for 10A at 250V under the international standard, and up to 15A at 250V when North American (UL/CSA) certified, with conductors rated to 70 C.
Where it appears in mining
C13/C14 is the workhorse for PSUs, control units, network switches, and smaller power supplies. In a rack, a metered or switched PDU typically presents a bank of C13 outlets, and each device draws through a short C13-to-C14 jumper. Because the coupler tops out around 15A, it is unsuitable for the high draw of a full ASIC miner running near 3,500W; those move up to the larger C19/C20 family or hardwired feeds.
Selection notes
The C13 is sometimes confused with the C15, which shares the same body but adds a temperature notch for hot appliances (kettles, some PoE switches) and will not seat in a plain C14. Always match the cord's amperage and conductor gauge (commonly 18 AWG for light loads, 14 AWG for the full 15A) to the connected load, and verify the cord carries the regional safety mark.
For higher-current single-device feeds see the IEC 60320 C19 / C20 connector, and for how outlets are fed at the rack see the power whip.
In Simple Terms
The IEC 60320 C13 and C14 form the most common appliance coupler in computing and small mining hardware. The C14 is the male inlet mounted…