scope:

This standard establishes identification coding systems for all insulated hookup and lead wire used in electrical and electronic equipment by the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. These coding systems shall also be used for identifying lead wires on Hall generators and ac and dc wire coding methods specified (see 4.9 and 4.10).

Identification of hookup wiring and lead wire shall be limited to the following systems:

System I - Differentiation color coding for chassis wiring. This system should be employed in complex electronic equipment having numerous wiring points (terminations) and requiring different colored wires for identification. Functional coding (system II) would be inadequate for these complex equipments because of its limited scope of significant colors.

System II - Functional color coding of chassis wiring. This system should be employed in simple electronic equipments where it would be advantageous to identify a circuit function or a component part lead by its significant colored wire.

System III - Differentiation or functional coding of chassis wiring by printed markings. This system should be employed as an alternate for systems I and II and is preferred for maintaining or repairing equipments. White wires are used for replacement, and will be marked with the designated color or symbol to readily identify it in the equipment. Marking may be accomplished through the use of sleeving where the diameter of the wire is so small as to make printing impracticable.

System IV - Coding of interconnecting wiring. This system should be employed to readily identify wiring between complete units of electronic or electrical systems by means of marking on white insulated wires or applying sleeves, tags, or pressure-sensitive tapes on the insulated wires.

System V - Direct wiring and open wiring. This system should be employed for direct, open chassis, and cabinet wiring. The hookup wire (see 3.1) need not be color coded; solid white is the preferred color. Permanently numbered sleeves can be used in conjunction with reference designations wherever practical; i.e., terminal boards, bus bars, capacitors, relays, etc.

* System VI - Differential color coding of hookup wire for chassis and interconnection wiring. This system should be employed for identification of wiring in high density wired chassis units and the interconnection between them. Identification may be accomplished by use of solid color insulated wire, circumferential bands or spiral stripes on white insulated wire, or printed sleeve or tape markers. Short hookup wire, six inches or less between termination points, need not be marked if the path of the short wire can be easily and visually traced.