SS 436 40 00 explained: Sweden's wiring rules for homes (Elinstallationsreglerna)

What is SS 436 40 00 and is it mandatory?

SS 436 40 00, “Elinstallationer för lågspänning”, is published by the Swedish standards bodies (SIS, prepared by SEK Svensk Elstandard). It is the Swedish edition of the international HD 60364 series, with a small number of national deviations. Electricians usually work from SEK Handbok 444, which contains the standard with comments.

The legal framework changed on 1 December 2022. Elsäkerhetsverket's new regulations (ELSÄK-FS 2022:1, 2022:2 and 2022:3, under the Electrical Safety Act 2016:732) no longer contain detailed technical rules. They require installations to follow good electrical safety practice (god elsäkerhetsteknisk praxis), and an installation built to SS 436 40 00 is presumed to meet that requirement. In other words, the standard is not law, but it is the practical reference every authorised electrician works to.

Who may do the work: auktoriserad elinstallatör and egenkontroll

In Sweden, electrical installation work must be carried out by, or under the supervision of, an authorised electrician (auktoriserad elinstallatör), working for a company that has a self-inspection programme (egenkontrollprogram). Elsäkerhetsverket issues three types of authorisation today; the older “behörighet” classes (AB, B, A, D) were converted.

There is no third-party inspection of a new home installation. The electrician inspects and tests the work (SS 436 40 00 part 6) and records it in the company's egenkontroll. The grid owner (nätägare) is notified before the work with a föranmälan (advance notice) and afterwards with a färdiganmälan (completion notice).

Supply: three-phase 3 × 400 V and main fuses

Swedish houses are normally connected three-phase, 3 × 400 V (230 V between each phase and neutral). The size of the connection is set by the main fuses (huvudsäkringar) in the grid owner's meter cabinet. Circuits are spread over the three phases, and large loads such as a cooker, an EV charger or a heat pump are often three-phase. The earthing arrangement is assumed to be TN-C-S in the Circuia pack, a value we have not confirmed from a public source.

Circuits and protective devices: why 10 A on 1.5 mm²

The most visible Swedish habit is the 10 A breaker on 1.5 mm² cable, used for lighting and ordinary socket circuits, with 16 A reserved for 2.5 mm² circuits in kitchens and for appliances. The reason is cable capacity: 1.5 mm² copper in conduit in a wall (the common Swedish method) carries about 13.5 A, while the same cable clipped to the surface carries about 17.5 A. A 16 A breaker on 1.5 mm² is possible only for some installation methods.

• Cooker (spis): Circuia proposes a three-phase 16 A circuit by default. This is common practice, but we have not found a public source confirming it.
• Sockets per circuit: no Swedish maximum was found. Circuia plans about eight per circuit and informs above ten.
• EV charging: a dedicated circuit with its own 30 mA RCD (type A with 6 mA DC detection, or type B), as in the European base. Three-phase charging at 11 kW is common on a 3 × 400 V supply.
• Surge protection (överspänningsskydd) follows the risk assessment of section 443: typically needed with an overhead line or a lightning protection system, not unconditionally required.

RCDs (jordfelsbrytare): what needs 30 mA protection

SS 436 40 00 requires additional protection by a 30 mA RCD for socket-outlets up to 32 A used by ordinary persons (411.3.3). The former regulation limited to 16 A sockets (ELSÄK-FS 2008:1) has disappeared from Elsäkerhetsverket's rules, but the requirement remains in the standard. Since edition 3 (2017), lighting circuits in dwellings also need 30 mA protection. Bathroom circuits and EV charging points are covered too.

No Swedish limit on the number of circuits per RCD was found. Circuia uses at least 2 type A RCDs with about six circuits each, so a single fault does not leave the whole home without power, and a separate RCD for each EV charger.

Bathrooms: the zone system

No Swedish deviation from the harmonised bathroom rules (HD 60364-7-701) was found in public sources, so the Circuia pack applies the European zones.

How many sockets? SS 437 01 02 (guide, not law)

Sweden has no binding minimum of sockets per room. The standard SS 437 01 02 (edition 2, 2018) gives recommended equipment levels that are often written into building contracts. According to secondary sources, it counts one socket point per 3.75 m of usable wall length, rounded up (the divisor was 4 m before 2014). A bedroom with 12 m of usable wall would get 4 socket points.

Whether a double socket counts as one or two points, and the exact per-room values, are in the paid standard and not confirmed here. Circuia shows this guide as information only, never as an error, and keeps about 20 % spare space in the consumer unit as practice.

Planning an SS 436 40 00 installation with Circuia

Choose Sweden when you create the project. The editor spreads circuits over three phases, uses 10 A on 1.5 mm² for lighting and ordinary sockets and 16 A on 2.5 mm² for the kitchen and appliances, puts sockets and lighting behind 30 mA type A RCDs, checks the bathroom zones and shows the SS 437 01 02 socket guide as information. It prepares a circuit list, single-line diagram, bill of materials and an egenkontroll checklist for your electrician.

Open the editor set up for Sweden (free, in your browser). Neighbouring countries: Norway, Denmark, Finland, or the overview of all standards.

Common mistakes

• ×Protecting 1.5 mm² cable in conduit at 16 A: Swedish practice is 10 A.
• ×Leaving lighting circuits in a dwelling without 30 mA RCD protection (required since edition 3, 2017).
• ×Putting the whole home on a single RCD.
• ×Treating SS 437 01 02 socket numbers as a legal minimum: it is a contractual guide.
• ×Starting fixed wiring work without an authorised electrician and egenkontroll.
• ×Forgetting the föranmälan and färdiganmälan to the grid owner.

Frequently asked questions

Related pages

• OverviewElectrical wiring standards in Europe, country by countryHome wiring rules explained for the UK (BS 7671), Ireland (I.S. 10101), Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, with the Circuia editor for each country.
• GuideNEK 400:2026 explained: Norway's wiring rules for homes, IT network includedNEK 400:2026 for Norwegian homes: the 230 V IT network, one RCD per circuit, stove guards, socket minimums, 30 % spare space and the samsvarserklæring.
• GuideDanish wiring rules explained: DS/HD 60364 and the installation order BEK 1082Denmark's wiring rules for homes: BEK 1082 and DS/HD 60364, TT earthing, 30 mA type A RCDs, 13 A sockets, one socket per 4 m² and authorised electricians.
• GuideSFS 6000 explained: Finland's wiring rules for homes (SFS 6000:2022)SFS 6000:2022 for homes in Finland: Tukes and registered contractors, type A 30 mA RCDs, 10 A on 1.5 mm², 3 × 25 A supply and the commissioning inspection.
• CircuiaPricing: free, Project Pass €39, Pro €49/monthCircuia plans: Free to explore, Project Pass at €39 incl. VAT for a homeowner project, Pro at €49 excl. VAT/month and Team at €129 excl. VAT/month for electricians. 14-day trial.
• CircuiaCircuia: AI wiring plans to BS 7671 and EU standardsDraw your home or ask the AI: Circuia designs circuits and the consumer unit, checked against BS 7671, I.S. 10101 and the rules of 17 European countries.