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Black Sockets

We stock black sockets in plain black and black nickel, most of them screwless and most of them doubles, for walls where a contrasting plate would interrupt the scheme. Choosing black is less about the socket than about what surrounds it: the colour of the wall, the plugs that sit in it, and how a dark finish copes low down, where it gets knocked and dusty.

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Where black sockets look right, and where they jar

Black sockets do one of two jobs, and the wall decides which. On dark paint, black tiles or deep green panelling, the plate nearly vanishes. On white or a pale neutral it becomes a small dark shape the eye goes to, which works when it has company: black window frames, a curtain pole, picture frames or door handles. Where nothing else in the room is black, a line of dark plates can look left over from another scheme. Most of our black sockets are doubles, a bigger block of colour than a single; many are singles, the quieter choice on a pale wall.

Black sockets and the plugs that sit in them

A socket is rarely seen empty. It is worth checking the colour of what you will plug in, since two pale plugs in a black double read as a patch on a dark plate. Where a charger stays put beside a bed or a desk, black plugs and leads avoid the patch altogether. In a study the plugs work in your favour, because computer and monitor leads are usually black already and a black socket swallows the cable run. Many of our black sockets are suited to a study or home office, and many to commercial interiors.

Which black socket plate shape suits the room

Most of our black sockets are screwless, with the fixings hidden behind the front, so the whole face reads as one unbroken dark shape: right for a minimal room, or a dark wall where the socket should recede. Many have rounded edges, which soften the outline on a pale wall where a crisp black rectangle can feel severe. A few have a square edge, the sharpest profile, which suits panelling. Many are flat plates, slim against the wall; where the screws show, check whether the heads are black or plain metal, because a pair of bright screw heads is easy to spot on a dark plate.

How black sockets wear on metal and polycarbonate

Most of our black sockets are metal, and on metal the black is a coating or plating over the base, so a hard knock at the edge can chip it and show the metal beneath. Low sockets take the knocks from vacuum cleaners and moved furniture, and pale dust shows on black far more than on white. Many use polycarbonate, and where a plate is moulded in black the colour runs right through, so a scuff stays dark.

Many are black nickel, a plated finish whose soft sheen hides the slight polish that years of plugging in can leave on a flatter black. A metal plate also needs a sound earth connection, which your electrician will check.

Black sockets outside, and what the IP rating means

A few of our black sockets are made for outdoor and garden walls, and a few carry IP66, which means sealed against dust and protected against strong jets of water. One is rated IP54, protected against dust and splashes. Many carry IP20, an indoor rating with no protection against water, so check the rating before a socket goes anywhere damp. Black outside sits well beside dark window frames, gates and garden lighting. Any outdoor socket should be fitted by a qualified electrician on a circuit with RCD protection. Bathrooms are a separate case: wiring rules keep ordinary sockets a set distance from a bath or shower, whatever their rating.

What to check before you swap to black sockets

Measure the plate you are replacing first. Plate sizes vary a little from one maker to the next, and a black plate shows the edge of old paint or filler far more than a white one did, so a smaller plate can leave an outline that needs touching up. Screwless fronts can also ask for more depth behind them, so check your back box against the depth the replacement needs. Fitting is a job for a qualified electrician, who can fit a deeper box where one is needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will black sockets look too harsh in a neutral room?
They can if they are the only black in the room, because a dark plate on a pale wall pulls the eye. Repeat the black nearby, in a lamp base, a frame or the door furniture, and the sockets look planned rather than stark. A rounded edge, or the soft sheen of black nickel, also feels gentler than a sharp square plate in flat black.

Will white plugs look odd in a black socket?
They show as a pale block, especially on a double with both outlets in use. Where a charger or lamp stays plugged in for good, a black plug or lead keeps the plate looking whole, while behind a sofa or a bed nobody will notice.

Is a black socket hard to find on a dark wall at night?
It can be, since the plate that blends in by day is just as hard to pick out in dim light. When planning a room, keep the sockets at one height so your hand finds them by habit, and for a bedside or landing socket used in the dark, black nickel catches more light than a flatter black.

How do I clean a black socket without dulling it?
Switch off and unplug anything in it, then wipe it with a dry microfibre cloth, or one barely damp for a greasy mark, and dry it straight away. Never spray cleaner at a socket, as liquid can run into the outlets. Polish, solvents and scouring pads can leave shiny or pale patches on black that will not even out.

What does IP66 mean on an outdoor black socket?
It means the fitting is sealed against dust and protected against powerful jets of water, which suits an exposed outside wall. A few of our black sockets carry it, while many are IP20, an indoor rating. Whatever the rating, an outdoor socket belongs on an RCD-protected circuit, fitted by a qualified electrician.

Is a black socket the same size as the white one it replaces?
Black is a finish rather than a size, but plate outlines and depths differ slightly between makers. Measure your old plate and compare it with the dimensions of its replacement, because a smaller black plate can leave a ring of old paint on show, and check that your back box is deep enough.

Do I have to notify building control to swap a white socket for a black one?
A like-for-like swap on an existing circuit is not usually notifiable under Part P in England and Wales, but it must still meet the wiring regulations. We recommend a qualified electrician, who will also check the earth on a metal plate. Running an extra circuit is a different matter, and that is notifiable.

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