By Kent Traders · Updated 29 October 2026 · 8 min read · UK

Open the BG catalogue and you meet 811, 822DP, 850 and 875 with no explanation. The numbers are not random. This guide decodes the BG 800 series codes so you can read a code and know what the product is, then order the right plate the first time.

What do BG 800 series codes tell you?

The 800 series is BG's white moulded round edge range of plate switches, sockets and fused units. It is the plain, low-cost end of BG's range, and we stock it in the BG white moulded collection.

A catalogue code does one job: it identifies the product without a long description. Once you know the pattern, you can check a quote, a spec sheet or a supplier list in seconds.

The numbers are BG's own convention and have a few exceptions, so treat this guide as a map and the product page as the final word.

How to read a BG code in three steps

1. Read the first digit. 8 means the white moulded round edge range.
2. Read the second digit. It names the family: 1 for single plate switches, 2 for sockets, 3 for 20A switches, 4 for multi-gang switches, 5 for fused connection units, 7 for cooker switches.
3. Read the last digit. It picks the variant, such as one way against two way, one gang against two, or plain against neon.
4. Read the suffix. DP means double pole, WH is a water heater switch, CON is a converter socket and EM4 is a four module Euro plate.

The rule holds in most places. The variant digit is where the exceptions live, so the sections below list the codes we sell.

Switches and sockets: the 81x, 84x and 82x groups

Plate switches sit in the 81x and 84x groups. The 81x codes are single gang, and the 84x codes are multi-gang with the last digit giving the gang count. All of these live in the light switches collection. BG's 800S data sheet lists the same codes with BS EN 60669-1.

The 82x group is sockets. The pattern here is pairs: 821DP, 823 and 825 are single gang, and 822DP, 824 and 826 are the double gang versions. The 828 and 829 are single round pin sockets, so the even-number rule bends there.

20A, fused and cooker switches: the 83x, 85x and 87x groups

The 83x group is 20A double pole switches. The last digit tells you the variant: 830 is plain, 831 has a neon, 832 has a flex outlet and 833 has both. The 85x fused units use a different order, which catches people out. For other finishes, see the fused switches collection.

Read across the table and the swap is clear. In the 83x group the neon digit is 1, but in the 85x group the flex outlet digit is 1. Check the last digit against the group before you order.

The 87x group is 45A cooker switches. The 875 is a single gang at £5.73, the 874 adds a neon at £5.43, and the 873 and 872 are the two gang versions at £5.85 and £5.37. The WH suffix, as in the 832WH at £4.73, marks the water heater version.

The +100 rule to the 900 series

BG's square edge range is the 900 series. Its 900S data sheet describes it as white moulded square edge, and the switch codes mirror the 800 series by adding 100.

Treat +100 as a guide, not a law. The 900S data sheet we read covers the switches, not the 20A or fused groups, so check each 900 code on its product page before you swap. Do not mix the two edge profiles in one room.

Worked example: a two bedroom flat order

Take a two bedroom flat refit. These quantities are our assumptions: twelve double sockets, two fused spurs, a cooker switch, six one-way switches and two two-way switches. Prices were checked on 29 October 2026.

That is £54.39 for the plates. Add back boxes, grid or flush, and the cable before you quote. The point of the exercise is the list itself: five codes cover a whole flat, and you can write it down in a line.

Where code ordering goes wrong

Code mistakes are cheap but annoying, because the wrong plate arrives and the job stalls. These are the ones we see most:

• Ordering a socket as 822 when the listing is 822DP. The suffix matters, because DP changes what the switch breaks.
• Reading 832 as 832WH. The WH version is the water heater switch and costs more.
• Assuming the neon version is always the plain code plus one. It is in the 83x group, but in the 85x group neon is plain plus two.
• Ordering the 848 two gang architrave switch. It is sold out at the time of writing, so check before you quote.
• Mixing 800 and 900 plates in one room. The edge profiles are different.

FAQs

Related reading