GFCI receptacle
An outlet with built-in protection against electric shock. It is the outlet symbol with the letters GFCI beside it.
Easily confused with
How to read it
GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter. NECA 100 lists GFCI among the notations added to a receptacle symbol, for ground-fault protection of people. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission describes GFCIs as devices built into receptacles and circuit breakers to protect people from severe electrical shocks, and names places where electrical equipment is near water as the areas they are especially used for.
Also searched as: GFI outlet, ground fault outlet.
This explains what a symbol represents on a drawing. Conventions vary between firms and standards, and a drawing's own legend takes precedence.
Look-alikes
NECA 100 also has GFPE, ground-fault protection of equipment, which protects equipment rather than people. Without either marking, the symbol is a plain duplex receptacle.
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The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with circles, letters and numbers or lines.
Sources
- Symbols for Electrical Construction Drawings, NECA 100-2013 (ANSI), National Electrical Contractors Association (Internet Archive copy), sec. 3.0, typical outlet notations
- GFCIs Fact Sheet, CPSC Document #99, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, p. 1
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed September 24, 2026. How we research
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