USB cable pink vs white wire polarity: which is +5V?

User question

I have a pink wire and white wire in a usb cable which is positive

Artificial Intelligence Response

Direct answer to the question

• There is no universal rule for pink-and-white conductors inside a USB lead.
• In many low-cost “2-wire charging” cables the pink wire is often the +5 V (VBUS) conductor and the white wire the return / ground, but this is not guaranteed.
• Treat the colours as meaningless until you verify them with a meter or continuity test.

Detailed problem analysis

1. USB colour standards
   – USB 2.0/3.x four-wire: Red = +5 V, Black = GND, White = D-, Green = D+.
   – Anything other than those four colours already departs from the standard.

2. Why pink & white appear
   – “Charge-only” or counterfeit cables save copper by omitting the data pair; manufacturers pick any convenient insulation colour.
   – Some suppliers replace red with pink/orange to distinguish their product, or because that insulation is cheaper/on-hand.

3. What each wire could be
   – Most common field observation (several teardown reports, refs [1]-[5]): pink ≈ red substitute → +5 V, white ≈ ground.
   – Counter-examples exist where white is +5 V or where both wires are data for a proprietary accessory.
   – Therefore assumption ⇒ risk of reverse polarity, device damage, or short-circuit.

4. Electrical identification (preferred)
   a. Continuity method (no power applied)
   • Locate connector style (USB-A, Micro-B, USB-C).
   • Pin 1 (VBUS) and pin 4/7/12/16 (GND) locations are published (see table below).
   • Use multimeter in continuity or ohms:
   – Probe outer metal shell → whichever inner wire beeps is ground.
   – Probe Pin 1 → wire that beeps is VBUS (+5 V).
   b. Live-voltage method (with care)
   • Plug cable into 5 V USB supply only.
   • Measure DC voltage between wires and metal shell.
   • Wire showing +5 V relative to shell is VBUS; other is ground.
   c. Visual inspection
   • Open the moulded plug with a knife or side cutters; inspect solder pads.

5. Pin locations (USB-A and Micro-B as examples)

Connector	VBUS (+)	D–	D+	GND (–)
USB-A	Pin 1 (outer, tongue side)	2	3	4
µUSB-B	Pin 1 (left)	2	3	5
USB-C*	Pins A4, A9, B4, B9	multiple	multiple	A1, A12, B1, B12

*USB-C contains eight VBUS and four GND pins; colour correlation is even less reliable.

Current information and trends

• Surge in ultra-cheap “charge-only” leads (2021-2024) → wide variation in wire colours; manufacturers focus on cost, not standard compliance.
• USB-IF compliance programmes require the outer markings to be correct, but do not police internal colour codes.
• Growing availability of USB-C PD e-marker cables means more than 8 separate power/ground wires; colour variation is now the norm.

Supporting explanations and details

Analogy: treating insulation colour as gospel is like trusting the paint on two pipes to tell you which carries steam or compressed air—it works only if the painter followed the standard.

Example measurement:

1. Strip 5 mm insulation of each conductor.
2. Meter on continuity.
3. Clip black probe to metal shell, probe pink → open; probe white → beep ⇒ white = GND.
4. Therefore pink must be VBUS (in that specific cable).

Ethical and legal aspects

• Selling cables that mis-wire 5 V or omit data lines without clear labelling may violate USB-IF trademark policies, but enforcement is limited.
• Reverse-polarity damage can cause battery heating or fire → safety hazard; always verify before integration into products.

Practical guidelines

• NEVER hard-wire a device using non-standard colours without verification.
• Keep a reference USB-A and USB-C pinout print-out on the bench.
• After identifying, mark the conductors with heat-shrink (red for +, black for –) before assembly.
• If mass production is planned, specify “USB-IF certified, 28-24 AWG, standard colour code” in the procurement document.

Possible disclaimers or additional notes

• Methods above assume a straight cable, not an active or electronically marked lead.
• Some Apple/Android accessories include ICs in the connector; continuity testing may not work if IC isolates pins.
• If uncertain, discard the suspect lead and use a certified one—the cost difference is negligible compared with potential damage.

Suggestions for further research

• Look into USB-IF Integrators List for suppliers that follow full spec.
• Study USB-C Power Delivery pin assignments and e-marker behaviour.
• Explore inline USB power meters (USB-C testers) for quick polarity checks.

Brief summary

Colour alone cannot tell you which conductor is +5 V in a pink-and-white USB cable. The statistically most common mapping is pink = VBUS (+), white = GND (–), but you must verify by continuity or voltage measurement against the connector pinout. Mark the wires once identified, and consider replacing non-standard cables with certified ones to avoid future errors.

Disclaimer: The responses provided by artificial intelligence (language model) may be inaccurate and misleading. Elektroda is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the presented information. All responses should be verified by the user.