GoKawiilWhy electrical plug prongs have small holes: manufacturing, not function
Those small holes found in most electrical plug prongs no longer serve the home-use purpose they once did. Instead, manufacturers use them to hold metal blades in place with an alignment rod while plastic is molded around them, and as a safety lockout feature during production.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The explanation reframes a common household curiosity as an artifact of manufacturing convenience rather than an active electrical or safety feature in modern outlets. This suggests that many familiar design elements persist long after their original function disappears, simply because they remain useful somewhere else in the production chain.
- Holes in plug prongs once had a practical home-use purpose but no longer do.
- Manufacturers now use the holes to align and lock blades during production.
- Not all manufacturers use identical processes, but the holes remain largely a factory convenience.
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Published there as: “The reason most electrical plug prongs have holes in them”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.