DIN 18015 / VDE 0100

Updated 2 September 2026

Germany’s residential electrical standard, and the closest available match for any IEC‑aligned country. Here’s what it actually covers, where it applies, and what WireSketch does and doesn’t model from it.

What DIN 18015 is

DIN 18015 (“Elektrische Anlagen in Wohngebäuden”) is the German residential installation standard. It defines where things go: cable routing zones, minimum number of circuits per room, socket density per wall length, switch and socket mounting heights. It’s not the safety code, that’s VDE 0100, the German implementation of IEC 60364. The two work as a pair: DIN 18015 says “you need at least N sockets per kitchen counter wall”; VDE 0100 says “each circuit must be protected by a Type A RCD with 30 mA tripping current.”

The most-referenced parts:

• DIN 18015-1:2020-05, planning principles (Planungsgrundlagen)
• DIN 18015-2:2021-10, nature and extent of the minimum equipment (Art und Umfang der Mindestausstattung): how many sockets, circuits and connections each room gets
• DIN 18015-3:2016-09, cable routing and placement of equipment (Leitungsführung und Anordnung der Betriebsmittel): the installation zones along walls where cables may run, so that anyone drilling later knows where not to drill, and where switches and sockets sit
• DIN VDE 0100-410:2018-10, protection against electric shock (RCD requirements)
• DIN VDE 0100-701:2025-06, locations containing a bath or shower (Zones 0/1/2, IP ratings); the 2025-06 edition replaces the 2008-10 edition

Who DIN 18015 applies to

Germany, in full. It’s also a reasonable starting point for:

• Austria, OVE E 8101 (current edition OVE E 8101:2025-10-01, which replaced OVE E 8101:2019 + AC1:2020) is Austria’s implementation of the HD 60364 / IEC 60364 series and shares most installation conventions with DIN. The older ÖVE/ÖNORM E 8001 series was folded into OVE E 8101 in 2019 and dropped from Austria’s binding rules with the ETV 2020; its transition period ended in July 2021. German residential defaults are usually fit.
• German-speaking Switzerland, the Swiss NIN (Niederspannungs-Installations-Norm, SN 411000:2025 / NIN 2025, in force since 1 January 2025) is the official code, but DIN-aligned defaults work as a planning baseline for IEC-harmonized aspects.
• Netherlands, NEN 1010 is IEC-harmonized; many DIN installation conventions translate directly.

It is not a good fit for France (NF C 15-100), Spain (REBT), Italy (CEI 64-8), Belgium (AREI/RGIE), or the French-/Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland. Those countries share the IEC 60364 skeleton but flesh out installation zones, mandatory circuit counts, socket density, and bathroom volume definitions differently. The differences matter at the inspector level.

Key requirements

A short rundown of what a DIN 18015 + VDE 0100 installation actually needs in a typical dwelling:

• Installation zones, vertical and horizontal cable strips along walls, 15 cm and 30 cm respectively from corners, ceiling, and floor. Sockets and switches must be inside these zones.
• Standard heights, switches at ~110 cm above finished floor, sockets at ~30 cm (living rooms), 105 cm (kitchen counters).
• Minimum circuits, one lighting + one socket circuit per ~20 m²; kitchens and bathrooms get more.
• RCD protection, all socket circuits and bathroom circuits via 30 mA Type A RCDs.
• Bathroom Zones 0/1/2, per VDE 0100-701, no switches in Zone 1, IPX4 minimum in Zone 1, dedicated equipotential bonding for metallic fixtures.
• Kitchen rule, each heavy appliance (oven, dishwasher, fridge, hood) on its own dedicated circuit.
• Cable type, NYM-J (sheathed copper) is the default residential cable; NYY for outdoor/underground runs.

What WireSketch models from DIN 18015

When you pick the DIN 18015 / VDE 0100 (Germany) region in WireSketch, the app applies:

• Vertical 15 cm + horizontal 30 cm installation zones as visual overlays on every wall
• Standard switch (110 cm) and socket (30 cm dry / 105 cm kitchen counter) snap heights
• IEC 60364 Zone 0/1/2 in bathroom wet-room mode, identical to VDE 0100-701 zones
• Kitchen rule, each kitchen appliance fixture gets a dedicated circuit when the panel is auto-filled
• NYM-J cable recommendations with appropriate cross-sections per circuit type
• Type A RCD as the default main protection in the panel template

What WireSketch doesn’t model

Honesty matters: not everything in DIN 18015 / VDE 0100 is encoded in the app.

• Selectivity and main protection coordination, you can set breaker amperages, but WireSketch doesn’t simulate cascading trip behavior or grading.
• Loop impedance + earth fault loop calculations, required for compliance verification, not modelled.
• Conduit fill ratios, the app shows where conduits run, not whether you’ve overfilled them.
• Local water-utility equipotential bonding details, the app shows the bathroom is a wet room, not whether your specific metallic pipework needs additional bonding.
• Execution details, cable termination, junction-box wiring methods, sealing, all electrician’s scope.
• Austrian OVE E 8101, Dutch NEN 1010, Swiss NIN (SN 411000:2025) deltas, DIN defaults are a starting point in those countries, not a substitute for the national code.

Practical tip

If you’re a German homeowner planning a remodel: use WireSketch to capture what you want, hand the Renovation Brief PDF to your Elektrofachkraft, and let them turn it into a compliant design. The brief is faster than a 30-minute walkthrough and far less ambiguous than a hand drawing on a kitchen napkin.

If you’re a contractor in Austria, German-speaking Switzerland, or the Netherlands: use WireSketch for layout and as a client-communication tool, but treat its outputs as DIN-flavored sketches that you adapt to your national code (OVE E 8101 / NIN / NEN 1010 respectively) when producing the actual design package.