Which cable and charger
USB-C is a 24-pin reversible connector published in August 2014, and the power it can carry ranges from 2.5 W on early USB 2.0 ports up to 240 W under Power Delivery 3.1 Extended Power Range. This page matches your device, charger and cable by watts, volts and amps.
| Power level | Specification | Voltage | Current | Maximum watts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 W | USB 1.0 and 2.0 | 5 V | 0.5 A | 2.5 W |
| 4.5 W | USB 3.0 | 5 V | 0.9 A | 4.5 W |
| 7.5 W | Battery Charging | 5 V | 1.5 A | 7.5 W |
| 7.5 W | USB-C default mode | 5 V | 1.5 A | 7.5 W |
| 15 W | USB-C default mode | 5 V | 3 A | 15 W |
| 100 W | Power Delivery standard range | 5 V to 20 V | up to 5 A | 100 W |
| 240 W | Power Delivery 3.1 Extended Power Range | 48 V | 5 A | 240 W |
From 2.5 W on legacy ports to 240 W under Power Delivery 3.1 Extended Power Range.
The power a USB-C port can supply depends on which specification the port and charger implement, not on the shape of the connector. USB 1.0 and 2.0 ports provided up to 2.5 W, USB 3.0 raised that to 4.5 W, and the Battery Charging specifications reached 7.5 W.
The standard USB Power Delivery range covers most 5 V to 20 V consumer devices up to a maximum of 100 W. Power Delivery 3.1, released in 2021, raised the maximum to 240 W through the Extended Power Range, which operates at 48 V and 5 A.
Without any Power Delivery contract, a USB-C port may still provide 5 V at either 1.5 A or 3 A. That default mode is what a phone or earbuds case draws before any negotiation happens.
The plug carries 24 contacts in a reversible layout, so orientation never changes which pin does what.
USB-C is a 24-pin reversible connector whose specification was published in August 2014. The pin layout is mirrored, which is why the plug works in either orientation without a user-visible difference.
Older USB connectors were designated legacy in 2014, the same year the USB-C specification appeared. The 24-pin plug is the only receptacle the USB4 specification, released in 2019, applies to — it is the first USB protocol standard that works exclusively over USB-C.
Power negotiation uses dedicated configuration channel pins to establish a Power Delivery contract. The contract fixes the voltage and current before the charger raises output above the 5 V default.
All USB Type-C cables except the minimal USB 2.0 plus 3 A combination must contain an E-Marker chip.
The E-Marker is an identity chip inside the cable jacket. It tells the charger what current the cable can safely carry, so the charger will not push more amps than the wire handles.
Cables that skip the E-Marker are limited to the minimal USB 2.0 data rate and 3 A of current. Any cable that claims USB 3.x data, more than 3 A, or power above 100 W must include the chip.
Matching the cable to the charger is the step most often skipped. A 240 W charger paired with a 3 A cable will not deliver 240 W, because the charger reads the cable rating first.
Four dated events frame the connector and the power ceiling.
Each card carries one specification step with its voltage and current.
The list below names the specifications behind each figure on this page.