# Which medical gas outlet standard does each country use?

**Which medical gas outlet standard is used in which country, such as DIN, BS, AFNOR or US types?**

No single outlet type is used worldwide. ISO 9170-1 makes outlets gas-specific but does not fix probe dimensions, so national systems remain: BS 5682 in the UK, NF S90-116 in France and DIN 13260-2 in Germany. WHO also lists Japanese, Australian and American styles, plus DISS, Ohmeda, Puritan and Chemetron connectors.

ISO 9170-1:2017 is the international standard for medical gas terminal units (outlets). It covers gas-specific assembly, flow, leakage and pressure drop, and it is meant to stop a probe for one gas or vacuum service being used on another. It does not specify the dimensions of probes, so each national standard fixes its own probe geometry. WHO describes each style as a key-like indexing system in which the fittings of each gas connect only with their own type.

## Outlet styles and the documents that define them

| Connector style | Defining document | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| British (BS) | BS 5682:2015 | HTM 02-01 (2026), the NHS England guidance, says all terminal units should conform to BS 5682 and BS EN ISO 9170-1. |
| French (AFNOR) | NF S90-116 (October 2020) | AFNOR lists it as current. It covers sockets and probes for medical fluids and requires the socket to conform to NF EN ISO 9170-1. |
| German (DIN) | DIN 13260-2 (June 2025 edition) | DIN Media lists it as current. It sets the dimensions and allocation of probes and gas-specific connection points for terminal units. |
| Japanese (JIS) | JIS style | Listed by WHO as the Japanese style. |
| Australian (AS) | AS 2896 | Listed by WHO as the Australian style. |
| American and other styles | AGA; DISS, Ohmeda, Puritan, Chemetron (NCG) | Listed by WHO; DISS is the Diameter Index Safety System. |

## Other countries

For a country not listed above, check the national specification or the tender documents before choosing outlets and equipment. Portugal is an example: the ACSS technical specification ET 03/2006 (revised 2024) asks for double-closure outlets that cannot be interchanged between gases, but its outlet clause does not name a probe style.

## Why the style matters when buying equipment

Because probe dimensions differ between styles, anaesthetic machines, ventilators, flowmeters and suction regulators have to be ordered with probes that match the outlets already installed. ISO 7396-1 requires non-interchangeability between the components of different gas and vacuum systems, and the 2025 edition of DIN 13260-2 goes further by giving oxygen 93 its own gas-specific probe.

### Does ISO 9170-1 set one outlet type for all countries?

No. It sets requirements for gas-specificity, flow, leakage and pressure drop, but it does not specify probe dimensions, so national styles such as BS, DIN and AFNOR remain.

### Can equipment with DIN probes be used on BS outlets?

Not without matching probes: DIN 13260-2 and BS 5682 each define their own probe dimensions, which ISO 9170-1 leaves open, so equipment should be ordered with probes of the style installed.

### Is there a separate probe for oxygen 93?

In Germany, yes: the 2025 edition of DIN 13260-2 added a gas-specific probe and connection point for oxygen 93, with the reasons given in an informative annex.

## Sources

- [ISO 9170-1:2017 Terminal units for medical gas pipeline systems, Part 1 (iso.org summary)](https://www.iso.org/standard/67451.html)
- [NHS England, HTM 02-01 Medical gas pipeline systems, Part A (2026), para 3.9 and References](https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/health-technical-memorandum-02-01-medical-gas-pipeline-systems-part-a-design-installation-validation-verification-aug-2026.pdf)
- [AFNOR, NF S90-116 (October 2020) Sockets and related probes for medical fluids, catalogue page](https://www.boutique.afnor.org/en-gb/standard/nf-s90116/medical-gas-pipeline-distribution-systems-sockets-and-related-probes-for-me/fa191757/260496)
- [DIN Media, DIN 13260-2:2025-06 Supply systems for medical gases, Part 2, catalogue page](https://www.dinmedia.de/en/standard/din-13260-2/389570410)
- [WHO, Foundations of medical oxygen systems (2023), section 2.9.2 and Fig. 2.29](https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/4ad6f5fd-089e-4142-8439-b64e98d816d8/content)
- [ACSS, ET 03/2006 v.2024 Gases medicinais e aspiração, section 7.4](https://www.acss.min-saude.pt/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ET-03_2006_v2024-Gases-medicinais_VF.pdf)
- [ISO 7396-1:2016 Medical gas pipeline systems, Part 1 (iso.org summary)](https://www.iso.org/standard/60061.html)

Reviewed: 2026-10-22. Ultra Controlo engineering. https://library.ultracontrolo.com/answers/which-countries-use-which-outlet-standard/