Travel · Canada · 120V / 60Hz
Canada needs no adapter and no converter.
Canada runs 120V at 60Hz on Type A and Type B sockets — the same grid standard as the United States, down to the width of the neutral blade. Nothing you own needs an adapter. What is worth thinking about is cold, cabin battery rules, and how many bricks you are carrying.
The short answer
Canada sits on the North American grid: 120V nominal, 60Hz, NEMA 5-15 sockets taking Type A two-blade and Type B three-pin plugs. A US charger, laptop brick, shaver or hair dryer behaves exactly as it does at home — no adapter, no converter. The countries that share this arrangement are listed in plug types by country.
| Spec | Canada | What it means for a US traveler |
|---|---|---|
| Plug types | A (two flat blades) and B (two blades plus round earth pin) | Identical to US sockets, polarized wide-neutral blade included |
| Voltage | 120V nominal | Even single-voltage 120V-only appliances run normally |
| Frequency | 60Hz | Mains-timed clocks and synchronous motors keep correct speed |
| What fits | Every US two- and three-prong plug, unmodified | Nothing to pack |
The thing that actually goes wrong: cold
Canada's real electrical hazard is temperature, not voltage. Lithium-ion internal resistance climbs as cells cool — a phone reading 40% at room temperature can shut down abruptly at −15°C, then come back once it warms. Nothing is broken; the cell just cannot deliver current at that resistance.
Charging is what does permanent damage. Pushing current into a lithium cell below roughly 0°C plates metallic lithium onto the anode instead of intercalating it, costing capacity for good — which is why cold phones, power banks and laptops refuse to charge or crawl. That refusal is a protection circuit working. Carry the power bank in an inside jacket pocket.
What to actually pack
With no adapter to buy, the only useful upgrade is brick count. One 65W GaN charger replaces the phone cube, the tablet brick and the laptop supply at roughly the size of the phone cube alone.
- 65W
Anker 735 Nano II 65W
Three ports on folding prongs — the phone, the tablet and a MacBook Air off one Canadian socket.
- Output
- 65W total
- Ports
- 2× USB-C, 1× USB-A
- Input
- 100–240V
- 37Wh
Anker 10,000mAh USB-C power bank
Roughly 37Wh — under the 100Wh cabin limit, and what keeps a phone alive on a cold chairlift.
- Capacity
- 10,000mAh ≈ 37Wh
- Output
- USB-C PD
- Baggage
- Carry-on only
- 45W
UGREEN Nexode 45W 2-port
Pocket-sized two-port GaN for a phone-and-tablet trip, with enough headroom to top up an ultrabook.
- Output
- 45W
- Ports
- 2× USB-C
- Prongs
- Folding
Flying with the batteries
The FAA and Transport Canada both follow ICAO limits, so a US–Canada itinerary has one rule set. Spare lithium batteries and power banks travel in the cabin only, never checked. Under 100Wh needs no approval; 100–160Wh needs airline approval, usually capped at two spares; above 160Wh is not carried. Watt-hours = mAh ÷ 1000 × 3.7, so a 10,000mAh bank is about 37Wh and a 27,000mAh bank sits on the 100Wh line. Full detail in airline rules for chargers and batteries.
What genuinely needs a converter
In Canada, nothing. A converter exists to step 230V down to 120V for single-voltage heating elements and motors, and Canada is already at 120V. Combining Canada with a 220V leg? Read travel adapter vs converter first — the answer is still usually a dual-voltage replacement, not a transformer. Same-grid neighbours: Mexico at 127V, Costa Rica at 120V, Colombia at 110V, and the rest on the travel adapter hub.
FAQ
Do I need a plug adapter for Canada?
No. Canada uses the same Type A and B sockets as the US at 120V and 60Hz, so every US plug fits unmodified, grounded and polarized ones included.
Will my hair dryer or curling iron work in Canada?
Yes, and Canada is one of the few destinations where that is true. Those are single-voltage 120V appliances, and Canada's grid is 120V, so they run at full power with no converter.
Why does my phone die at 20% in the cold?
Internal resistance in a lithium cell rises sharply below freezing, so the battery cannot deliver the current the phone asks for and the device shuts down to protect itself. Warm it up and the charge usually reappears.
Can I put a power bank in my checked bag on a flight to Canada?
No. Spare lithium batteries and power banks must travel in the cabin under both FAA and Transport Canada rules.