Free printable

Printable circuit symbols chart

The circuit symbols cheat sheet: 32 schematic symbols in six groups (wires and power, switches and protection, resistors and sensors, capacitors, coils and diodes, transistors and op-amps, outputs and meters), each with its name and what it does.

A one-page circuit symbols chart for students reading their first schematics. It shows 32 symbols in six groups, each with its name and a few words on what the part does.

Download PDF (A4)Download PDF (US Letter)

One page. Free to print and share for teaching. Print at actual size (100%), not fit to page. A4 suits most of the world; US Letter suits the USA and Canada.

What's on the sheet

Wires and power: a wire, wires joined and crossing, cell, battery and AC supply
Switches and protection: switch, push button, fuse and ground (0 V)
Resistors and sensors: the zigzag and box resistor, variable resistor, potentiometer, light sensor (LDR) and thermistor
Capacitors, coils and diodes: capacitor, electrolytic, inductor, diode, LED and Zener diode
Transistors and op-amps: NPN, PNP, N-channel MOSFET and op-amp, with their pins labelled
Outputs and meters: lamp, motor, speaker, buzzer, voltmeter and ammeter

How to use it in class

Give it out with a simple schematic, like a battery, switch, resistor and LED, and ask students to name every part and then build it. Later, use it for a quick quiz: cover the names with a strip of paper and see how many symbols students can name. The note at the bottom explains the two resistor styles, so students who learnt the box symbol aren't thrown by the zigzag, or the other way round.

Free lesson

Now build it yourself

Each lesson comes in three short parts: see the idea, try it on a live board, then build it yourself, with quick checks as you go.

Try it yourself: free lesson

“What is electricity?” is lesson 1 of 6 in Copper Flats, Electronics World 1. No account needed: start playing now.

The charts online

The ideas behind it

Questions teachers ask

Why are there two resistor symbols?

Two standards are in use. The zigzag comes from the US (ANSI) standard and is what the LearnEE simulator draws; the plain box is the IEC symbol used in UK, European and Australian schools. They mean exactly the same part.

How do you show that two wires are joined?

With a dot where they meet. Two lines that cross with no dot are not connected. To be safe, many people never draw a four-way joint at all: they offset it into two T-joints, each with its dot.

Which way does the arrow on a diode point?

The way conventional current can flow: from the anode, through the triangle, to the bar, which is the cathode. On a real diode the cathode end has a stripe. An LED is the same symbol with two arrows for the light.

Is the chart free for schools?

Yes. Print it, copy it and share it for teaching. Please keep the footer, which links to the free LearnEE lessons.