Trailing socket for a workshop bench or a dry shed
Updated: 23 October 2026
A trailing socket for a workshop is the bar you add when the flex is already the right length and the bench is not. You might screw a double above a vice in a dry garage, or choose an orange four-gang so it does not vanish on the floor. The bodies in our [extension lead without cable comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/extension-lead-without-cable) are 13 A Masterplug bars with no plug and no flex, from about £3.84 to £12.49 before cable. Peter F. used amazon.co.uk listings and public UK safety notes. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A trailing socket for a workshop is the bar you add when the flex is already the right length and the bench is not.
A trailing socket for a workshop is the bar you add when the flex is already the right length and the bench is not. You might screw a double above a vice in a dry garage, or choose an orange four-gang so it does not vanish on the floor. The bodies in our extension lead without cable comparison are 13 A Masterplug bars with no plug and no flex, from about £3.84 to £12.49 before cable. Peter F. used amazon.co.uk listings and public UK safety notes. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Outlets | Wall fixing | Colour | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Masterplug Masterplug ELS13W-01 | 1, unswitched | Not stated | White | 9.8 | about £4.38 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Masterplug Masterplug ELS134O-01 | 4, neon | Stated | Orange | 9.6 | about £8.27 | View offer |
| Best value |  Masterplug Masterplug TN-MP | 2, neon | Not stated | White | 9.6 | about £3.84 | View offer |
On this page
Bench, floor or wall
Fixing holes are stated on some rows and missing on others. The black ELS132B-01, about £5.34, and the white ELS132W-01, about £5.09, are unswitched doubles with wall fixing in the bullets. The orange ELS134O-01, about £8.27, and the master-switch SWFG4W-MP, about £12.49, state holes too. The TN-MP, the ELS13W-01, the SWG4-MP and the SWG6-MP do not. Use only stated holes. Drilling a case that was not made to be fixed can meet a live part.
A bar on the floor meets boots and trolley wheels. Screw an ELS132 to a batten so the outlets sit at hand height. The orange four-gang suits a corner you want off the concrete. If the holes miss the timber, move the timber. Do not open the moulding to force a screw.
Visibility and gang count
Orange on the ELS134O-01 is there to be seen. It has a neon and four unswitched outlets, not a weather rating. Four gangs are still one 13 A lead. A double covers a tool and a lamp. The ELS13W-01, about £4.38, is the single-outlet end.
An unswitched double is the simpler bench body when you isolate at the wall. Individual rockers help if one outlet must be off and another on, though UK reviews include rockers that failed to open. The SWFG4W-MP drops all four from one switch and can be screwed up. That is handy when you leave, and awkward if a router must stay on. Count the heavy tool first.
Load and abuse
A 2 kW fan heater already takes a large share of a 13 A lead, and a kettle on the next gang goes past the fuse. Daisy-chaining another lead hides that sum. If a saw is near the full rating, give it this flex and put the heater on another wall socket. If a screw strips, stop using that body. Tape is not a grip.
The Health and Safety Executive treats leads as equipment that gets damaged, and workplaces inspect them on an interval that fits the site. Still check the sheath after the lead has been on the floor. A nick is a stop. Fitting the cores is on the how to wire a trailing socket page. If you employ anyone, follow that HSE duty.
Sheds, damp and outdoor claims
A retailer page for the black ELS132B calls it IP20 and indoor: finger-safe in a dry room, not rain. The ELS134O-01 mentions indoor and outdoor use and prints no IP code in this capture. Do not treat orange as waterproof. Keep these bars in the house, a dry garage, or a dry shed.
Indoors, use 1.25 mm² or 1.5 mm² three-core once you pass 2 metres. A wet garden needs a lead with a stated water rating, which these bodies do not show. Site wording on a 230 V bar does not make it a 110 V supply. For a dry bench, use the best trailing socket without a cable page, or the buying guide if the room is still undecided.
Common questions
Is an orange trailing socket safe in a damp shed?
The ELS134O-01 is easier to see. It is not waterproof. This capture of the listing has no IP code, so keep it in the dry. An IP20 description on the black double means indoor and finger-safe, which still rules out rain. If the shed wets the bench, unplug the bar and use a lead that states a water rating.
Can I screw the block to the bench?
Yes, through the fixing holes, on the ELS132 doubles, the orange ELS134O-01 and the SWFG4W-MP. Screw into a batten so the flex leaves without a sharp bend. Do not drill the TN-MP, the ELS13W-01 or the individual-switch bars, because fixing is not stated. A new hole can meet a live part. If the holes miss the timber, move the timber.
How many outlets do I need for power tools?
Two covers a tool and a lamp. Four covers that pair plus chargers, still inside one 13 A total, which is the orange four-gang case. Six is for many small plugs, not six saws. The single ELS13W-01 fits one appliance on a spare flex. Add up the heaviest tool before you fill the other gangs.
Should I use switched sockets in a workshop?
Choose individual switches only when one outlet must be off and another on, and treat a rocker that stays live as a failed bar. Choose the SWFG4W-MP when one switch should drop all four and you want fixing holes. Choose an unswitched double when the wall socket is your off switch. A damaged lead still has to come out of the wall.
Can I run a long flex from the house into the workshop?
Yes, indoors, with 1.25 mm² or 1.5 mm² three-core past 2 metres and a 13 A fuse in the plug. BEAMA does not give a maximum length in the checklist used here. Do not leave the flex coiled under load, and do not plug a second lead into the first. A wet outdoor route needs a different product.
Is this all right on a construction site?
No. A 230 V domestic bar is not a 110 V site supply, and trade wording does not add a transformer. These bodies also lack a water IP code we can quote. Use the leads the site specifies. In a dry home garage the same bar is a bench outlet you can unplug, which is a different job.
Do I need PAT testing in a home workshop?
Formal PAT is not automatic in a hobby shed, but you should still check the plug, sheath and cover. Workplaces, under Health and Safety Executive guidance, inspect portable leads on an interval that matches the wear. If you employ people, follow that duty. A nick or a loose cover is a fail either way.
Related pages
Sources
Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were scored on 20 October 2026. This page did not run a lab test.
- Electrical Safety First — Extension leads (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Electrical Safety First — Plugs and fuses (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- BEAMA — Extension lead safety checklist (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Heathfield LED — Masterplug Permaplug ELS132B (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- amazon.co.uk — trailing socket listings (retrieved 20.10.2026)