How to fit a Gira socket without guessing at the box
Updated: 23 October 2026
You are about to replace one Gira socket on a wall that already uses Schuko and System 55. This is not a wiring course. The job is in scope only when the circuit, the plug system, and the back box are already the same kind of installation. If any of those is a guess, stop before a conductor moves. Product choice sits on the [Gira socket comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/gira-socket). We summarised public UK guidance and the listing fields captured on 20 October 2026. We did not watch an installation. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You are about to replace one Gira socket on a wall that already uses Schuko and System 55. This is not a wiring course.
You are about to replace one Gira socket on a wall that already uses Schuko and System 55. This is not a wiring course. The job is in scope only when the circuit, the plug system, and the back box are already the same kind of installation. If any of those is a guess, stop before a conductor moves. Product choice sits on the Gira socket comparison. We summarised public UK guidance and the listing fields captured on 20 October 2026. We did not watch an installation. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Depth | Conductors | What the listing is | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Gira Gira 445303 (glossy, shutter) | 32 mm | 1.5–2.5 mm² | Schuko, shutter stated | 9.0 | about £14.00 | View offer |
| Best value |  Gira Gira 044027 insert | n/a | n/a | Insert only, no frame | 6.4 | about £6.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Gira Gira 418827 (matt white) | n/a | n/a | Matt insert, depth not stated | 8.2 | about £12.94 | View offer |
On this page
Before you touch a conductor
Like-for-like means the new insert replaces the same sort of outlet on the same circuit, outside a bath or shower location, without adding points or changing the plug system. In England and Wales, Approved Document P (2013) treats many of those replacements as non-notifiable. The work still has to comply with BS 7671 and it still has to be tested. Scotland has its own domestic technical handbook, section 4.5. If you cannot isolate the circuit and prove it is dead with a voltage tester, stop. Replacing a UK 13 A socket with a row from this set is not like-for-like. Plug shape is the Gira Schuko vs BS 1363 fork.
Claws, screws, and the box in the wall
Many Schuko System 55 inserts grip a round device box with claws. Gira’s BS 1363 articles, such as the 2776 family, use screw fixing for a British box. A square UK flush box to BS 4662 is typically 86 mm on the face, with fixing centres around 60.3 mm. If the old unit has spreading claws and a round rim, a System 55 insert may be the right class, provided the plug stays Schuko. If it is a rectangular faceplate on two screws, none of the six listings is the replacement. The Gira System 55 socket page explains why an insert-only order can arrive without a surround.
Depth and conductor size, only where they are printed
Use the numbers the listing actually prints. Only Gira 445303 states 32 mm installation depth and conductors from 1.5 mm² to 2.5 mm². Do not copy 32 mm onto 418827, 418828, 044027, 018828, or 418327 because they share a brand. If the listing is silent, get that order number’s datasheet or stop. Depth is the room behind the insert, not the plastic you can see. If the conductors are outside the printed range, do not trim strands until the terminal closes. Do not push a pin or a screwdriver into a shutter to see if the outlet is live.
Notification, bathrooms, and where the rules change
In England and Wales, a like-for-like socket replacement outside a special location is often not notified under Approved Document P. Adding a point, or working in a bath or shower room, can move the job into work you should not start. A kitchen does not make an uncertain circuit safe. Scotland’s handbook is a separate document. Do not treat an English answer as a Scottish or Northern Irish one. Bathroom and shower locations are outside this guide even when the old plate says Gira. A landing socket and a socket beside a bath are not the same replacement.
When an electrician should take over
Hand the job over when the box is square and British and the new part is a claw-fixed Schuko insert, or when you would change a BS 1363 outlet into Schuko so one European lead can plug in. Also stop if the consumer unit is unlabelled, the circuit will not prove dead, or there are more conductors than terminals. Bath or shower locations, heat damage, and cable you cannot identify are the same stop. 418327’s title says satin Schuko with a shutter, and the capture also says 15 kg and electronic controller. The Gira socket buying guide puts plug system before colour.
Common questions
Can I replace one socket myself in England?
You can consider it when the replacement is like for like, outside a bath or shower location, on a circuit you can isolate and prove dead. Approved Document P (2013) often treats that replacement as non-notifiable in England and Wales.
Do I need to notify building control?
Often not, for a straight replacement of a similar socket outside special locations in England and Wales. Notification can apply when you add points or work in a bathroom or shower location. Scotland uses its own domestic technical handbook, so an English answer is not a Scottish one.
Does a Gira Schuko insert screw into a UK back box?
Do not plan on it. Schuko inserts in this range commonly use claws in a round device box. Gira’s BS 1363 articles are the screw-fixed 13 A parts, and they are not the six amazon listings in our set. A BS 4662 flush box is a square British box.
What installation depth does the listing show?
Only Gira 445303 prints one in this capture: 32 mm. The matt, charcoal, anthracite, insert-only, and satin rows do not state a depth. Do not reuse 32 mm for those order numbers. Depth has to clear the box you already have.
Which conductor sizes are allowed?
445303 prints 1.5 mm² to 2.5 mm². No other row in the set prints a conductor range on the capture we used. Stay inside the range printed for the exact order number in your hand. Do not reduce strands to fake a fit.
When must I use an electrician?
Use one for bathrooms and shower locations, for any change from BS 1363 to Schuko, for boxes that do not match the fixing, and whenever you cannot isolate and prove the circuit dead. Heat damage, extra conductors, or a listing that does not match the part are the same kind of stop.
Related pages
Sources
Sources taken from the research digest. Listings were scored on 20 October 2026. This page did not run a lab test.
- Gira — System 55 overview (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Gira — System 55 and Standard 55 FAQ (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- Gira catalogue — BS 1363-2 13 A (2776 family) (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- GOV.UK — Approved Document P 2013 (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- IET Wiring Matters — Socket outlet protectors (May 2020) (retrieved 20.10.2026)
- VDE — Children and electricity (retrieved 20.10.2026)