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C14 to C13 or UK sockets on a UPS

Updated: October 2026

The PC already has a kettle lead. The router is a plug-top. The monitor might be either, depending on which one you bought. Choosing C14 to C13 or UK sockets is that fork: lengthen the kettle leads you already have, or fit a 4-gang so the British plugs have somewhere to go. Both still stop at about 10 A, and neither is a surge PDU. The [UPS extension lead comparison](/hub/sockets-and-extension-leads/ups-extension-lead) lists all seven amazon.co.uk products we kept on 16 October 2026. Products Compared did not lab-test them. A qualifying purchase through our amazon.co.uk links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The PC already has a kettle lead. The router is a plug-top. The monitor might be either, depending on which one you bought.

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When the kettle-lead extension is the whole job

A C14-to-C13 extension is a longer kettle lead. The male C14 goes into the UPS. The female C13 takes the C14 plug from the PC or the monitor. In this set that product is the KC CABLE KC-13C14-2M: 2 m, £8.99, 4.8 from 17 amazon.co.uk reviews, with a claimed 10 A and 1.0 mm² three-core cable. The listing prints 3,750 W beside 10 A. If the only shortfall is reach, this £8.99 lead is the one that fixes it. It does not fix the router.

When a UK plug forces the 4-gang

A 4-gang in this set is C14 male to four BS 1363 sockets and no C13 outlet. You need this shape if a router, switch, or plug-top has a 3-pin plug. You do not need it for a PC that already has a kettle lead. The C14 to UK socket extension page stays inside the 4-gang once you know you need it. Four sockets still sit on one 10 A C14. If the UPS has two free C13 outlets, you can use one lead on each. That is not a licence to chain them.

Two C13 leads from one outlet

The Flomiara lead is the third shape: one C14 plug, two C13 sockets, 100 cm, £10.59. Both outputs still share the 10 A claim, and the conductor line is 3 × 0.75 mm². The plug attribute says Type G, which conflicts with a C14 title. There is one amazon.co.uk review. Use it only when both devices already have kettle leads and their combined draw sits inside 10 A. Do not use it to invent a UK socket.

The recommendation with a condition

Choose the KC CABLE lead when every device on that outlet already has a kettle lead and the only problem is reach. Choose a 4-gang when at least one plug is BS 1363. PEL01206 at £5.19 is the best-value 2 m block if you check the 5 A line. The Computer Spares lead at £11.49 is the top pick when you want the large review sample at 1 m. Choose the Flomiara splitter only to share one outlet between two C13 devices, still inside 10 A. Do not buy the 4-gang when you have no UK plugs. Do not buy the C13 lead when the router is a plug-top.

Common questions

My PC has a kettle lead. Do I need the 4-gang?
Not for the PC. A C14-to-C13 lead, the KC CABLE 2 m in this set, extends that kettle lead into a UPS C13 outlet. Buy a 4-gang as well only if something else, such as a router plug-top, also has to sit on the UPS. The PC does not become a UK-plug device because the router is one.
My router is a plug-top. Will the KC CABLE lead fit it?
No. The KC CABLE lead ends in a C13 socket. A BS 1363 plug does not fit a C13. You need one of the five 4-gangs, which end in UK sockets and start with a C14 into the UPS. The router supply stays as it is. You do not cut the plug off to suit the C13 lead.
Can one Y-splitter feed a PC and a monitor?
The Flomiara lead is built for that: one C14 into the UPS, two C13 sockets for two kettle leads, 100 cm, £10.59. Both devices share the 10 A claim, and the cable is listed as 0.75 mm². One review says it did the job. That is the whole captured sample, so treat it as a convenience when you are short of outlets, not as a tested high-load splitter.
Do both shapes share the same 10 A limit?
Yes. The C14 inlet is the 10 A coupler on the KC CABLE lead, on the Flomiara splitter, and on every 4-gang in this set. UK sockets on the 4-gang do not raise it. Two C13 sockets on the splitter do not split it into two separate 10 A budgets. A lower figure on the UPS manual, or the 5 A line on the 2 m PRO ELEC listing, replaces 10 A if it is lower.
Why does the C13 lead list 3,750 W?
The KC CABLE wattage field says 3,750 W while the same page says 10 A at 250 V. Those figures do not match, because 10 A at 250 V is 2,500 W. Use the current figure. Do not prefer this lead over a 4-gang because 3,750 looks larger than the 2,400 W printed on the Computer Spares block.
Can I use both a C13 extension and a 4-gang on different UPS outlets?
Yes, if the UPS has two C13 outlets and each lead has its own. Put kettle-lead equipment on the C13 extension and UK plugs on the 4-gang. Keep each side inside the outlet's limit. Do not plug one lead into the other. Schneider's warning about extension cords on certain APC UPS outputs still applies to each side.
Which page tells me the plug-in order?
The how-to page does. The C14 goes into the UPS, then the device lead or the UK plugs, with the output switched as the UPS manual says. This page only chooses the shape. It does not repeat the steps for heat, dead sockets, or when to call an electrician.

Related pages

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk lines from 16 October 2026.

  1. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. Electrical Safety First — extension leads (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Electrical Safety First — overloading sockets (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. HSE INDG236 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Schneider Electric UK FA158852 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. Bulgin IEC connector ratings (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Kenable 2 m C14 to 4-gang (retrieved 16 October 2026)