The Siemens 5UB1408 is the odd one out in the 5UB14xx profil series — it is the only socket in the range with a center protective contact pin, making it a universal CEE 7 receptacle that accepts both German Type F (Schuko) and French Type E plugs. Every other 5UB14xx socket is a pure Type F with side earth clips only.

Why does the center pin matter?

A pure Type F socket (5UB1403, 5UB1404, 5UB1405, 5UB1407) earths through two spring clips on the sides of the receptacle. A French Type E plug has no side earth contacts — it expects a protruding earth pin in the socket. Plug a French device into a pure Type F socket and it will power on, but it will have no earth connection. The 5UB1408 solves this by including both side clips and a center pin, so either plug standard gets a reliable earth path. In international buildings where equipment arrives from both German and French supply chains, universal sockets eliminate the risk of ungrounded devices.

How does it compare to the 5UB1315?

Both are DELTA profil CEE 7 universal sockets with 65x65mm plates. The 5UB1315 uses cage clamp terminals and includes increased touch protection. The 5UB1408 uses screwless plug-in terminals and has standard touch protection. Choose the 5UB1315 for safety-sensitive installations that also need maintainable terminations; choose the 5UB1408 for standard commercial projects where dual-standard compatibility is the primary requirement and plug-in speed is valued over re-termination flexibility.