USB-C
One plug, many standards. The shape tells you nothing about speed, video or watts.
Drawn by CableBin to scale from nominal dimensions. Gold = contacts.
Facts
- Size
- 8.4 × 2.6 mm
- Contacts
- 24 (12 per side)
- Reversible
- Yes
- Introduced
- 2014
- Also called
- USB Type-C
USB-C is a connector, not a speed. The same oval plug can carry USB 2.0 at 480 Mbps or Thunderbolt 5 at 80 Gbps, 15 W or 240 W, with or without video. What a USB-C cable can do depends on what's wired inside it and on the e-marker chip in its plug, if it has one.
Inside are 24 contacts: four high-speed differential pairs (used for USB 3, USB4, Thunderbolt or DisplayPort), the original USB 2.0 pair, power (VBUS) and ground, and two configuration pins (CC) that the devices use to agree on orientation, power and modes. It's reversible because both rows are mirrored.
Four USB-C cables that look the same
| Cable type | What it does |
|---|---|
| USB 2.0 charging cable | USB 2.0 pair + power only. Up to 60 W (or 100 W if e-marked). No video, 480 Mbps. |
| Full-featured USB 3 cable | All pairs wired. 5–20 Gbps, video via Alt Mode, 60 or 100 W. |
| USB4 / Thunderbolt cable | 40–80 Gbps, video, 100 W (Thunderbolt 4) or 240 W (many USB4/TB5). |
| 240 W EPR charging cable | Up to 240 W; data may be only USB 2.0. Check the speed separately. |
Standards that use it
USB 2.0
The baseline every USB port still speaks. Fine for keyboards, mice and charging; slow for files.
- data: 480 Mbps
- video: No
- power: 2.5 W (port); more via USB-C/PD
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps)
The original USB 3.0, renamed twice. Ten times USB 2.0, enough for hard drives and most flash drives.
- data: 5 Gbps
- video: No (only via USB-C Alt Mode)
- power: 4.5 W (port)
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
Double the speed and much better coding. The sweet spot for portable SSDs.
- data: 10 Gbps
- video: No (only via USB-C Alt Mode)
- power: 4.5 W (port)
USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps)
Two 10 Gbps lanes at once over USB-C. Fast, but host support is patchy.
- data: 20 Gbps
- video: No (only via USB-C Alt Mode)
- power: 4.5 W (port)
USB4 (20 and 40 Gbps)
Thunderbolt 3's protocol, opened up as a USB standard. Tunnels USB, DisplayPort and PCIe over one cable.
- data: 20 or 40 Gbps
- video: DisplayPort tunnelled
- power: USB PD required
USB4 Version 2.0 (80 Gbps)
80 Gbps both ways, or 120 Gbps one way for displays, over the same USB-C plug.
- data: 80 Gbps (120 asymmetric)
- video: DisplayPort 2.1 tunnelled
- power: up to 240 W with EPR
Thunderbolt 3
The first Thunderbolt on USB-C. 40 Gbps, but with optional minimums that make ports differ.
- data: 40 Gbps (PCIe 16–32 Gbps)
- video: two 4K 60 Hz
- power: up to 100 W (USB PD)
Thunderbolt 4
The same 40 Gbps as Thunderbolt 3, with the minimums raised so every port behaves the same.
- data: 40 Gbps (PCIe 32 Gbps)
- video: two 4K 60 Hz or one 8K
- power: up to 100 W (USB PD)
Thunderbolt 5
80 Gbps both ways, 120 Gbps towards displays. Intel's certified USB4 Version 2.0.
- data: 80 Gbps (120 boost)
- video: multiple 4K 144 Hz / 8K
- power: up to 240 W
USB Power Delivery (60 W, 100 W, 240 W)
The charger and device agree a voltage; the cable decides whether 3 A or 5 A is safe.
- power: 60 W / 100 W / 240 W
DisplayPort over USB-C (Alt Mode)
How most USB-C ports send video. The USB-C pairs are handed over to DisplayPort.
- data: USB 2.0 or USB 3 alongside
- video: DP 1.4 (or 2.1) over USB-C
- power: USB PD at the same time