# ANSI/IEEE protective earth symbol

Canonical URL: https://eloragrid.ai/symbols/ansi-protective-earth
Publisher: Elora Grid
Updated: 2026-10-14
Lookup label: PE
Drawing use: SLD, Schematic
Reference families: IEEE / ANSI, Manufacturer

## Symbol convention

Convention: IEEE / ANSI
Form: Autodesk IEEE-oriented Miscellaneous functional form
Autodesk explicitly publishes this block under IEEE Symbol Preview. The counterpart is the matching functional concept; no equivalence of every detailed standard graphic is asserted.
Related representation: [Protective earth](https://eloragrid.ai/symbols/protective-earth)

IEEE-oriented graphical reference for protective earth, with public vendor evidence and drawing-reading notes.

## What it represents

The protective-earth form identifies a connection serving the documented protective conductor arrangement. Its role must be read with the device terminal designation and the installation's bonding paths, rather than treating all ground-like marks as one signal common.
This is a convention-specific lookup based on the publisher's IEEE-labelled preview. The geometry here is independently drawn to explain the connection or operation; it is not a certified reproduction of the standard graphic.

## How to read it

- Trace the connection to the assembly's protective-earth network.
- Read the selected library and the project legend together. A vendor block identifier is meaningful within its named library and is not a universal standard-symbol code.

## Information to show or reference

- Identify PE terminal/conductor
- Show bonding path
- Reference installation earthing detail

## Important distinction

Protective earth differs in purpose from functional earth and from an arbitrary signal reference.

## Facts

- Convention evidence: Autodesk IEEE Symbol Preview — Miscellaneous
- Public vendor block name: HGND4 (Autodesk identifier; not an IEEE symbol number)
- Standards context: IEEE/ANSI 315-1975 covers diagram graphics. IEEE lists this edition as Inactive-Reserved.
- Artwork scope: Original functional illustration; exact standard glyph and compliance are not certified

## Public references

- [Autodesk IEEE Symbol Preview — Miscellaneous](https://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2021/ENU/AutoCAD-Electrical/files/GUID-34282BFD-7B8E-48F3-A6ED-93ADBDDDFBD3.htm) — Autodesk. Exact public IEEE-oriented category page verifying the component name and vendor block identifier.
- [IEEE/ANSI 315-1975: graphic symbols for electrical and electronics diagrams](https://standards.ieee.org/ieee/315/515/) — IEEE Standards Association. Graphic-symbol standards context and official status; not a source of reproduced artwork.

## Graphic scope

Independent original educational concept illustration by Elora Grid. Not a certified standards graphic or manufacturer footprint. Unitless; not to scale. Original artwork licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Publisher material is linked only.