What Is Type 86? The EU Square Control Panel Format Explained

At 730design, we develop alternate mounting solutions that take SELV control interfaces off the wall and adapt for the mismatches between international mounting standards. Type 86 is one of the clearest examples why.

If you've specified or installed a European lighting control panel - Dynalite, KNX, and similar systems - you've likely come across the term "Type 86." It's a format standard, not a brand, and understanding it explains why these panels often don't fit standard Australian or North American mounting hardware.

Quick answer: Type 86 is a square control panel mounting format, 86×86mm with 60.3mm fixing centres, defined by British Standards BS 4662 and BS 5733. It's the shorthand used across the UK, Asia, and the Middle East for square architectural control interfaces, distinct from Continental Europe's round 60mm DIN 49073 standard.

What Is the Type 86 Control Panel Format?

Type 86 refers to a square control panel format, nominally 86×86mm, with mounting screws spaced on 60.3mm (2-3/8in) fixing centres. The format is set out in BS 4662 (flush-mounting boxes, first published in 1970) and BS 5733 (surface-mounting boxes, first published in 1979), which define the box dimensions and fixing geometry referenced throughout this article. Both standards have been revised since - BS 4662 reissued in 2006, BS 5733 in 2010 - but the core 86×86mm, 60.3mm geometry has stayed consistent across every revision.

Prior to BS 4662's 1970 issue, it is understood that a 3in square accessory box with 2-3/8in fixing screw spacing and 4BA imperial screws was already in common use across British electrical accessory manufacturing, ahead of the construction industry's broader metrication programme running from 1969 to the end of 1972. The metric M3.5 thread now standard across Type 86 hardware came into use as part of that same transition.

It's the shorthand used across much of Asia, the Middle East, and the UK for square architectural control interfaces.

How Does Type 86 Relate to the European DIN Standard?

Continental Europe runs on a closely related but distinct standard: DIN 49073, based on a 60mm round wall box with fixing centres spaced at 60.0mm. Many manufacturers of European-format panels, including Dynalite's EU panel range, are specified to this 60.0mm DIN standard rather than the 60.3mm Type 86 standard directly.

The two standards aren't derived from each other. General safety and construction requirements for these boxes are harmonised across Europe under BS EN 60670-1 (the UK implementation of IEC 60670-1), covering things like materials, earthing, and mechanical strength - but that harmonisation stops short of box face dimensions and fixing centre spacing. Those stay nationally defined: BS 4662 and BS 5733 for the UK format, DIN 49073 for the German one. That's why the two formats ended up this close without being identical - independent national answers to the same underlying problem, sitting under a shared safety standard rather than a shared dimensional one.

In practice, the 0.3mm difference sits comfortably inside standard fixing tolerances. 730design hardware is manufactured to the 60.3mm Type 86 standard and works reliably with panels specified to either 60.0mm or 60.3mm fixing centres - the two standards are close enough that a single piece of mounting hardware accommodates both.

Why European Control Panels Don't Fit Local Wall Boxes

Australian and North American electrical infrastructure use entirely different wall box and fixing conventions. Australian single-gang fixing centres sit around 84mm; North American single-gang boxes use roughly 83.3mm spacing. Neither aligns with the ~60mm European standard, and Type 86 back boxes aren't standard local trade stock in either market.

The result: a well-designed European panel with excellent functionality, but no straightforward way to mount it cleanly into a local wall.

What to look for

If you're specifying or installing a Type 86 or DIN 60mm panel, the two things that matter for mounting compatibility are the panel's face dimensions (typically 80-90mm square) and its fixing centre spacing (60.0mm or 60.3mm). Mounting hardware built to the 60.3mm Type 86 standard, with adequate fixing tolerance, will generally suit both.

How 730design addresses it

Our three product ranges cover Type 86 and DIN-spec panels across every common mounting context:

• ControlFix mounts a panel into a standard round wall cutout, no back box required
• ControlBase brings a panel to a desk or worktop as a weighted desktop mount
• ControlSurface mounts a panel directly onto joinery, stone, or timber

Each range includes both named, panel-specific variants matched to exact published specifications for brands like Dynalite, Pathway, Pharos, and ETC, and dimensional variants sized to the general format, for panels without a named-brand match.

Browse the full Type 86 / EU Square collection across all three ranges.

Brand and model names are used for compatibility identification only. See our FAQ for full compatibility and affiliation details.

Working with a panel not covered by a named variant? Get in touch at studio@730design.au - our dimensional range covers the general format, and custom configurations are available for specific requirements.