Electrical fittings are a category where Indian buyers consistently overspend on brand premium and underspend on actual quality. This guide walks through what matters when you're picking switches, MCBs, sockets and your distribution board (DB).
TL;DR — recommended picks
| Need | Budget pick | Mid-range pick | Premium pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modular switches | Anchor Roma Classic | Anchor Roma Urban | Legrand Myrius / Schneider |
| MCBs | Anchor / Havells | Schneider Acti9 | Legrand DX³ |
| House wires | Polycab Maxima | Polycab FRLS HR | Finolex / Havells SilverSpark |
| DB (Distribution Board) | Anchor / Havells | Schneider Easy9 | Legrand Ekinox |
| Sockets (3-pin/6A/16A) | Anchor Roma Classic | Anchor Roma Urban | Legrand |
Modular switches: how to choose
Walking through the switch market is overwhelming. Here's how we break it down for our regular contractors:
Anchor Roma Classic — the workhorse. White-only, rocker-style 6A and 16A switches. Mechanical feel is solid. Costs ₹40-60 per switch. Used in 80% of Chennai residential builds. This is the default choice unless you have a specific reason to go up.
Anchor Roma Urban / Polycab Tarang — silvery finish, slightly nicer feel, costs 50–80% more than Classic. Worth it for the master bedroom or living room. Not worth it for the kid's room or utility area.
Legrand Myrius / Schneider AvatarOn — premium European designs with touch versions, indicator LEDs, soft-touch finish. ₹150-300 per switch. Use these for the showroom corners.
MCBs: don't cheap out here
Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs) are what stop your house from burning down when an appliance fails. This is not where to save ₹500.
Sizing rule (per circuit):
- 6A: lights (one circuit per 8-10 lights)
- 16A: 5-pin sockets, fans (one per 5-6 sockets)
- 20A: AC units (1.5T = 16A, 2T = 20A, 3T = 32A)
- 25A: geyser, microwave (high-load fixed appliances)
- 32A: cooktop, oven, larger AC
Type C is what you want for residential — handles inrush currents from motors (AC compressors, pumps, fridges). Type B is for pure resistive loads, Type D is industrial.
RCCB (Residual Current Circuit Breaker): mandatory by national electrical code for new builds. 30mA sensitivity, 40A current rating for most homes. Saves lives when there's a leak to earth — for example, when someone touches a faulty geyser body.
Recommended brands:
- Budget: Anchor (the MCB SP/DP/FP range)
- Mid: Schneider Acti9 series, Havells DSP
- Premium: Legrand DX³
House wires — copper, FR, FRLS — what to buy
Two decisions: wire size and insulation type.
Wire sizes (sq.mm):
- 0.75: indicator/bell wires only
- 1.0: light circuits
- 1.5: light circuits + 5A sockets
- 2.5: 16A sockets, AC indoor, ceiling fan
- 4.0: AC outdoor, geyser, cooker
- 6.0: main incoming to DB
- 10/16: from meter to DB (sizing depends on sanctioned load)
Insulation type:
- FR (Flame Retardant): minimum quality you should buy in 2026. Most utility room and concealed wiring.
- FRLS (Flame Retardant Low Smoke): emits less toxic smoke when burning. Use for bedrooms, living rooms — places where smoke kills.
- FR-LSH (Flame Retardant Low Smoke Halogen-free): premium, for high-rise apartments and commercial.
Brands:
- Polycab Maxima / Maxima Plus — best value. Maxima Plus is the FR-LSH variant.
- Finolex — equally good, slightly pricier.
- Havells SilverSpark — premium, used in high-end builds.
Pro tip: a 90m coil of Polycab 2.5mm FR-LF runs ₹1,300–₹1,500. Don't be tempted by ₹900 unbranded "copper" — most of it is copper-clad aluminium (CCA) which heats up and is a fire risk.
Distribution board (DB) — how big?
Count your circuits:
- 3-4 way DB: 1BHK
- 6-way DB: 2BHK basic
- 8-way DB: 2BHK with AC and geyser
- 12-way DB: 3BHK with multiple ACs
- 16+ way DB: 4BHK, duplex
Always size up — leave 30% spare ways for future additions (EV charger, water heater, additional AC).
Three-phase or single-phase? If your sanctioned load is below 7 kW, single-phase is fine. For 7 kW+ go three-phase — your electrician will know based on the appliance load list.
Brands: Anchor Ellgee, Schneider Easy9, Havells Distri are all reliable. We stock Ellgee 8-way DB boxes → for the most common 2BHK/3BHK use case.
Conduits — concealed wiring's hidden hero
For concealed (in-wall) wiring, PVC conduit pipes carry the wires safely:
- 3/4" conduit: 2-3 wires of 1.5mm
- 1" conduit: 4-6 wires of 1.5mm, or 2-3 of 2.5mm
- 1.25" conduit: heavier circuits
Brands: Orbit, Mount Plast both have full ranges of conduits, bends, junction boxes. Avoid generic unbranded — they crack during chase-cutting. Browse electrical conduits →
Cost ballpark for a 2BHK electrical (May 2026)
| Item | Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| House wire (1.5mm + 2.5mm coils) | 4-5 coils | ₹6,000 |
| Modular switches + plates (Anchor Roma Classic) | ~25 switch points | ₹4,500 |
| 5/16A sockets (Anchor Roma Classic) | ~15 sockets | ₹2,000 |
| 8-way DB + MCBs + RCCB | 1 set | ₹3,500 |
| Conduits + junction boxes + gang boxes | assorted | ₹3,000 |
| Earthing materials | full set | ₹2,500 |
| Subtotal (materials only) | ₹21,500 |
Plus light fixtures, fans, geyser etc. Labour for a full 2BHK rewire runs ₹35,000–₹50,000.
Common mistakes
- Buying cheap, unbranded wire. The single biggest electrical fire risk.
- Skipping the RCCB. Mandatory by code and saves lives. ~₹1,200 for the unit.
- Mixing single-phase and three-phase loads on wrong circuits. Have your electrician sign off the loading.
- Concealing wires without conduits. Code violation, no future serviceability.
- Buying decorative switch plates without matching the brand's plate base. The plates don't fit cross-brand.
Bottom line
For a typical Chennai 2BHK: Anchor Roma Classic switches + Anchor MCBs + Polycab Maxima FR wires + Ellgee 8-way DB gets you a solid, code-compliant electrical install for ₹20,000–₹25,000 in materials.
Go up to Schneider Acti9 + Polycab FRLS HR + Legrand switches if it's a premium build — adds about ₹15,000–₹20,000 but you'll never have to think about it again.
Browse all electrical products → — all in stock at Suppliable Sholinganallur, delivered to your Chennai site in 60 minutes.
Electrical materials team at Suppliable. WhatsApp us with your electrician's BOM and we'll quote within an hour.