Utility Poles

Concrete utility poles are wrapped in

• bright black-and-orange (usually more orange than yellow) diagonal bands

that extend all the way to the ground

• In South Korea, where the stripes stop much higher and yellow
• Metallic (sic!) poles (usually lamp) in Taiwan have the same colour pattern but don't extend all the way to the ground

Lamp posts in Thailand often have their lower part painted in

• red/orange-and-black or
• black-and-white

bands

Romanian utility poles are made of concrete. They have medium size holes that run the entire length of the pole. The bottom of the poles is often painted white

Comparison:

• Polish poles have holes that usually do not reach the ground.
• Hungarian poles may have longer and narrower holes

Hungarian utility poles are made of concrete. They have small holes that run the entire length of the pole.

Comparison:

• Polish poles have holes that usually do not reach the ground.
• Romanian poles may have white paint at the bottom or wider holes.

Utility poles in South Korea almost always have

• black-and-yellow diagonal stripes near the bottom
• the stripes don’t extend all the way to the ground
• pointed texture (avoid sticking illegal ads)

Usually

• two red Hangul characters in the center or at the base as identification markers

But in Taiwan, the stripes extend all the way to the ground.

Also, Korea’s stripes are a brighter yellow, whereas Taiwan’s have more of an orange color.

Shape: Cylinder

Material: Concrete

Color: Black-and-white stripes

Polish utility poles are made of concrete.

Holes: They have small holes that do not reach the ground.

Comparison:

• Hungarian poles have holes that usually reach the ground.
• Romanian poles may have white paint at the bottom or wider and longer holes.

A yellow-and-black diagonal reflective sleeve wrapped around a utility pole, attached with metal or plastic bands/wires.

It is installed partway up the pole, does not reach the ground, and may be partially open or fully cylindrical.

A person getting zapped by a lightning bolt.

Color: Yellow background with black borders and text

Phrase: Danger of Death under black triangle

Shape: Cylinder (round)

Material: Concrete

Shape: Cylinder

Material: Wood

Top: Attached horizontal metallic bar with 3 insulators

Unique: A horizontal bar attached to the pole above the wooden post

Small circle attachments on wooden utility poles are typically identification or inspection markers

vs Ireland:

• Rectangle -> Ireland
• Circle -> UK

White stickers with black digits on signspots are common

Electricity pole stickers in Malaysia need to be interpreted together with camera generation and copyright year.

Black sticker + Gen 3 camera → Mainland Malaysia

Black sticker + Gen 4 camera → Anywhere in Malaysia

Copyright 2024 → Mainland Malaysia, Sarawak, or Sabah

Copyright 2025 → Only Sabah

Sabah is unlikely to have 2024 copyright imagery

A black sticker alone is not sufficient to determine the region.

Many concrete utility poles carry small white ID plates with black numbers.

These labels show the pole’s unique code or location reference and are usually fixed at eye level.

In Taiwan, metallic poles are wrapped in

• bright black-and-orange (usually more orange than yellow) diagonal bands

that don't extend all the way to the ground

• In South Korea, where the stripes stop much higher and yellow

Material: Wooden

Insulators: 3 horizontal insulators.

Such pole identification number is

• White sticker
• Pale yellow/white background behind yellow/black digit

__

vs UK

• In the UK you will find white/yellow rectangles with letters and digits

Shape: Two or three cylinders connected

Material: Concrete

In Thailand, some utility poles have orange-and-black diagonal markings.

The stripes don’t reach the ground, which makes them easy to tell apart from similar poles in Taiwan

Most poles are topped with

• a slim tapered metal cap made of galvanized steel or aluminum and narrows toward the tip acts as a basic lightning rod

A yellow-and-black vertical reflective sleeve wrapped around a utility pole, attached with metal or plastic bands/wires.

It is installed partway up the pole, does not reach the ground, and may be partially open or fully cylindrical.

Utility poles with pointed top attachment are popular in France compare to nearby countries

Color: White bottom paint sometimes with Paraguay flag

Some concrete utility poles in Vietnam feature narrow through-holes (perforated poles).

These holes may be located only on the lower half of the pole or run the entire length of the structure

Blue rectangle sticker attachment on wooden utility poles

Nearby countries use white or other colors

Material: Plastic card

Shape: Rectangle

Color: Background - Blue, green, white-orange. Text - white

Text: The line with 1 letter and 4 numbers (F0453) represent coordinates to this particular location. Letter mark a grid block. Numbers give a location within that grid block (east–west and south–north percentages). The second line (if present) can provide greater precision (like within ~10 m) or additional grid refinement.

A trapezoid-shaped bar on top of the utility poles

Shape: Horizontal or vertical small rectangle

Color: White

A unique falcon emblem can be found on utility poles

A grey-and-white

• diagonal or
• vertical

reflective sleeve wrapped around a utility pole, attached with metal or plastic bands/wires.

It is installed partway up the pole, does not reach the ground, and may be partially open or fully cylindrical.

A green-and-white diagonal reflective sleeve wrapped around a utility pole, attached with metal or plastic bands/wires.

It is installed partway up the pole, does not reach the ground, and may be partially open or fully cylindrical.

Two main types of concrete poles are common. One is the square post, which has small pin-holes only on its upper half. The other is the distinctive “holey pole,” with large circular openings cut right through its lower half

Concrete ladder-style. Ladder-style slots run from the bottom of the pole to the middle section

The tops of these concrete utility poles feature small rectangular slots and circular through-holes

Shape: Square rectangle column

Material: Concrete

Holes: A big number of small 'ladder' holes

Appearance: Concrete utility poles with short ladders are common in France.

Similar: You may see similar poles in Spain and Portugal.

Contrast: Portuguese poles have long ladders, unlike the French ones.

Shape: Octagonal

Material: Concrete

Notes: Side holes are used rarely. Most of the time the wires are attached around the pole with metal brackets or bands

Shape: Horizontal bars

Material:Concrete

Chilean concrete utility poles are often square or rectangular. They feature vertical slots on both sides.

Details: Look for small circular holes near the top of the pole.

Brazilian poles have long ladders instead of slots

Thai utility poles are square concrete columns.

Holes: They have a single vertical line of small holes from bottom to top.

Similar: Poles in Cambodia and Laos look similar. In Sri Lanka, holes are only at the top.

The first type is a square concrete pole. It has flat sides with small holes running vertically. These poles usually look more industrial and heavy, and the equipment and wires are often bolted directly onto the flat surfaces.

The second type is a round concrete pole. It has a smooth, cylindrical shape without the flat edges or holes of the square type. These poles look simpler and more uniform, and the insulators and wires are fixed around the rounded surface.

So, in short: square poles look blocky with holes, while round poles are smooth and cylindrical.

New Zealand utility poles are often made of concrete.

Shape: They are typically squarish with a long indent along one side.

Guard: A distinctive silver opossum guard is often visible near the top.

In the Philippines, you can also find square concrete utility poles with insulators attached to them.

Shape: Square rectangle column

Material: Concrete

Holes: Rare and long 'ladder' holes and small round holes on the top

Shape: Octagonal

Material: Concrete

Holes: Small circle holes on the top

Most roadside poles are square concrete columns with a vertical row of small pinholes

In Spain, utility poles are made of concrete. They have short ladders that extend high up the pole.

Other countries also use short ladders, for example, France has similar short ladders.

In Portugal you can find both (Short and Long) but short variant is rare

Concrete utility poles with long ladders are common in Portugal.

This is a key difference from similar poles in France and Spain, which typically have shorter ladders.

Shape: Round

Material: Wood

Climbing Features: Thin metal rods with supports underneath, forming a triangle shape

Shape: Thin cylinder

Material: Metal

Color: Black, white or brown painted at the bottom

Material: Metall

Shape: Trident-style head with horizontal T-bar with three insulators

Shape: Octagonal tall

Material: Metal

Shape: Cylinder (round)

Material: Concrete

Holes: Small circle holes near the top

Some poles are concrete ‘ladder’ poles with indented steps

Many poles have a short vertical metal bar bolted to the side, topped with a single ceramic insulator that carries one high-voltage line

Shape: Round

Material: Concrete

Additional details: You can use the sticker on the pole to region guess

Appearance: These green wooden poles are cylindrical.

They are common in Australia. Similar: New Zealand uses similar poles, but South Africa does not.

Shape: Rectangular ladder-style. Ladder-style slots run from the bottom of the pole to the middle section

Material: Concrete

Roadside utility poles are round concrete columns with spiral grooves.

They often have:

• metal ID white plates
• guy wires
• small reflectors

Lightning black bolt alone inside black triangle

Color: Yellow background with black borders and text

Phrase: WARNING Electricity" or simply "Danger KEEP AWAY"

Additional details: Sometimes with a second rectangular sticker with a black outline below the triangle

Shape: Cylinder

Material: Wood

British utility poles often have vertical white/yellow rectangle attachments. These attachments always show at least one letter and multiple digits.

Contrast: Irish attachments are smaller, white, with digits on a small yellow background.

The pole is concrete square in shape with flat sides, and you can see a series of small pin-holes running vertically along it.

These holes are typical of Sri Lankan poles and are mainly for reducing weight and allowing attachments.

The top is flat, and sometimes these poles also carry streetlights fixed directly onto the side

Shape: Cylinder

Material: Concrete

Holes: Small circle holes near the top

Color: Black-and-yellow or black-and-orange stripes on octagonal poles

Similar markings can be found in Ecuador or Peru but they dont use octagonal poles shape

Shape: Cylinder (round)

Material: Concrete

The first lamp post is a tall white-painted pole with two curved arms that rise upward in a V-shape, each holding a lamp. It usually has many overhead wires attached and looks more modern compared to older designs.

Shape: Round

Material: Concrete

Top: Pointed (!) or flat

Long lamps are often attached to utility poles in Laos, similar to those in Thailand

Small white background horizontal oriented rectangle with black lettering or numbers on wooden utility poles

vs UK:

• Rectangle -> Ireland
• Circle -> UK

Shape: Cylinder

Material: Concrete

Top: A cross-bar with three insulators. The middle insulator is a bit higher. Two diagonal braces supporting the bar

Shape: Horizontal plastic rectangle

Attachment: Attached around the pole under transformers

Color: Yellow

Text: Black digits

Yellow paint with black text

Shape: Round

Color: Pink, green markings or combination of the two colors at the bottom.

Additional details: It can be used for region guessing

Rounded concrete utility poles are sometimes paired

Shape: Vertical rectangle

Color: Yellow

Text: Black text

Color: Black-and-yellow/yellow or any color

Shape: Round

Material: Wood

Climbing Features: Thin metal rods with supports underneath, forming a triangle shape

In the Philippines, you can find utility poles with round concrete poles with three insulators on top. They are very common

Shape: Small rectangle card or paint

Color: Yellow

Text: Black with danger emblem

Octagonal utility poles usually have yellow paint/plastic attachment with black text on it

Danger sign on black background with yellow triangle

In the Philippines, pole markings can be yellow, orange, or blue. Always bright colors

They sometimes look similar to Taiwan’s, but unlike in Taiwan, they don’t reach the ground or are left unfinished

Octagonal metal utility poles with small holes along it

Warning yellow attachment on wooden poles

Shape: A-frame cylinders

Material: Wood

Octagonal metal poles are using along other concrete and wooden pole variants

Concrete utility poles with short ladders can also be found occasionally.

Shape: Cube or rectangle

Material: Concrete

Color: Yellow, yellow-and-black diagonal stripes. Or unpainted

Utility poles connected with an X (double or triple) can be found in Oman but not in the UAE

New Zealand concrete utility poles have sometimes holes drilled through them (similar can be found in Australia). Look for a silver opossum guard attached to the pole.

Shape: Horizontal bars

Material: Concrete

Along Thai highways, tall, thin lamp posts with a long horizontal arm reaching over the road