The Type-C connectors connect to both hosts and devices, replacing various Type-B and Type-A connectors and cables with a standard meant to be future-proof. The 24-pin double-sided connector is similar in size to the micro-B connector, with a Type-C port measuring 8.4 millimetres (0.33 in) by 2.6 millimetres (0.10 in). The connector provides four power/ground pairs, two differential pairs for non-SuperSpeed data (though only one pair is populated in a Type-C cable), four pairs for high-speed data bus, two "sideband use" pins, and two configuration pins for cable orientation detection, dedicated biphase mark code (BMC) configuration data channel, and VCONN +5 V power for active cables. Connecting an older device to a host with a Type-C receptacle requires a cable or adapter with a Type-A or Type-B plug or receptacle on one end and a Type-C plug on the other end. Legacy adapters with a Type-C receptacle are "not defined or allowed" by the specification, due to their being able to create "many invalid and potentially unsafe" cable combinations.

    全功能Type-C电缆是活动的，带有电子标记的电缆，其中包含具有ID功能的芯片，该芯片基于配置通道和USB Power Delivery 2.0规范中的供应商定义的消息（VDM）。除了基准总线电源提供之外，C型设备还可以选择支持1.5 A和3.0 A（5 V时）的总线电源电流；电源既可以通过配置通道通告增加的USB电流，也可以使用BMC编码的配置线和旧BFSK编码的VBUS线来支持完整的供电规范。

    备用模式将Type-C电缆中的某些物理线路专用于备用数据协议在设备到主机之间的直接传输。四个高速通道，两个边带引脚和（仅用于扩展坞，可拆卸设备和永久电缆应用）两个非超高速数据引脚和一个配置引脚可用于交替模式传输。通过配置通道使用VDM配置模式。