The Siemens 3RT2038-3AF06 is a SIRIUS power contactor in the Size S2 frame, rated 65 A at 480 V for AC-3 motor duty. That 65 A figure at 480 V is the headline motor-switching rating — it tells you the contactor can handle a motor load pulling that current under the inductive, breaking-heavy AC-3 duty cycle.
The 65 A at 480 V is the AC-3 rating — the one that governs motor starting and plugging duty. For resistive loads (AC-1) the contactor can cycle at up to 700 operations per hour, while AC-3 tops out at 500 ops/h and the heavy AC-4 duty (inching, plugging) at 150 ops/h. The coil draws 6 A at 24 V and derates to 0.3 A at 220 V — useful to know when sizing the control transformer.
Panel integration and clearances
The contactor measures 75 mm wide, 114 mm high, and 130 mm deep. The Size S2 frame is a standard Siemens footprint — if you're replacing a failed unit in an existing panel, measure the DIN rail space against those dimensions and the 6 mm side gap. Main contacts are rated for 18 to 1 switching operations — that's the mechanical endurance range, not a selection parameter.