What it is — and what the ratings mean for fit
The Siemens 3VA1116-3EF36-0JH0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for 160 A continuous current (Iu) at 40 °C. That 160 A holds steady up to 50 °C; above that it derates to 153.6 A at 55 °C, 150.4 A at 60 °C, 147.2 A at 65 °C, and 144 A at 70 °C. For a panel running warm, the 50 °C plateau is the practical sizing limit — you lose headroom fast past that. Breaking capacity is what decides whether this breaker clears a fault or welds shut. At 240 V it interrupts 75.6 kA; at 415 V that drops to 52.5 kA; at 440 V it is 32 kA; at 690 V it is 10.5 kA. The 240 V figure is the one that matters for most North American 277/480 V wye panels (line-to-neutral), while the 415 V rating governs IEC 50 Hz installations. If your available fault current at the board exceeds these numbers, this breaker is not the right choice — step up to a higher interrupting-rated frame. Three-pole, line protection version. The overcurrent release is a TM240 thermal-magnetic type — fixed thermal pickup, magnetic trip factory-set. No undervoltage release, no ground-fault monitoring, no communication module. The auxiliary contact version is 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm switch (HQ). A shunt trip (STL) is integrated, with the auxiliary trip order code 3VA9688-0BL32 listed for reference if you need a replacement coil.
Panel fit and deployment context
Dimensions: 70 mm deep, 76.2 mm wide, 130 mm tall. That is a compact 3-pole MCCB footprint — it drops into a standard SENTRON 3VA panel mount without needing a wider bucket. The front face carries IP40 protection, so it is fine for a clean indoor panel but not washdown areas. Rated insulation voltage Ui is 800 V, so it is suitable for 480 V and 600 V class systems with margin. Storage temperature range is -40 °C to 80 °C; operating range is -25 °C to 70 °C. The storage low end is the one that matters if the breaker sits in an unheated warehouse before installation.