What this MCCB carries — and what it doesn't
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1132-5EF36-0JA0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for 32 A continuous current (Iu) with a TM240 thermal-magnetic release. Its interrupting capacity hits 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V, 75.6 kA at 440 V, and 17 kA at 690 V — that's the SCCR headroom for high-fault panels without cascading upstream. The 800 V rated insulation voltage (Ui) means it's comfortable on 480 V or 600 V class systems. No auxiliary contacts, no undervoltage release, no communication module — this is a bare line-protection breaker with a shunt trip (STL) as the only auxiliary release. The integrated auxiliary trip order code is 3VA9688-0BL32.
Thermal derating — the real ampacity curve
This breaker holds its full 32 A rating from 40 °C through 50 °C ambient. Above that, it starts pulling back: 30.72 A at 55 °C, 30.08 A at 60 °C, 29.44 A at 65 °C, and 28.8 A at 70 °C. If your panel ambient sits at 60 °C, you're losing about 2 A — enough to matter on a fully loaded feeder. The operating range spans -25 °C to 70 °C; storage goes -40 °C to 80 °C. IP40 on the front means it's fine in a clean indoor panel but not washdown.
Footprint and panel fit
Dimensions are 130 mm high, 76.2 mm wide, 70 mm deep. That's a standard SENTRON 3VA frame width — drops into a DIN-rail or panel-mount footprint without surprises. The 15 000 mechanical endurance cycles tell you it's built for a fixed installation, not frequent switching.