Breaking capacity — what those numbers mean on your fault study
The 3VA1163-6EF32-0AA0: This breaker delivers 220 kA at 240 V, 154 kA at 415 V, and 121 kA at 440 V. Those are the interrupting ratings that matter when you're coordinating a panel against available fault current. At 500 V and 690 V it still holds 17 kA — enough for most 480/277 V commercial and light industrial services, but if your transformer feeds a 600 V system with high fault current, check that 17 kA against your study. The TM240 release means the thermal pickup is fixed at 63 A, the magnetic trip is set at 240 A — no interchangeable trip units, so what you see on the nameplate is what you get.
Thermal derating — don't let the 63 A number fool you
The 63 A rating holds steady from 40 °C up to 50 °C. At 55 °C it's 62 A, at 65 °C it's 60 A, and at 70 °C it's 58 A. If your panel runs hot — say, packed next to drives or transformers — you lose 5 A by the time you hit 70 °C. That's enough to nuisance-trip a borderline load. Size your continuous load at 80 % of the derated value and you'll sleep better. The front face carries IP40 protection, so it's fine inside a closed enclosure but not for washdown areas.
Physical fit — panel space and mounting
It's 130 mm tall, 76.2 mm wide, and 70 mm deep. That 70 mm depth is the dimension that matters when you're laying out the gland plate or closing a shallow enclosure door — it's the front-to-back space the breaker body occupies. The width is a standard 3-inch (76.2 mm) footprint for a 3-pole MCCB, so it drops into a SENTRON panelboard or a DIN-rail adapter without surprises. No undervoltage release, no ground-fault monitoring, no communication module — this is a bare line-protection breaker with no add-ons.
Sourcing reality — current production, no PCN risk
Lifecycle status is current, meaning Siemens still builds this exact order code. No end-of-life notice, no last-time-buy clock. For a BOM freeze or a long-term maintenance contract, that's the kind of steady supply you want — you're not chasing a replacement in two years. We source this against an RFQ; availability and current pricing get confirmed at quote time.