What it is and what it does
The Siemens 3VA1196-5EF32-0HC0 is a 3-pole SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for 16 A continuous current (Iu) and built for line protection, meaning it guards feeders and branch circuits against overloads and short circuits — not motor or generator duty. Its interrupting capacity hits 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V, and 75.6 kA at 440 V, so it can safely clear very high fault currents typical near large transformers or in high-capacity distribution panels. At 690 V the interrupting rating drops to 17 kA, which still covers most industrial motor-control center (MCC) bus faults but is worth confirming if your panel's available fault current is higher.
Temperature derating and panel fit
The breaker carries a full 16 A from 40 °C up to 50 °C ambient — no derating needed in a typical ventilated enclosure. At 55 °C it's 15.36 A, at 60 °C it's 15.04 A, at 65 °C it's 14.72 A, and at 70 °C it's 14.4 A. If your panel runs hot, plan for that ~10 % drop at the top end. Dimensions: 70 mm deep, 76.2 mm wide, 130 mm tall — a standard MCCB footprint that fits most DIN-rail or base-mount panel layouts. The 76.2 mm width (about 3 inches) is common for 3-pole frames in this class. Front protection is IP40, so it's fine inside a closed panel but not for washdown or outdoor exposure without an additional enclosure.
Auxiliary and trip options
Comes with 2 auxiliary switches (HQ type) for remote status indication — useful for PLC inputs or alarm annunciation. No undervoltage release, no ground-fault monitoring, no phase-failure detection, and no communication module fitted; this is a straightforward line-protection MCCB with only the shunt trip (STL) as the integrated auxiliary release. The integrated auxiliary trip uses order code 3VA9688-0BL30 — that's the shunt trip coil you'd order separately if you need remote tripping from an E-stop or safety relay. No trip indicator on the front face — you'll know it tripped by the position of the handle or the auxiliary contact state, not a visible flag.