What this MCCB delivers in the panel
The Siemens 3VA1196-5EF32-0JH0 is a 3-pole SENTRON molded case circuit breaker rated for 16 A continuous current at 40 °C ambient, with a full-load current rating that holds flat through 55 °C before derating to 15 A at 60 °C and above. The interrupting capacity is the headline number here: 187 kA at 240 V AC, stepping down to 121 kA at 415 V, 75.6 kA at 440 V, and 17 kA at 500 V and 690 V. For a line-protection device, that 187 kA at 240 V means it can safely clear a fault on a high-capacity transformer secondary without upstream fuses needing to coordinate — a common pain point in industrial distribution panels where available fault current runs high. This breaker is designed for line protection — not motor or feeder protection — so the trip curve and accessories are tailored for cable and busbar protection in main or sub-distribution boards. It ships with a shunt trip release (STL) and a complement of two auxiliary switches plus one trip alarm switch (HQ), giving the controls integrator remote status and trip indication without adding external relay logic. The rated insulation voltage is 800 V, which covers 480/277 V and 600 V systems with margin, and the maximum power loss at rated current is 10.6 W — a figure to note when calculating enclosure heat rise in a sealed panel.
DIN-rail footprint and panel fit
The 3VA1196-5EF32-0JH0 measures 76.2 mm wide (3 in), 130 mm tall (5.12 in), and 70 mm deep (2.76 in). That 76.2 mm width is a standard 3-pole MCCB footprint — it occupies three 25.4 mm module positions on a DIN rail, so it drops into a panel already laid out for 3VA1-series breakers without re-drilling the gland plate or re-spacing adjacent devices.