What the ratings mean for your panel
The Siemens 3VA1220-6EF42-0HH0 is a 4-pole SENTRON molded case circuit breaker rated for a continuous current Iu of 200 A, with a TM240 thermal-magnetic release. The interrupting ratings climb steeply with voltage: 220 kA at 240 V, 154 kA at 415 V, 36 kA at 440 V, and 17 kA at 690 V — so at 415 V it clears a 154 kA fault without upstream fuses, which is the figure that governs most industrial distribution panels in 400 V class. The TM240 release holds 200 A flat from 40 °C through 50 °C, then derates to 194 A at 55 °C, 188 A at 60 °C, 182 A at 65 °C, and 176 A at 70 °C. If your enclosure ambient runs above 50 °C, the 194 A at 55 °C is the number to size against, not the 200 A nameplate. This is a line-protection breaker — no ground-fault monitoring, no phase-failure detection, no communication module, and no undervoltage release. It ships with a shunt trip (STL) for remote tripping and comes fitted with 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm switch (HQ). The auxiliary release part number for the integrated trip is 3VA9688-0BL30. Front IP40 means it's protected against tools and wires >1 mm, but not against water ingress — keep it inside the enclosure.
Mounting and integration
Dimensions are 158 mm high, 140 mm wide, 70 mm deep. Four-pole footprint fits standard MCCB mounting plates in 400 A frames. The 70 mm depth leaves clearance for rear bus connections in most 600 mm deep enclosures. No DIN-rail clip — this bolts directly to the mounting plate with M6 screws. Verify the busbar drill pattern matches the 4-pole terminal spacing before panel layout.