What this MCCB carries — and where it fits
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2225-5HL42-0BC0 is a 4-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 250 A continuous current, designed for line protection in distribution panels. It's built around the 3VA platform — the current-production generation that replaced the 3VL series — so it's what you'd spec into a new BOM or a panel upgrade today. Breaking capacity is the headline here: 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 75.6 kA at 500 V, and 4.5 kA at 690 V. That 187 kA figure at 240 V means it can interrupt a fault current up to that level without the arc flashing over — critical for high-fault installations like transformer secondaries or large motor control centers where the available fault current is well above typical 65 kA or 100 kA MCCB ratings. The 250 A rating holds flat from 40 °C through 50 °C ambient, then derates to 241 A at 55 °C, 232 A at 60 °C, 222 A at 65 °C, and 213 A at 70 °C. If your panel sits in a hot environment — near a furnace line or in a non-conditioned electrical room in a Middle East or Southeast Asia plant — that derating curve is what governs the real ampacity, not the nameplate 250 A.
Panel fit and auxiliary content
Dimensions are 181 mm high, 140 mm wide, 86 mm deep — a standard 4-pole MCCB footprint for the 250 A frame class. It mounts directly to a DIN rail or panel-mount plate; the 86 mm depth leaves room behind a gland plate or in a shallow enclosure without forcing a deeper box. Comes factory-fitted with an undervoltage release (UVR) and 2 auxiliary switches (HQ configuration). The UVR means the breaker trips if control voltage drops below the dropout threshold — common in safety circuits where a loss of control power must open the main breaker. The two HQ aux switches provide independent NO/NC status contacts for remote monitoring or PLC inputs. Maximum power loss is 50.5 W at rated current. That's the heat the breaker dumps into the enclosure; factor it into your thermal budget if the panel is densely packed or in a high-ambient location.
Lifecycle and sourcing posture
Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage range is -40 °C to 80 °C. The storage floor matters if the breaker sits in an unheated warehouse before installation — it's fine down to -40 °C, which covers most cold-climate logistics.