What it is — and what the ratings mean for fit
The 3VA2225-5HL42-0CL0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) from Siemens, rated for 250 A continuous at 40 °C and built for line protection in distribution panels. The 4-pole design handles three-phase-plus-neutral circuits common in North American and European commercial installations. The interrupting rating of 187 kA at 240 V means it can safely clear a fault up to that level without upstream devices needing to trip — critical for high-fault locations like service entrances or industrial MDPs. At 415 V the rating drops to 121 kA, still enough for most secondary distribution; at 690 V it's 4.5 kA, which limits its use on 690 V systems to low-fault-capacity points.
Thermal derating — the real-world current you can pull
The 250 A rating holds flat from 40 °C to 50 °C. Above that it derates: 241 A at 55 °C, 232 A at 60 °C, 222 A at 65 °C, and 213 A at 70 °C. If your panel ambient runs hot — say, a packed enclosure near a furnace line — the usable current drops by about 15 % at the top end. The maximum power loss is 50.5 W, which matters for thermal budgeting inside a sealed cabinet.
Switching and protection features
The breaker ships with a built-in undervoltage release (UVR) — that's the '0CL0' suffix indicator. It also carries 2 auxiliary switches, 1 trip alarm switch, and 1 electrical alarm switch, all pre-installed. That's enough auxiliary contacts to signal position and trip status back to a PLC or annunciator without adding external relay logic. The trip indicator is mechanical, so you can see a trip event even with the panel door closed.
Panel fit — dimensions and mounting
The 3VA2225-5HL42-0CL0 measures 181 mm high, 140 mm wide, and 86 mm deep. That 86 mm depth is shallow enough for most standard distribution enclosures without a deep-can extension. The 140 mm width is the 4-pole footprint; a 3-pole version would be narrower, so if you're swapping into a panel cut out for a 3-pole MCCB, you'll need to verify the mounting plate accommodates the extra width.