250 A MCCB with ETU550 — what the ratings mean for your panel
The Siemens 3VA2225-5JP32-0JH0 is a SENTRON 3VA2 molded case circuit breaker rated for line protection, 3-pole, with a continuous current Iu of 250 A at 40 °C. That 250 A holds steady through 50 °C — only at 55 °C does it begin to derate to 238 A, then 225 A at 60 °C, 213 A at 65 °C, and 200 A at 70 °C. So if your panel ambient runs above 50 °C, the effective ampacity drops; size the breaker for the actual enclosure temperature, not the nameplate. The ETU550 electronic trip unit gives you adjustable overload and short-circuit protection curves — it's not a fixed thermal-magnetic, so you can dial in the trip settings to match your load profile. The breaker includes a shunt trip (STL) release and an integrated auxiliary trip (3VA9688-0BL32), plus 2 auxiliary switches and 1 trip alarm switch HQ. That means you can remote-trip it or get status feedback without adding external relays. Breaking capacity is 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 79 kA at 500 V, and 5.1 kA at 690 V. On a 480 V system (common in North America) you'd interpolate between the 440 V and 500 V figures — still well above typical fault levels for a 250 A feeder. The 800 V rated insulation voltage (Ui) confirms it's suitable for 690 V line-to-line applications where available.
Lifecycle and sourcing — active, no LTB watch needed
The lifecycle stage is marked current — Siemens still actively produces this order code. No last-time-buy or phase-out notice exists. For BOM-freeze planning, this part is a safe line item without an obsolescence clock. Rated insulation voltage 800 V and max power loss 48 W at rated current. The operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage from -40 °C to 80 °C. These are standard for a 250 A MCCB in a ventilated enclosure.
Panel fit — dimensions and mounting
Dimensions: 105 mm wide, 181 mm high, 86 mm deep. That width is the standard 105 mm for a 3-pole 3VA2 frame — it fits the same DIN-rail or screw-mount footprint as other 3VA2 breakers in this current class. The 86 mm depth leaves room for cable lugs and busbar connections behind the panel door.