Derating and real-world current
The 16 A rating holds only at 35 °C ambient. At 40 °C you must derate to 15.23 A; at 50 °C to 14.43 A; at 60 °C to 13.57 A. If your panel interior runs hot — common in sealed enclosures or rail equipment — use the 55 °C figure of 14 A as your continuous load limit. The C-curve (5–10× In) is the right characteristic for mixed resistive-inductive loads. It avoids nuisance tripping on motor start-ups while still clearing low-impedance faults fast. The energy limitation class is 3, meaning it limits let-through energy well for downstream cable protection.