ABB / S200 miniature circuit breakers

The order code contains the current rating, so you can read it without a catalogue. And the L in S204L is a lower breaking capacity, not a variant.

System pro M compact S200 is the ABB MCB range, in every distribution board and control panel in the country.

The order code embeds the current

Useful, and not widely known. Look at the S201 C curve range:

The digits before the final 4 are the ampere rating. The pattern holds on other pole counts too: an S204L at 6 A is 2CDS244701R0064 and at 63 A is 2CDS244701R0634.

So if you have an order code and no model name, you can read the current straight off it. The leading block identifies the series, pole count and curve.

Reading the model name

Take S201-C6.

ABB also offers 1P+N and 3P+N configurations within the range.

The L suffix is a lower breaking capacity

Worth catching, because an S204 and an S204L look identical on a rail.

Breaking capacity is not about the load, it is about the fault. It is the maximum prospective short circuit current the breaker can interrupt safely.

So fitting an S204L where an S204 was does not change how the circuit runs day to day. It changes what happens during a fault, and only if the prospective fault current at that point exceeds 6 kA.

Whether that matters depends on the fault level at the board, which is a design question rather than a parts question. If the original specified the higher capacity, supply the higher capacity.

Icu and Ics are different numbers

This is why you will see different breaking capacity figures quoted for the same breaker.

On the S200 C curve range ABB publishes Icu 10 kA and Ics 7.5 kA at 230 V AC.

You will also see 6 kA quoted, because the rating differs between the two standards the breaker is tested to. S200 complies with both IEC/EN 60898-1 and IEC/EN 60947-2, and the published capacity depends on which one is being cited.

So a specification quoting 6 kA and a catalogue quoting 10 kA can both be describing the same breaker. If the number matters for your fault level calculation, tell us and we will confirm against the ABB datasheet and say which standard the figure comes from.

The same Icu and Ics distinction runs through the moulded case and air circuit breaker ranges. See our Tmax XT page.

The tripping curves

S200 is available in B, C, D, K and Z characteristics.

ABB describes the application of the two most common:

The curve is the magnetic trip threshold, not the thermal one. Both a C6 and a D6 will trip on a sustained 6 A overload. They differ in how much instantaneous current they tolerate before tripping on short circuit.

That is why swapping a D for a C causes nuisance tripping on switch-on. A transformer, a bank of contactor coils or a switch mode power supply draws a large instantaneous inrush, and a C curve sees it as a fault.

The opposite substitution is worse: fitting a D where a C was raises the short circuit trip threshold, which may compromise the protection the circuit was designed around.

Read the curve letter off the existing breaker. It is printed on the front.

How an MCB actually trips

Worth knowing because it explains the two failure modes.

ABB describes two mechanisms in every S200:

A breaker that trips slowly is seeing an overload. One that trips instantly is seeing a fault. That distinction tells you where to look before you start replacing anything.

S200 breakers are also current limiting, meaning they interrupt before the fault current reaches its full prospective peak.

Physical dimensions

17.5 mm per pole is the module width to calculate board space with. A three-phase circuit takes 52.5 mm, a four-pole takes 70 mm.

The auxiliary contact that saves space

A practical detail from ABB worth knowing when a board is full.

A bottom-fitting auxiliary contact can be mounted on the S200 to save 50 percent of the space a conventional side-mounted auxiliary would take.

So if you need status contacts on a full board, the bottom-fitting version may avoid rebuilding it. Tell us if that is the constraint and we will quote the right type.

Standards

Compliance with all three is why the S200 suits residential, commercial and industrial applications from one range.

Note UL 1077 is supplementary protection, not branch circuit protection. That distinction matters on equipment being exported to North America, and it is a common misunderstanding.

What to check when replacing an MCB

Pole count. The first digit.

Curve letter. B, C, D, K or Z, printed on the front.

Current rating. Also on the front, and in the order code.

Breaking capacity. S200 or S200L, and check against the fault level if the original was the higher rating.

Whether auxiliaries are fitted. Auxiliary contacts, shunt trips and undervoltage releases are separate parts and are easy to leave behind.

Board width available if the pole count is changing.

The wider ABB protection range

S200 and S800 are both MCB ranges and are not the same thing. S800 covers higher currents and higher breaking capacities where an S200 runs out.

Note the potential confusion: S800 here is a circuit breaker range, and S800 I/O is a completely separate process I/O product. Same designation, different products. See our S800 I/O page if that is what you meant.

When an MCB is not enough

Worth knowing where the S200 range stops, because the next step up works differently.

That is the practical difference. An MCB is one order line. A moulded case or air circuit breaker is several, and the trip unit carries its own current rating separate from the frame.

So if you are moving up from an S200 to a Tmax XT, expect the quote to have more lines on it. See the Tmax XT and Emax pages for how those are put together.

What we can supply

Current production. The full S200 range across pole counts, curves and breaking capacities, plus auxiliary contacts, shunt trips, undervoltage releases, busbars and enclosures. Quoted with a delivered lead time.

Bulk. MCBs are a board-build item. Send us the schedule and we will quote the lot including busbar and accessories.

Discontinued. Earlier S200 generations and older ABB MCB ranges. Surplus where available.

Related

ABB overview, Tmax XT moulded case breakers, Emax air circuit breakers and AF contactors and overload relays.

For motor circuit protection see the 140M range on our Allen-Bradley contactor page and the Siemens 3RV range on our SIRIUS page.

For breakers from other brands see Schneider ComPacT NSX and MasterPacT.

Send us your part numbers

The 2CDS order code is definitive, and it contains the current rating. Or send the model name off the front, which gives pole count, curve and current. Quotes in NZD including GST.

Request a quote

Industech is an independent supplier of new, surplus and used industrial automation equipment. We are not an authorised distributor of, approved by, sanctioned by, or affiliated with ABB Ltd. ABB, System pro M compact, Tmax and Emax are trademarks of ABB Ltd. All trademarks, brand names and order codes are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only. Information on this page is for identification and does not constitute electrical design advice. Breaking capacity selection depends on the prospective fault level at the point of installation.