592

Continuous current-carrying capacity of copper conductors (DIN 43 671)

Table 13-4
Copper conductors of rectangular cross-section in indoor installations. Ambient temperature 35 °C. Conductor temperature 65 °C. Conductor
width vertical: clearance between conductors equal to conductor thickness; with alternating current, clearance between phases > 0.8 × phase
centre-line distance.

Width Cross- Weight1) Material3) Continuous current in A Continuous current in A

× section AC up to 60 Hz DC and AC 16²⁄₃ Hz
thickness painted bare painted bare
no. of conductors no. of conductors no. of conductors no. of conductors
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

mm mm2 kg/m

12 × 15 59.5 0.529 E-Cu F 37 203 345 411 177 312 398 203 345 411 177 312 398
12 × 10 119.5 1.063 E-Cu F 37 326 605 879 285 553 811 326 605 879 285 553 811
20 × 15 99.1 0.882 E Cu F 37 319 560 728 274 500 690 320 562 729 274 502 687
20 × 10 199 1.77 E-Cu F 30 497 924 1 320 427 825 1 180 499 932 1 300 428 832 1 210
30 × 15 149 1.33 E-Cu F 37 447 760 944 379 672 896 448 766 950 380 676 897
30 × 10 299 2.66 E-Cu F 30 676 1 200 1 670 573 1 060 1 480 683 1 230 1 630 579 1 080 1 520
40 × 15 199 1.77 E-Cu F 37 573 952 1 140 482 836 1 090 576 966 1 160 484 848 1 100
40 × 10 399 3 55 E-Cu F 30 850 1 470 2 000 2 580 715 1 290 1 770 2 280 865 1 530 2 000 728 1 350 1 880

1) Calculated for a density of 8.9 kg/dm3.

2) Minimum clearance given in mm.

3) Material: E-Cu or other material to DIN 40500 Part 3, preferred semi-finished material. Flat bars with rounded edges to DIN 46433 Selection Part 3.

Continued on next page

 Table 13-4 (continued)
Copper conductors of rectangular cross-section in indoor installations. Ambient temperature 35 °C. Conductor temperature 65 °C. Conductor
width vertical: clearance between conductors equal to conductor thickness; with alternating current, clearance between phases > 0.8 × phase
centre-line distance.

Width Cross- Weight1) Material3) Continuous current in A Continuous current in A

× section AC up to 60 Hz DC and AC 16²⁄₃ Hz
thickness painted bare painted bare
no. of conductors no. of conductors no. of conductors no. of conductors
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

mm mm2 kg/m

50 × 15 249 2.22 E-Cu F 37 679 1 140 1 330 2 010 583 994 1 240 1 920 703 1 170 1370 1 588 1 020 1 300
50 × 10 499 4.44 E-Cu F 30 1 020 1 720 2 320 2 950 852 1510 2 040 2 600 1 050 1 830 2 360 1 875 1 610 2 220
60 × 15 299 2.66 E-Cu F 30 826 1 330 1 510 2 310 688 1 150 1 440 2 210 836 1 370 1 580 2 060 1 696 1 190 1 500 1 970
60 × 10 599 5.33 E-Cu F 30 1 180 1 960 2 610 3 290 985 1 720 2 300 2 900 1 230 2 130 2 720 3 580 1 020 1 870 2 570 3 390
80 × 15 399 3.55 E-Cu F 30 1 070 1 680 1 830 2 830 885 1 450 1 750 2 720 1 090 1 770 1 990 2 570 1 902 1 530 1 890 2 460
80 × 10 799 7.11 E-Cu F 30 1 500 2 410 3 170 3 930 1 240 2 110 2 790 3 450 1 590 2 730 3 420 4 490 1 310 2 380 3 240 4 280
100 × 15 499 4.44 E-Cu F 30 1 300 2 010 2 150 3 300 1 080 1 730 2 050 3 190 1 340 2 160 2 380 3 080 1 110 1 810 2 270 2 960
100 × 10 988 8.89 E-Cu F 30 1 810 2 850 3 720 4 530 1 490 2 480 3 260 3 980 1 940 3 310 4100 5 310 1 600 2 890 3 900 5 150
120 × 10 1 200 10.7 E-Cu F 30 2 110 3 280 4 270 5 130 1 740 2 860 3 740 4 500 2 300 3 900 4 780 6 260 1 890 3 390 4 560 6 010
160 × 10 1 600 14.2 E-Cu F 30 2 700 4 130 5 360 6 320 2 220 3 590 4 680 5 530 3 010 5 060 6 130 8 010 2 470 4 400 5 860 7 710
200 × 10 2 000 17.8 E-Cu F 30 3 290 4 970 6 430 7 490 2 690 4 310 5 610 6 540 3 720 6 220 7 460 9 730 3 040 5 390 7 150 9 390

1) Calculated for a density of 8.9 kg/dm3.

2) Minimum clearance given in mm.
593

3) Material: E-Cu or other material to DIN 40500 Part 3 preferred semi-finished material. Flat bars with rounded edges to DIN 46433 Selection Part 3.

13
Table 13-12
Copper-clad aluminium conductors of round cross-section in indoor installations,
ambient temperature 35 °C, conductor temperature 65 °C; with alternating current,
phase centre-line distance ≥ 1.25 × diameter.

Continuous current in A
Diameter Cross section Weight1) DC and AC up to 60 Hz
mm mm2 kg/m painted bare

15 19.6 0.0713 78 70
18 50.3 0.182 148 132
10 78.5 0.285 201 177
16 201 0.730 386 335
20 314 1.14 525 452
32 804 2.92 1 000 850
50 1960 7.13 1 750 1 500

Material: E-AI to DIN 40501 Parts 2 and 3 and E-Cu to DIN 40500 Parts 2 and 3, copper cladding
comprises 15 % of cross-section area.
1) Calculated for a density of 3.63 kg/dm3

Correction factors for deviations from the assumptions

If there are differences between the actual conditions and the assumed conditions, the
value of the continuous current taken from Tables 13-4 to 13-9, 13-11 and 13-12 must
be multiplied by the following correction factors (DIN 43670, DIN 43670 Part 2 and
DIN 43671):
k1 correction factor for load capacity variations relating to conductivity,
k2 correction factor for other air and/or busbar temperatures,
k3 correction factor for thermal load capacity variations due to differences in layout,
k4 correction factor for electrical load capacity variations (with alternating current) due
to differences in layout,
k5 correction factor for influences specific to location.

The current-carrying capacity is then

Icont = Itable · k1 · k2 · k3 · k4 · k5.

The load capacity values for three-phase current with a frequency of 16²⁄₃ Hz are the
same as for direct current.
For frequencies fx > 50 Hz, the load capacity value are calculated with the formula

ÏW
50
Ix = I50 —
fx

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Correction factor k1
for load capacity variations relating to conductivity, see Fig. 13-3.
For example, in the case of the aluminium alloy E-AlMgSi 0.5 (κ = 30 m/Ωmm2), the
factor k1 = 0.925.

Fig. 13-3
Correction factor k1 for variation of load capacity when conductivity differs a) from 35.1
m/ Ωmm2 for aluminium materials and b) from 56 m/ Ωmm2 for copper materials and c)
factor k1 for load capacity variation with copper-clad aluminium conductors having other
than 15 % copper.

Correction factor k2
for deviations in ambient and/or busbar temperature, see Fig. 13-4.

Fig. 13-4
Correction factor k2 for
load capacity variation
at ambient temperatures
other than 35 °C and/or
busbar temperatures
other than 65 °C;
ϑs busbar temperature,
13

ϑu mean ambient
temperature over
24 hours, short-time
maximum value 5 K
above mean value.

605
When selecting the busbar cross-sections, attention must be paid to the maximum
permissible operating temperature of the equipment and its connections, and also to
heat-sensitive insulating materials. This applies in particular to metal-clad installations.
For example, at an ambient temperature of ϑu = 35 °C and an ultimate busbar
temperature of ϑs = 80 °C (temperature rise 45 K), the factor k2 = 1.24. With an ambient
temperature of ϑu = 45 °C and an ultimate busbar temperature of ϑs = 65 °C
(temperature rise 20 K), factor k2 = 0.77.

Correction factor k3
for thermal capacity load variations due to differences in layout, see Table 13-13.

Table 13-13
Correction factor k3 for load capacity reduction with long side (width) of bus conductors
in horizontal position or with busbars vertical for more than 2 m for Al = aluminium
conductors DIN 43670, Al/Cu = copper-clad aluminium conductors DIN 43670 Part 2,
Cu = copper conductors DIN 43671

Number of conductors Width of Thickness of Factor k3 when conductors

busbar conductor and
clearance painted bare
mm mm Al Al/Cu Cu Al Al/Cu Cu

50…100 5…10 — 0.85 — — 0.8 —

2 50…200 0.85 — 0.85 0.8 — 0.8

50…80 0.85 0.85 0.85 0.8 0.8 0.8

3 100 5…10 — 0.8 — — 0.75 —
100…200 0.8 — 0.8 0.75 — 0.75

up to 100 — 0.8 — — 0.75 —

4 160 0.75 — 0.75 0.7 — 0.7
200 0.7 — 0.7 0.65 — 0.65

2 up to 200 0.95 — — 0.9 — —

Correction factor k4
for electrical load capacity variations (with alternating current) due to different layout,
Fig. 13-5 for copper conductors, Fig. 13-6 for aluminium conductors and 13-7 for
copper-clad aluminium conductors. Factor k4 need be considered only if there is no
branching within a distance of at least 2 m.

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Correction factor k5
Influences specific to the location (altitude, exposure to sun, etc.) can be allowed for
with factor k5 as given in Table 13-14.

Table 13-14
Correction factor k5 for reduction in load capacity at altitudes above 1000 m.

Height above sea-level Factor k5 Factor k5

m indoors outdoors1)

1 000 1.00 0.98

2 000 0.99 0.94
3 000 0.96 0.89
4 000 0.90 0.83
1) Reduction smaller at geogr. latitude above 60 ° and/or with heavily dust-laden air.

n = 2 and 3

13

0,2

Fig. 13-5
Correction factor k4 for reduction in load with alternating current up to 60 Hz due to
additional skin effect in Cu conductors with small phase centre-line distance a:
a) Examples: Three-phase busbar with n = 3 conductors per phase and conductor
thickness s in direction of phase centre-line distance a (above); AC single-phase
busbar with n = 2 conductors per phase and conductor thickness s at right angles to
phase centre-line distance a (below), b) Factor k4 for conductors of s = 5 mm, and c)
Factor k4 for conductors of s = 10 mm as a function of b · h/a2; a, b and h in mm;
parameter n = number of conductors per phase.

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 Fig. 13-6
Correction factor k4 for reduction in load
capacity with alternating current up to 60 Hz
due to additional skin effect in Al conductors
with small phase centre-line distance a;
symbols as Fig. 13-5
a) Factor k4 for conductor thickness s = 15 mm
b) Factor k4 for conductor thickness s = 10 mm
c) Factor k4 for conductor thickness s = 15 mm

n=2
and 3

Fig. 13-7
Correction factor k4 for reduction in load capacity with alternating current up to 60 Hz
due to additional skin effect in copper-clad aluminium conductors with small phase
centre-line distance a; symbols as Fig. 13-5
a) Factor k4 for conductor thickness s = 10 mm
b) Factor k4 for conductor thickness s = 5 mm

608