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Recognized as an
American National Standard (ANSI)

IEEE Std 1015-1997

IEEE Recommended Practice for
Applying Low-Voltage Circuit
Breakers Used in Industrial and
Commercial Power Systems

Sponsor

Power Systems Protection Committee
of the
Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Department
of the
IEEE Industry Applications Society
Approved 10 February 1997

IEEE Standards BoardApproved 18 June 1997

American National Standards Institute
Abstract: Information is provided for selecting the proper circuit breaker for a particular application. This recommended practice helps the application engineer specify the type of circuit
breaker, ratings, trip functions, accessories, acceptance tests, and maintenance requirements.
It also discusses circuit breakers for specialapplications, e.g., instantaneous only and
switches. In addition, it provides information for applying circuit breakers at different locations
in the power system, and for protecting specific components. Guidelines are also given for
coordinating combinations of line-side and load-side devices.
Keywords: circuit breaker, circuit breaker evaluation, insulated case, insulated-case circuitbreaker, low-voltage circuit breaker, low-voltage power circuit breaker, low-voltage protection,
low-voltage protective device, molded case, molded-case circuit breaker, overcurrent
protection, power circuit breaker, rating, testing

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following organizations for having granted permission to reprint
material in this document as listed below:
American NationalStandards Institute, 11 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036, for source data from
ANSI C37.16-1988 used in Tables 3-8, 3-9, 3-10, 3-12, 3-14, 4-5, and 4-6, and for source data from ANSI
C37.50-1989 used in Table 3-20.
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, P.O. Box 9101, Quincy, MA 022699101, for source data from NEC Section 240-6 used in Table 3-11.
Siemens Energy& Automation, Inc., Switchgear & Motor Control, P.O. Box 29503, Raleigh, NC 276260503, for Figures 1-2 and 6-1 (right photo).
Square D Company, Distribution Equipment Business, Box 3069, 3700 Sixth Street S.W., Cedar Rapids,
IA 52406, for Figures 1-1, 6-1 (left photo), and 6-2.
Underwriters Laboratory, 333 Pfingsten Road, Northbrook, IL 60062-2096, for source data from UL
489-1991 used inTables 3-2, 3-4, 3-6, 3-13, 3-17, 3-18, and 3-19; and Figure 3-1, and for source data
from the UL Recognized Component Directory, vol. 1, 1996 used in Table 4-1.
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20037, for information from the Code of Federal
Regulations, Title 30, Chapter 1, Section 75.601-1, used in Table 6-1.
Westinghouse (now Cutler-Hammer), for source data used in Tables 3-1,3-3, 3-15, 3-16, 3-21, and
3-22.

First Printing
October 1997
SH94473

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
345 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017-2394, USA
Copyright © 1997 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
All rights reserved. Published 1997. Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 1-55937-867-0

No part of this publication maybe reproduced in any form, in an electronic retrieval system or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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