| What Are the Main Differences Between Switchgears, Panelboards and Switchboards? | |||
| Switchgear | Switchboards | Panelboards | |
| Substations | Industrial | ||
| Standards | ANSI STD C37.20.1 UL STD 1558 NEMA STD SG-5 |
NEMA PB-2 UL 891 |
NEMA PB-1 UL 67 UL 50 |
| Lug Standards | ANSI/NEMA CC 1-2009 | ||
| Lug Mounting Bolt Configuration | NEMA C1-2009 1/2" bolt and 1.75" spacing |
3/8" bolt and 1.375" spacing (?) | 3/8" bolt and 1.375" spacing (?) |
| Dielectric Voltage | 2200 V | 2X Rated Volts + 1000V | 2X Rated Volts + 1000V |
| In Use Voltages | Nominal Voltage + 5.8% | Nominal Voltage 240V, 480V, 600V | |
| Circuit Protection | LV PCB (Low Voltage power curent breakers) ANSI 37-13 NEMA SG-3 UL1066 |
ICCB In Circuit Circuit Breaker Molded Case Circuit Breaker MCCB UL 489 Fusible Switches UL508 and UL 977 Fusible Switches UL 98 Power Circuit Breaker UL 1066 5000A Max Main |
Molded Case Circuit Breaker MCCB UL 489 Fusible Switches UL 98 1200A Max Main |
| Short Circuit Test | Unfused 15% PF (Power Factor) 30 cycles | 20% PF (Power Factor) 3 cycles Must have "instantaneous" trip funtion to maintain UL 891 rating |
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| Panel Mounting and Access | Generally requires rear and front access which takes up more space | Free Standing May be mounted against a wall if < 45" deep allowing front access only but saves space Front or rear access |
Flush or surface wall-mounted with front access only |
| Cost Continuity of Power | Generallly higher cost but increased power continuity likelihood | Generally lower cost but more likely than switchgear to have a power trip outage | |
| Phases | Usually 3 phase | 1 or 3 phase | |