NEMA releases panelboard, switchboard standards

Rosslyn, VA—Two revised standards on panelboards and distribution switchboards are available from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA).

By Control Engineering Staff June 6, 2006

Rosslyn, VA —Two revised standards on panelboards and distribution switchboards are available from the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). This is the first revision of these standards—PB 1-2006: “Panelboards,” and PB 2-2006: “Deadfront Distribution Switchboards”—since 2002 and 2001, respectively.

PB 1-2006 is a general standard for panelboards, providing information on types, voltage ratings, short-circuit current ratings, construction requirements, and test procedures. PB 2-2006 covers floor-mounted deadfront switchboards rated 600 A or less, 600 V or less, that consist of an enclosure, molded-case circuit breakers, low-voltage power circuit breakers, fusible or non-fusible switches, instruments, metering equipment, or monitoring and control equipment, and associated interconnections and supporting structures. These units are used in the distribution of electricity for light, heat, and power.

The revised standards provide “a common understanding within the electrical community for the purchase, testing, application, and use of panelboards and switchboards,” said Kevin J. Lippert, chairman of the NEMA Low-Voltage Distribution Equipment Panelboard and Distribution Board Product Group. “Changes to these documents include updates of references to the latest edition of other referenced codes and documents. Enclosure type designations also were modified to reflect the most recent terminology in NEMA 250 [Enclosures for Electrical Equipment].”

To view or purchase the standards, click on PB 1-2006 or PB 2-2006 .

— Control Engineering Daily News Desk Jeanine Katzel , senior editor