Voltage Levels to IEC 60038 

By on

The standard aims to consolidate AC and traction voltages within the industry and defines the following bands:

  • band 1 - A.C. systems 100 V to 1000 V
  • band 2 - A.C and D.C traction systems
  • band 3 - A.C. systems above 1 kV to 35 kV
  • band 4 - A.C. systems above 35 kV to 230 kV
  • band 5 - A.C. systems above 245 kV

A.C. systems 100 V to 1000 V

Nominal Voltage, V
Three-phase four-wire or three-wire systems Single-phase three-wire systems
50 Hz 60 Hz 60 Hz
- 208/120 240/120
- 240 -
400/230 4808/277 -
690/400 480 -
- 600/347 -
1000 600 -

Supply voltage range ±10 % at the supply terminals
Supply terminal to final equipment maximum 4% voltage drop

A.C and D.C traction systems

Voltage, V
Lowest Nominal Highest Frequency
D.C. Systems
(400) (600) (720)
500 750 900
1000 1500 1600
2000 3000 3600
A.C. Single Phase Systems
(4750) (6250) (6900) 50 or 60
12000 15000 17250 16 2/3
19000 25000 27500 50 or 60

Bracketed are non preferred and should not be used if possible

A.C. systems above 1 kV to 35 kV

Voltage, kV
Series I Series 2
Highest Nominal Highest Nominal
3.6 3.3 3 4.40 4.16
7.2 6.6 6
12 11 10
13.2 12.47
13.97 13.2
14.52 13.8
(17.5) (15)
24 22 20
26.47 24.94
36 33
36.5 34.5
40.5 35

 It is recommended that only one series be used.

A.C. systems above 35 kV to 230 kV

Voltage, kV
Highest Nominal Voltage, V
(52) (45)
7.25 66 69
123 110 115
145 132 138
(170) (150)
245 220 230

Only one series should be used in each country

A.C. systems above 245 kV

Recommended in each geographical group only one of the following be used:

  • 245 kV - 300 kV - 262 kV
  • 362 kV - 420 kV
  • 420 kV 550 kV

 

Highest Voltage, kV
(300)
362
420
550
800
1050
1200


Steven McFadyen's avatar Steven McFadyen

Steven has over twenty five years experience working on some of the largest construction projects. He has a deep technical understanding of electrical engineering and is keen to share this knowledge. About the author

myElectrical Engineering

comments powered by Disqus



Lead us, Warleader

Delum, who had watched all in silence, his face empty of expression, now spoke in turn. ' "Lead us, Warleader, into glory."' Reading is something I do...

Generator Sizing & Operation Limits

When selecting a generator, there are inherent limits on the active and reactive power which can be delivered. Generators are normally sized for a certain...

Thomas Edison

American inventor Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio on February 11, 1847. He was the youngest of seven children and received little formal schooling...

Material Properties

Everything physical in electrical engineering from insulations to conductors revolves around materials. Here we are listing common materials along with...

Introduction to Cathodic Protection

If two dissimilar metals are touching and an external conducting path exists, corrosion of one the metals can take place.  Moisture or other materials...

Maximum Demand for Buildings

Estimating maximum demand is a topic frequently discussed. Working out how much power to allow for a building can be very subjective . Allowing too much...

8 Steps to Low Voltage Power Cable Selection and Sizing

A recurring theme on our forums is cable sizing. Now many installations are unique and require special consideration. However, a lot of the time things...

Are We Losing Professional Integrity

I have been thinking recently that there appears to be less professional integrity around than when I first started my career in electrical engineering...

Gas Insulated or Air Insulated Switchgear

Various arguments exist around SF6 Gas Insulated (GIS) and Air Insulated (AIS) medium voltage switchgear. Recently we had to change a GIS design to AI...

GE's Shingijutsu Factory

GE's latest thinking on product manufacturing is he Shingijutsu philosophy or Lean production system. They have started applying this at the Louisville...

Have some knowledge to share

If you have some expert knowledge or experience, why not consider sharing this with our community.  

By writing an electrical note, you will be educating our users and at the same time promoting your expertise within the engineering community.

To get started and understand our policy, you can read our How to Write an Electrical Note