IEC Contactor Selection Guide: Allen-Bradley, Schneider Electric & Siemens

Short answer

• There is no cross-brand part-number chart for IEC contactors. Allen-Bradley Bulletin 100-C, Schneider Electric TeSys and Siemens SIRIUS 3RT numbering are each proprietary.
• What is standardized is the rating. Compare the AC-3 rated operational current (Ie) defined by IEC 60947-4-1, read off the nameplate or datasheet rather than the catalog number.
• Also match pole count, auxiliary contact configuration, and coil voltage and type. Coils are not interchangeable across voltage or across AC and DC.
• The same AC-3 amp rating still does not mean drop-in. Check physical size, DIN rail or panel mounting, accessory compatibility and UL/CSA versus CE before substituting.

Why there is no cross-brand part-number chart for contactors

Allen-Bradley, Schneider Electric, and Siemens each design their IEC contactor lines around their own proprietary catalog-numbering scheme — there is no published industry standard that maps a Bulletin 100-C number to a TeSys or SIRIUS 3RT number the way ISO 15 maps one brand's deep-groove ball bearing to another's. Any chart claiming an exact model-for-model equivalence between these brands is not based on a real standard. What genuinely is standardized is the rating system the contactor is built to.

What is standardized: the AC-3 rating

IEC contactors intended for motor starting duty are rated under IEC 60947-4-1, which defines utilization categories such as AC-3 (starting and running a squirrel-cage motor, breaking at running current) and AC-4 (jogging/plugging duty, breaking at stall current). The AC-3 rated operational current (Ie), stated in amps at a given voltage (commonly 380–415V), is the number that lets you compare contactors across brands on an apples-to-apples basis — it is defined the same way regardless of manufacturer.

How to select an equivalent contactor across brands

1. Read the AC-3 rated current (Ie) and rated voltage off the existing contactor's nameplate or datasheet — not the catalog number.
2. Match pole count (3-pole vs. 4-pole) and auxiliary contact configuration (NO/NC).
3. Match coil voltage and type (AC 50/60Hz vs. DC) exactly — coils are not interchangeable across voltage or type.
4. Confirm physical mounting (DIN rail vs. panel), accessory compatibility (overload relay, auxiliary block), and any certification requirement (UL/CSA vs. CE) your application needs.

Typical series by brand

For orientation only — these are the common IEC contactor lines each brand carries, not an equivalence table:

This table is a starting point for knowing which product line to search on each brand's own datasheet — it is not a substitution chart. Two contactors with the same AC-3 amp rating can still differ in physical size, terminal type, and available accessories; confirm the full datasheet before treating any two brands' contactors as drop-in equivalents.

Finding a contactor you already have

Not sure which rating you need? Our free contactor sizing and NEMA/IEC cross-reference tool takes a motor (horsepower and voltage, or kilowatts) or a NEMA size and returns the matching NEMA size and IEC AC-3 rating from the published standards, then lists real contactors in our catalog by their own published specs.

Search the exact catalog number in our catalog, or email the number to our order desk if you need help matching it to an equivalent rating from another brand.

Live examples from our catalog

Currently listed IEC contactors from each brand referenced above — open one to check its AC-3 rating and coil voltage directly against the datasheet.

Allen-Bradley

• 100-C23DJ01 — 100-C23DJ01 Allen Bradley
• 100-C09D01 — Cut Sheet 100-C09D01
• 100-C09 — Allen-Bradley 100-C09 | Allen-Bradley 3-Phase IEC Rated Contactor
• 100-C09N400 — 100-C09N400 Allen Bradley

Schneider Electric

• 8903LA40V02 — 8903LA40V02 - Square D - Magnetic Contactor
• 8910DPA13V06 — 8910DPA13V06 - Square D - Definite Purpose Contactor
• 8910DPA33V14 — 8910DPA33V14 - Square D - Definite Purpose Contactor
• LC1D18E7 — LC1D18E7 - IEC contactor, TeSys Deca, nonreversing, 18A, 10HP at 480VAC, up to 100kA SCCR, 3 phase, 3 NO, 48VAC 50/60Hz coil, open

Siemens

• 3RT20231AV04 — SIEMENS - 3RT20231AV04 - CONTACTOR S0 9A 400VAC 2NO/2NC SCRW
• 3RT20241AL20 — SIEMENS - 3RT20241AL20 - CONTACTOR S0 12A 230VAC 1NO/1NC SCRW
• 3RT20152BB42 — SIEMENS - 3RT20152BB42 - CONTACTOR S00 7A 24VDC 1NC SPRG
• 3RT20451NB300CC0 — SIEMENS - 3RT20451NB300CC0 - CONT..AC3:37KW.1NO+1NC.20-33VAC/DC COM.

Frequently asked questions

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