Motor Full-Load Current Chart — NEC 430.248 & 430.250 (1φ & 3φ)
NEC Table 430.248 single-phase and Table 430.250 three-phase motor full-load currents, ¼–200 hp at 115–575 V, for sizing conductors and protection.
Updated August 18, 2026
The NEC deliberately does not let you size motor branch-circuit conductors from the nameplate. Article 430.6(A)(1) points to these tables instead: standardized full-load currents that are intentionally conservative — usually a little higher than a modern motor actually draws — so the wiring survives a motor swap without a redesign. Nameplate FLA keeps exactly one job: setting the overload protection under 430.32.
The single-phase table (430.248) covers ¼ to 10 hp at 115, 208, and 230 V; the three-phase table (430.250) covers ½ to 200 hp for squirrel-cage and wound-rotor induction motors at 208, 230, 460, and 575 V. The structure is pure Ohm-law bookkeeping: the 230 V single-phase column is exactly half the 115 V column, and the three-phase 230 V column is exactly double the 460 V column — relations our tests enforce cell-for-cell. The 208 V and 575 V columns are separately rounded, so they track the voltage ratio only approximately.
Typical workflow: read FLA here, size conductors at 125% of it (430.22), pick short-circuit protection from the 430.52 percentages, then set overloads from the nameplate. These values assume motors "of normal torque characteristics" running at usual speeds — multispeed, low-speed high-torque, and synchronous machines (Table 430.249) have their own rules.
Single-Phase AC Motors (NEC Table 430.248)
| Motor (hp) | FLA at 115 V (A) | FLA at 208 V (A) | FLA at 230 V (A) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| 1/3 | 7.2 | 4 | 3.6 |
| 1/2 | 9.8 | 5.4 | 4.9 |
| 3/4 | 13.8 | 7.6 | 6.9 |
| 1 | 16 | 8.8 | 8 |
| 1-1/2 | 20 | 11 | 10 |
| 2 | 24 | 13.2 | 12 |
| 3 | 34 | 18.7 | 17 |
| 5 | 56 | 30.8 | 28 |
| 7-1/2 | 80 | 44 | 40 |
| 10 | 100 | 55 | 50 |
Table values are for sizing branch-circuit conductors and ground-fault/short-circuit protection per NEC 430.6(A)(1) — they are NOT a substitute for the nameplate current, which governs overload protection (430.32). Values assume motors of normal torque characteristics at usual speeds and voltage ranges of 110–120 V and 220–240 V.
Three-Phase Induction Motors (NEC Table 430.250)
| Motor (hp) | FLA at 208 V (A) | FLA at 230 V (A) | FLA at 460 V (A) | FLA at 575 V (A) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| 3/4 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
| 1 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
| 1-1/2 | 6.6 | 6 | 3 | 2.4 |
| 2 | 7.5 | 6.8 | 3.4 | 2.7 |
| 3 | 10.6 | 9.6 | 4.8 | 3.9 |
| 5 | 16.7 | 15.2 | 7.6 | 6.1 |
| 7-1/2 | 24.2 | 22 | 11 | 9 |
| 10 | 30.8 | 28 | 14 | 11 |
| 15 | 46.2 | 42 | 21 | 17 |
| 20 | 59.4 | 54 | 27 | 22 |
| 25 | 74.8 | 68 | 34 | 27 |
| 30 | 88 | 80 | 40 | 32 |
| 40 | 114 | 104 | 52 | 41 |
| 50 | 143 | 130 | 65 | 52 |
| 60 | 169 | 154 | 77 | 62 |
| 75 | 211 | 192 | 96 | 77 |
| 100 | 273 | 248 | 124 | 99 |
| 125 | 343 | 312 | 156 | 125 |
| 150 | 396 | 360 | 180 | 144 |
| 200 | 528 | 480 | 240 | 192 |
Squirrel-cage and wound-rotor induction motors. Same rule applies: conductor and fault-protection sizing only — use the nameplate for overloads. For synchronous motors at unity power factor use NEC Table 430.249; multiply by 1.1 (90% PF) or 1.25 (80% PF) per its footnote.
Sources & Further Reading
- NEC (NFPA 70) Table 430.248 — Full-Load Current in Amperes, Single-Phase Alternating-Current Motors (values verified identical across 2011 and 2014 edition reproductions)
- NEC (NFPA 70) Table 430.250 — Full-Load Current, Three-Phase Alternating-Current Motors (adjudicated across a scanned 2011 code page, a 2014 reproduction, and a current-edition reproduction)
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the table current higher than my motor nameplate?
By design. The table values are standardized, conservative currents so that conductors and fault protection sized from them remain adequate for any replacement motor of the same rating. Modern high-efficiency motors typically draw less. NEC 430.6(A)(1) requires the table for wire sizing; the nameplate is used only for overload protection.
How do I size the branch-circuit conductor from this chart?
Take the table FLA and multiply by 125% per NEC 430.22 for a single continuous-duty motor, then choose a conductor from NEC 310.16 with that ampacity after any ambient or bundling corrections. Example: a 10 hp, 460 V three-phase motor is 14 A here, so the conductor must carry 17.5 A minimum.
My motor runs at 200 V or 380 V — can I use these columns?
No — use the correct column of the full NEC tables, which also publish 200 V (and 2,300 V for large three-phase machines). The columns here assume rated-voltage ranges of roughly 110–120, 220–240, 440–480, and 550–600 V. For 50 Hz / IEC voltages like 380–415 V, work from the nameplate and the manufacturer data instead.
Why do the 208 V values look like more than a 230/208 scaling?
NEC derives the 208 V column by scaling the 230 V current up by roughly the voltage ratio (about 1.1) and rounding, because a motor delivering the same horsepower at lower voltage must draw proportionally more current. The rounding is why 208 V cells do not track the ratio exactly, unlike the exact 115/230 and 230/460 halving built into the tables.
What about starting (inrush) current — is it in this chart?
No. These are running full-load currents. Across-the-line starting draws roughly 5–8× FLA (NEMA code letter on the nameplate gives the exact locked-rotor kVA/hp). Use the motor starting calculator to estimate inrush and voltage dip, and NEC 430.52 for the maximum fault-protection settings that must ride through it.
Try the Calculators
Motor Full-Load Current Chart — NEC 430.248 & 430.250 (1φ & 3φ) — reuven.tools/reference/motor-fla — verified against: NEC (NFPA 70) Table 430.248 — Full-Load Current in Amperes, Single-Phase Alternating-Current Motors (values verified identical across 2011 and 2014 edition reproductions); NEC (NFPA 70) Table 430.250 — Full-Load Current, Three-Phase Alternating-Current Motors (adjudicated across a scanned 2011 code page, a 2014 reproduction, and a current-edition reproduction)