Minimum qualifying size
Find the NEMA Starter Size for a Three-Phase Motor
The selector uses the first published NEMA size whose maximum horsepower rating meets or exceeds the entered motor horsepower at the selected voltage.
Without JavaScript, use the table below directly. For example, a 10 hp, 460 V three-phase motor reaches the published normal-duty limit of NEMA Size 1.
Selection limit
This lookup sizes the NEMA starter/controller rating only. Verify the actual starter horsepower listing, motor nameplate, overload protection, branch-circuit protection, SCCR, control voltage, enclosure, duty, and applicable code requirements before final selection.
Three-phase reference
NEMA Starter Size and Horsepower Reference
Transformed motor-controller rating reference for single-speed, normal full-voltage duty. Larger sizes remain visible so the selected result can be checked in context.
Search by NEMA size or rating, sort any numeric column, or use the finder above to highlight the minimum qualifying row.
No NEMA size matches this table search. Clear the search or use the starter-size finder above.
Scroll horizontally to view additional voltage columns and vertically to view additional rows. Column headers and the NEMA size column remain visible while scrolling.
| Current Ratings | Maximum Three-Phase Motor Horsepower | Copy | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | 9 | 11 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2 | 2 | |
| 0 | 18 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
| 1 | 27 | 32 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| 2 | 45 | 52 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 25 | 25 | |
| 3 | 90 | 104 | 25 | 30 | 50 | 50 | 50 | |
| 4 | 135 | 156 | 40 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 100 | |
| 5 | 270 | 311 | 75 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 200 | |
| 6 | 540 | 621 | 150 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 400 | |
| 7 | 810 | 932 | — | 300 | — | 600 | 600 | |
| 8 | 1215 | 1400 | — | 450 | — | 900 | 900 | |
| 9 | 2250 | 2590 | — | 800 | — | 1600 | 1600 | |
These values are starter/controller ratings, not motor full-load current, overload settings, branch-circuit overcurrent-device ratings, SCCR, conductor ampacity, or enclosure requirements. An em dash means no rating is asserted in this reference scope.
How to Use the NEMA Starter Size Chart
- Read the motor nameplate horsepower and operating voltage.
- Select the exact published voltage column in the finder. Do not substitute a nearby voltage.
- Use the first NEMA size whose maximum three-phase horsepower rating is equal to or greater than the motor horsepower.
- Verify the selected starter’s actual manufacturer horsepower rating and the rest of the motor branch-circuit design before ordering or installing equipment.
If the entered horsepower falls between two published limits, the selector moves to the next larger qualifying NEMA size; it never rounds a motor down to a smaller published rating.
What a NEMA Starter Size Actually Means
A NEMA starter size is a controller rating classification associated with current capability and motor horsepower ratings. The size number is not a direct physical dimension, and one size does not correspond to one universal horsepower at every voltage.
- Continuous current
- The controller’s published continuous-current rating for the NEMA size.
- Service-limit current
- A separate published controller current rating; it is not the motor overload setting.
- Maximum motor HP
- The published motor horsepower limit for the stated phase, voltage, and duty.
Why Motor Voltage Changes the Required Starter Size
The horsepower rating changes with motor voltage even when the NEMA size and continuous-current rating stay the same. For example, Size 2 is rated 45 A continuously, but the normal-duty three-phase horsepower limit is 10 hp at 200 V, 15 hp at 230 V, and 25 hp at 460 V and 575 V in the verified references.
Fast check
A 25 hp motor qualifies for Size 2 at 460 V, but the same 25 hp value exceeds the Size 2 rating at 230 V. That is why the selector always requires both horsepower and voltage.
200 V vs 208 V NEMA Starter Ratings
The verified NEMA-based manufacturer references used for this page publish a 200 V rating column. Do not silently treat that column as a universal 208 V rating. For a 208 V application, use the actual starter manufacturer’s listed horsepower rating at the application voltage and the applicable equipment instructions.
No interpolation
This tool intentionally does not estimate 208 V, 480 V, or another unlisted voltage by interpolation between published columns.
NEMA Starter Size Is Not the Overload or Breaker Size
The starter size answers one component-selection question: the controller’s NEMA rating. It does not determine every device in the motor branch circuit.
Starter/controller
Use the applicable NEMA horsepower and controller current ratings.
Motor overload
Select and set the overload protection from the motor and equipment requirements; do not copy the starter’s continuous-current rating as the overload setting.
Branch protection
Fuse or breaker selection, conductor sizing, SCCR, and coordination are separate checks governed by the equipment and applicable electrical rules.
For a separate protection reference, see the Fuse Size Chart.
When This NEMA Starter Size Chart Does Not Apply
The primary lookup is intentionally narrow: three-phase, single-speed, full-voltage motor-controller selection under normal non-plugging and non-jogging duty. Use application-specific manufacturer data or the applicable standard for:
- repeated plugging, jogging, or high-frequency reversing duty;
- reduced-voltage, part-winding, multispeed, soft-starter, or VFD applications;
- DC motors or IEC contactor selection;
- special ambient, enclosure, hazardous-location, or product-specific application limits.
For environmental enclosure selection, use the separate NEMA Enclosure Rating Chart; NEMA enclosure type and NEMA starter size describe different properties.
NEMA Starter Size Examples
Example 1: 10 hp at 460 V
Assumption: Three-phase, single-speed motor, normal non-plugging/non-jogging duty.
At 460 V, Size 0 is limited to 5 hp while Size 1 is rated 10 hp. The first row meeting 10 hp is therefore NEMA Size 1.
Check: Size 1 is listed at 27 A continuous and 32 A service-limit current. Final starter selection still requires product and application verification.
Example 2: 15 hp at 230 V
Assumption: Three-phase, single-speed motor, normal non-plugging/non-jogging duty.
At 230 V, Size 1 is limited to 7.5 hp while Size 2 is rated 15 hp. The first qualifying row is therefore NEMA Size 2.
Check: Size 2 is listed at 45 A continuous. A value just above 15 hp would no longer qualify for Size 2 at 230 V.
Source Basis and Reference Limitations
NEMA ICS 2:2000 (R2020) rating basis; transformed values independently cross-checked against current publicly accessible manufacturer technical literature.
The controlling standard is commercially distributed, so this page uses a limited transformed reference for the sizing task rather than reproducing the standard’s full tables, wording, or proprietary arrangement. Full CSV export is intentionally disabled.
- NEMA ICS 2:2000 (R2020) — Controllers, Contactors and Overload Relays Rated 600 V Controlling Part 2-4 motor-controller rating basis; commercially distributed through ANSI.
- Rockwell Automation Publication 500-TD014D-EN-P — NEMA Contactor and Starter Specifications March 2023, Electrical Ratings on pages 3–4; used to cross-check Sizes 00–8, current ratings, published voltages, and normal-duty horsepower limits.
- Eaton — Special Considerations Governing the Application of Manual Motor Controllers and Motor Starters in North America Fourth supplemented edition, 2016, Table 7; used as an independent three-phase NEMA-size and horsepower cross-check including Size 9.
- Schneider Electric — Type S NEMA Size 2 motor starter specification Product-level checkpoint for Size 2 current and horsepower ratings.
Dataset and Source-Check Details
- Publisher
- Turn2Engineering
- Source checked
- August 16, 2026
- Phase
- Three-phase
- Duty scope
- Single-speed, full-voltage, non-plugging and non-jogging
- Published voltage columns
- 200, 230, 380, 460, and 575 V where listed
- Interpolation
- Not permitted
- Missing values
- Em dash = no rating asserted in this page scope
- Download rights
- Full CSV disabled; limited result and row copy only
NEMA Starter Size FAQs
For the scoped three-phase normal-duty reference, 10 hp at 460 V reaches the published Size 1 limit, so NEMA Size 1 is the minimum reference size before product-specific verification.
NEMA starter sizes carry both controller current ratings and voltage-dependent motor horsepower ratings, so motor selection must use the applicable published motor rating rather than amperage alone.
Do not assume they are interchangeable; verify the actual starter manufacturer’s listed horsepower rating at the application voltage.
No. Starter size and motor overload selection are separate tasks, and the overload must be selected or set from the applicable motor and equipment requirements.
No. NEMA sizing and IEC device-selection systems use different rating approaches and should not be converted with a simple one-to-one size mapping.
NEMA Starter Size Chart Summary
Use motor horsepower and the exact published voltage together, then select the first NEMA size whose three-phase normal-duty horsepower rating meets or exceeds the motor. Treat the result as a controller-rating lookup, not as a complete overload, breaker, conductor, SCCR, enclosure, or application approval.
For other engineering lookup tasks, return to the Engineering Charts & Tables hub.