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NEMA Starter Size Chart

Look up NEMA starter Sizes 00–9 and 1P by motor horsepower, voltage, phase, and controller current rating, or use the instant finder to identify the first qualifying size.

NEMA Starter Size Chart: HP, Amps, Voltage & Phase

Normal full-voltage, non-plugging and non-jogging motor duty. Use the smallest listed size that satisfies the applicable horsepower rating; if nameplate FLA is entered, the finder also checks continuous-current rating.

Instant starter-size finder

What NEMA starter size do I need?

Enter motor data from the nameplate. FLA is optional but gives a stronger screening check.

Quick example: 10 hp, 460 V, three-phase normal duty → NEMA Size 1 by the published horsepower rating. Verify the motor nameplate current and the actual starter listing before selection.
Common 460 V · 3φ:
Chart scope: NEMA controller/starter ratings for normal full-voltage duty. Size 1P is a single-phase-only size. An em dash means no rating is asserted for that phase/voltage in this reference.

Scroll horizontally to compare current and horsepower ratings. Scroll vertically for larger NEMA sizes. Column headers and the NEMA size column remain visible while scrolling.

NEMA starter/controller continuous-current, service-limit-current, and maximum motor horsepower ratings for normal non-plugging and non-jogging duty.
Controller Current 1-Phase Maximum HP 3-Phase Maximum HP Copy
00 9 11 ⅓ 1 1.5 1.5 1.5 2 2
0 18 21 1 2 3 3 5 5 5
1 27 32 2 3 7.5 7.5 10 10 10
1P 36 42 3 5 — — — — —
2 45 52 3 7.5 10 15 25 25 25
3 90 104 7.5 15 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 1,215 1,400 — — — 450 — 900 900
9 2,250 2,590 — — — 800 — 1,600 1,600

These are starter/controller ratings, not motor full-load-current tables, overload settings, breaker or fuse sizes, conductor ampacity, SCCR, coil voltage, or enclosure requirements. Verify the exact starter manufacturer’s listing for the application before specification or installation.

NEMA Starter Size Chart — normal full-voltage, non-plugging/non-jogging controller reference. Verify the exact starter product and all motor branch-circuit requirements.

Page actions

How to Choose a NEMA Starter Size

  1. Read the motor nameplate: phase, operating voltage, horsepower, and full-load amps (FLA).
  2. Use the matching phase and voltage column: do not interpolate an unlisted voltage.
  3. Find the first size that covers the motor horsepower. If nameplate FLA is known, also confirm it does not exceed that size’s continuous-current rating.
  4. Verify the actual starter product: duty, overload relay, control voltage, enclosure, SCCR, branch protection, and manufacturer application limits are separate checks.

Fast example

A 10 hp, 460 V, three-phase motor reaches the Size 1 normal-duty limit of 10 hp. Size 1 is therefore the first horsepower-qualifying row; its controller ratings are 27 A continuous and 32 A service-limit current.

Starter Size Is Not the Overload, Breaker, or Fuse Size

The NEMA size classifies the starter/controller. It does not finish the motor branch-circuit design.

Starter / contactor

Check the published horsepower rating at the actual phase and voltage, plus continuous current when motor nameplate FLA is known.

Overload relay

Select and set motor overload protection from the motor and equipment requirements. Do not use the starter’s service-limit current as the overload setting.

Branch protection

Fuse or breaker sizing, conductor ampacity, SCCR, coordination, and disconnecting means remain separate design checks.

For the next protection lookup, use the Fuse Size Chart.

Normal Duty, Jogging, Plugging & Unlisted Voltages

This chart uses the published non-plugging and non-jogging horsepower ratings. Repeated jogging, plugging, rapid reversing, reduced-voltage starting, multispeed motors, VFDs, soft starters, DC motors, and IEC contactors require application-specific selection rather than a simple NEMA-size lookup.

200 V vs 208 V

The cited Rockwell table publishes a 200 V column. This page does not automatically relabel or interpolate it as 208 V; verify the chosen manufacturer’s rating for the actual application voltage.

460 V vs 480 V systems

Use the voltage rating stated by the actual starter manufacturer. This reference preserves the source’s published 460 V column rather than creating an estimated 480 V value.

Size 1P

Size 1P is a single-phase-only size in the cited manufacturer data: 36 A continuous, 42 A service limit, 3 hp at 115 V and 5 hp at 230 V.

NEMA Starter Size Examples

10 hp · 460 V · 3-phase

Size 0 is limited to 5 hp at 460 V. Size 1 reaches 10 hp, so Size 1 is the first horsepower-qualifying row.

25 hp · 460 V · 3-phase

Size 1 is limited to 10 hp and Size 2 reaches 25 hp, so Size 2 is the first horsepower-qualifying row.

4 hp · 230 V · 1-phase

Size 1 is limited to 3 hp while Size 1P reaches 5 hp, so Size 1P is the first horsepower-qualifying row.

Engineering References & Data Scope

NEMA ICS 2 rating basis, transformed into a task-focused reference and cross-checked against current manufacturer technical literature.

The controlling NEMA standard is commercially distributed. This page therefore presents a limited transformed lookup for starter sizing rather than reproducing the standard’s full tables, language, or proprietary arrangement.

Publisher
Turn2Engineering
Source check
October 6, 2026
Duty
Normal full-voltage, non-plugging/non-jogging
Phases
1-phase and 3-phase where published
Interpolation
None
Missing values
Em dash = no rating asserted in this reference

NEMA Starter Size FAQs

For the normal-duty reference shown here, 10 hp at 460 V reaches the published Size 1 limit, so Size 1 is the first horsepower-qualifying NEMA size. Verify motor FLA and the actual starter product before final selection.

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