Contactors and relays switch power and control circuits on and off. They're among the most replaced parts in any control panel, and choosing the right one comes down to a few key ratings.
Contactors (for motors and loads)
- Coil voltage: what energizes it — 24V DC, 120V AC, 240V AC, etc. Must match your control circuit.
- Poles: usually 3-pole for a three-phase motor (plus auxiliary contacts).
- Current / HP rating: the AC-3 ampere or horsepower rating for the load it switches.
- Auxiliary contacts: extra NO/NC contacts for control logic.
Control relays (ice-cube / pluggable)
- Coil voltage and AC vs DC coil.
- Contact configuration: DPDT, 3PDT, 4PDT (number of switching contacts).
- Contact rating: amps the contacts can carry.
- Base/socket: 8-pin, 11-pin, 14-pin — must match the existing socket.
Reading the brand codes
Each maker has its own scheme — Schneider/Telemecanique LC1D, Siemens 3RT/3RH, ABB A-series, Allen-Bradley 100-C, Eaton XT. The model number encodes the size, coil and contacts. The coil voltage is often a separate suffix, so the same body can have many part numbers.
We'll cross-reference it
Tell us the part number (or the coil voltage, pole count and load), and we'll match an exact or equivalent contactor or relay and quote it with availability and lead time.