EN vs UL current ratings

[JohnW2]

Hi folks,

Recentky looking at the ratings of Wago connectors, I was reminded how different the EN and UL current ratings of items can be. For example, with 221-61x Wagos (for conductors up to 6mm²), the EN rating (which is the one we would look at) is 41 A, whereas the UL one is only 30 A.

I wonder whether the UL figures are 'over-cautious', the EN ones 'not cautious enough', or what?

 

[plugwash]

A few things I observe.

1. The EN ratings seem to be "odd" numbers, while the UL ratings are standard american circuit ratings.
2. The americans seem to be a bit more cautious on default wire sizes for a given current than we do.
3. The largest american conductor size the connectors support is 10AWG which is a fair bit smaller than 6mm²

IIRC the next american breaker size over 30A is 40A, which would normally require 8AWG wire, which is too big for the wago.