Enter the width (mm), the thickness (mm), and the material carry capacity factor (amps/mm^2) into the calculator to determine the Busbar Current.

## Busbar Current Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the Busbar Current.

Ibb = w*t * MF
• Where Ibb is the Busbar Current (amps)
• w is the width (mm)
• t is the thickness (mm)
• MF is the material carry capacity factor (amps/mm^2)
• 1.2 for copper
• .8 for aluminum
• .6 for iron
• 1.6 for silver

To calculate a busbar current, multiply the width and thickness together, then multiply again by the material carry capacity factor.

## How to Calculate Busbar Current?

The following example problems outline how to calculate Busbar Current.

Example Problem #1

1. First, determine the width (mm). In this example, the width (mm) is determined to be 40 .
2. Next, determine the thickness (mm). For this problem, the thickness (mm) is measured to be 10 .
3. Next, determine the material carry capacity factor (amps/mm^2). In this case, the material carry capacity factor (amps/mm^2) is found to be 1.2.
1. Finally, calculate the Busbar Current using the formula above:

Ibb = w*t * MF

Inserting the values from above and solving yields:

Ibb = 40*10 *1.2 = 480 (amps)

Example Problem #2

Using the same method as above, determine the variables required by the formula. For this example problem, these are:

width (mm) = 5

thickness (mm) = 3

material carry capacity factor (amps/mm^2) = .6

Enter these given values into the calculator or above yields:

Ibb = 5*3 * .6 = 9 (amps)