Why is a low current (<10A) MCB more expensive than a high current MCB?
A low current (<10A) MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker) is often more expensive than a high current MCB for several reasons:
- Low current MCBs are delicate products which demand more refined engineering and sophisticated parts to effectively sense and trigger at low current range. This precision leads to increased layout of the product and therefore increased costs of production of these products.
- High current MCBs are generally used in industries and commercial services, and more units are sold which make items cheaper due to the principles of economies of scale. On the other hand, low current MCBs could be used in a smaller market due to their abilities and hence the costs of production could be higher.
- The parts employed in low current MCBs may consist of bimetallic strips and electromagnetic trip devices, meaning such parts are likely to be very sensitive and precise to work well and therefore may be costly to develop.
- Some Low current MCBs are only tested and certified to be safe and adequately performing in their categories. The improvement of the quality control results in the overall cost.
- Manufacturers may decide to brand low current MCBs as special or superior products and due to the technology used or the accuracy of the MCBs, they can prefer a higher price.
Therefore, the general increase in price of low current MCBs can be attributed by the following factors of precision, components used, low production and high levels of testing and certification.