ABB Emax 2 Price List and Cost Estimation Guide 2024 for Buyers
What is an ABB Emax 2 price list? An ABB Emax 2 price list is a manufacturer-issued schedule of list prices for IEC 60947-2-compliant air circuit breakers rated 400–6300 A at up to 1000 V AC, covering fixed and withdrawable frame variants with Ekip trip unit configurations across breaking capacities from 42 kA to 200 kA. Budgeting without verified list pricing risks significant cost variance — underestimating trip unit upgrades, withdrawable carriage premiums, or regional distributor margins can collapse contingency reserves and delay procurement approvals. This guide covers the key cost drivers behind Emax 2 pricing, current list price ranges by frame and rating, trip unit selection impact, withdrawable versus fixed cost trade-offs, and regional lead time considerations.
What Drives the Price of an ABB Emax 2 Breaker?
Most buyers ask for "the price of an ABB Emax 2" and expect a single figure. There isn't one. The Emax 2 is a configurable platform, and the final cost is the sum of seven distinct cost layers, each with its own multiplier.
In our experience working with EPC contractors across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, the largest single cost driver after frame size is the breaking capacity class. The same E2.2 frame in a B (42 kA), N (66 kA), or H (100 kA) version can swing the unit price by 35–60%. Engineers often overlook that paying for an H-class breaker on a feeder where prospective short-circuit current is only 28 kA is wasted budget — but underspecifying it triggers a costly retrofit when the upstream transformer is uprated.
The Seven Cost Layers
When we build a quote internally, we decompose the price into:
- Frame and breaking capacity (E1.2B through E6.2X)
- Rated current plug (In = 630 A up to 6300 A)
- Number of poles (3P or 4P)
- Execution: fixed (F) or withdrawable (W)
- Ekip trip unit variant (Dip, Touch, Hi-Touch, G, M)
- Terminal type (front F, rear horizontal HR, rear vertical VR)
- Accessories: shunt trips, undervoltage releases, auxiliary contacts, communication modules
That last layer is where procurement teams routinely underestimate. A fully accessorized E2.2 with Ekip Touch LSIG, Ekip Com Modbus TCP, two shunt trips, an undervoltage release, and a motor operator can land 80–95% above the bare breaker list price. For a deeper feature breakdown, see What Is the ABB SACE Emax 2? Features, Models and Key Benefits.
Detailed technical specifications, certified ratings, and accessory configurations for the ABB Emax 2 are published in ABB's official catalogue available on the ABB SACE Emax 2 product page.
2024 List Price Ranges by Frame and Rating
The figures below reflect indicative ABB Emax 2 EU list prices in Q2–Q3, before distributor discount (typically 35–55% for B2B accounts) and excluding VAT. Real transactional prices depend on volume, project registration, and regional logistics.
| Model / SKU | Rating | Icu @ 415V | Indicative List (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABB 1SDA070701R1 E1.2B 630 | 630 A, 3P, Fixed | 42 kA | 3,900 – 4,400 |
| ABB 1SDA070741R1 E1.2B 800 | 800 A, 3P, Fixed | 42 kA | 4,100 – 4,600 |
| ABB 1SDA070781R1 E1.2B 1000 | 1000 A, 3P, Fixed | 42 kA | 4,400 – 4,900 |
| ABB 1SDA070821R1 E1.2B 1250 | 1250 A, 3P, Fixed | 42 kA | 4,800 – 5,400 |
| ABB 1SDA070861R1 E1.2B 1600 | 1600 A, 3P, Fixed | 42 kA | 5,200 – 5,900 |
| ABB 1SDA070981R1 E2.2B 1600 | 1600 A, 3P, Fixed HR | 42 kA | 6,800 – 7,600 |
| ABB 1SDA071021R1 E2.2B 2000 | 2000 A, 3P, Fixed HR | 42 kA | 7,800 – 8,700 |
Cost Estimation: Building a Defensible Budget Number
Procurement managers preparing a tender package or capex submission for an ABB Emax 2 deployment need a number that survives scrutiny. A common mistake is to take the bare breaker list price, apply a flat distributor discount, and call it done. That approach misses 30–40% of the real cost.
We use a layered estimation approach grounded in the concept of installed cost — the price at which the breaker is energized and commissioned, not the price on the carton.
Formula: Installed Cost Estimation — Source: Stoklink procurement methodology, aligned with IEC 60947-2 Annex K accessory definitions
Cinstalled = (Pbase × (1 − D)) + Aacc + Llogistics + Iinstall + Tcommissioning
| Symbol | Description | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Cinstalled | Total installed cost per breaker | EUR / USD |
| Pbase | List price of the bare breaker | EUR / USD |
| D | Distributor discount factor (0.35–0.55 typical) | decimal |
| Aacc | Net accessory cost (trip unit upgrades, releases, comms) | EUR / USD |
| Llogistics | Freight, duties, insurance | EUR / USD |
| Iinstall | Mechanical and electrical installation labor | EUR / USD |
| Tcommissioning | Trip unit programming, primary injection testing | EUR / USD |
For a typical E2.2N 2500 A withdrawable unit with Ekip Touch LSIG and Modbus on a data center MDB, we have seen installed costs reach 18,500–22,000 EUR against a bare list price of around 11,000 EUR. The application context matters — see ABB Emax 2 in Data Centers: MDB Design, Redundancy and Uptime Considerations for why redundancy schemes drive these numbers up further.
Trip Unit Selection and Its Price Impact
The Ekip trip unit is the single component on the ABB Emax 2 where engineers most commonly overspecify. The price ladder runs roughly:
- Ekip Dip LI — basic long-time and instantaneous, mechanical dip-switch settings. Baseline (included in SKUs above).
- Ekip Dip LSI / LSIG — adds short-time and ground fault. Add ~6–9% to bare price.
- Ekip Touch LSI — color display, parameter logging, programmable. Add ~14–18%.
- Ekip Hi-Touch LSIG — full metering class 1, harmonics, datalogger. Add ~22–28%.
- Ekip G Touch — generator protection (51V, 32, 27, 59). Add ~30–35%.
In practice, the Dip LSI variant covers 70% of distribution feeder applications. The Touch and Hi-Touch variants are justified when the breaker is part of a power monitoring system or feeds a critical bus where forensic data after a trip event has commercial value. For a sizing-driven view of trip unit selection, see How to Size ABB Emax 2: Step-by-Step Calculator for LV Distribution Panels.
Withdrawable vs Fixed: The Real Cost Trade-off
A withdrawable execution adds a cassette (cradle) with primary disconnects, racking mechanism, and shutters. List price uplift is typically 35–45% over the fixed equivalent. Procurement teams sometimes push back on this premium, arguing the breaker rarely fails. That argument misses the point.
The withdrawable cost is not paid for breaker reliability — it is paid for switchboard availability during routine maintenance. On a critical bus tie carrying 2500 A, a fixed breaker means a planned shutdown of 4–8 hours every five years for primary injection testing. A withdrawable lets you swap in a hot-standby unit and test offline. In a 24/7 process plant, the avoided downtime pays the premium back on the first maintenance cycle.
That said, on non-critical feeders — say, an HVAC distribution panel in an office building — the fixed version is the right answer. There is no universal rule here; it depends on outage cost per hour and maintenance philosophy.
Regional Price Variations and Lead Times
List prices are nominally global, but transactional pricing differs significantly by region. From our order data:
| Region | Typical Net Discount | Lead Time (Standard Config) | Lead Time (Custom Accessories) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Europe | 40–55% | 3–5 weeks | 8–12 weeks |
| Middle East / GCC | 35–48% | 5–8 weeks | 10–14 weeks |
| North America (NEMA market) | 30–45% | 6–10 weeks | 12–16 weeks |
| Southeast Asia | 32–45% | 4–7 weeks | 10–14 weeks |
Lead times in have stabilized compared to the 2022–2023 period, but customized configurations — particularly anything with a non-standard auxiliary voltage or an MV/LV interface relay package — still run double the standard window. Plan accordingly.
Estimating Your Project Cost: Interactive Calculator
Comparing Emax 2 Pricing Against Alternatives
Engineers often face a choice between Emax 2 and competing platforms. The most common comparison is with Schneider Electric MasterPact MTZ. On bare frame pricing for equivalent ratings, the two platforms typically sit within 5–10% of each other, with regional dealer relationships often determining which lands cheaper on a given project. For a detailed technical and price comparison, see ABB Emax 2 vs Schneider MasterPact MTZ: Technical Specs, Features and Price Compared.
Where the platforms diverge meaningfully is in accessory ecosystems and communication module pricing. ABB's Ekip Com Hub and Modbus TCP modules are generally 10–15% cheaper than Schneider equivalents, while Schneider's IFE/EIFE Ethernet interfaces include some functions that require additional ABB modules. Specify the full I/O and comms requirements before comparing — bare breaker price comparisons mislead.
Hidden Costs Procurement Teams Miss
Three cost items consistently appear under-budgeted in our experience:
Primary injection testing equipment. If your facility doesn't already own a 2000 A primary injection set, commissioning a new Emax 2 installation requires either capex on test gear (15,000–35,000 EUR) or rental and third-party testing services (1,500–3,000 EUR per breaker). On large projects, owning the equipment pays back; on single-breaker retrofits, rent.
Spare trip units and accessories. A spare Ekip Touch trip unit costs roughly 35% of the bare breaker price, but having one on the shelf prevents a 6–10 week outage if the original fails. For mission-critical buses, factor a 5–8% spares allocation into your budget. The ABB Emax 2 nuisance tripping diagnostic guide explains why trip unit firmware and configuration anomalies are often the root cause, not the trip unit hardware itself.
Software licenses. Ekip Connect 3 is free for basic configuration, but advanced functions like waveform capture analysis and remote firmware updates require licensed Ekip Control Panel modules. Budget 800–2,500 EUR per facility license depending on feature set.
Procurement Strategy: When to Stock vs. Project-Order
For OEM panel builders and EPC contractors handling multiple projects per year, stocking standard configurations of E1.2 and E2.2 frames in 630–2000 A ratings with Ekip Dip LSI trip units typically reduces effective cost by 8–12% through volume discounts and avoided expedite fees. The complete Emax 2 technical specification reference helps identify which configurations carry the highest commonality across applications.
For one-off installations, project-specific ordering through an authorized distributor remains the better path — the savings from project registration discounts (5–15% additional off list) outweigh stocking efficiency at low volumes.
You can also browse our broader range of air circuit breakers at Stoklink, alongside complementary protection devices like miniature circuit breakers, residual current devices, and relays, for full panel BOM coverage.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the typical price range for an ABB Emax 2 E2.2 1600Abreaker in?
An E2.2B 1600 A 3-pole fixed breaker with Ekip Dip LI trip unit, such as the ABB 1SDA070981R1, has an indicative EU list price between 6,800 and 7,600 EUR. After typical B2B distributor discounts of 40–50%, transactional pricing lands around 3,400–4,500 EUR for the bare breaker, before accessories, logistics, and commissioning costs.
Why does breaking capacity (B/N/H/V/L) affect price so significantly?
The breaking capacity class determines the contact metallurgy, arc chute design, and main pole construction required to safely interrupt the rated short-circuit current per IEC 60947-2 Clause 8.3.5. An H-class breaker uses higher-performance silver-tungsten contacts and reinforced arc splitter plates compared to a B-class unit, which adds material cost. Specifying H when N suffices wastes 20–35% of budget — match the class to your prospective fault current calculation, not to a "safety factor" instinct.
Are there cost differences between 3-pole and 4-pole versions?
A 4-pole Emax 2 typically costs 28–38% more than the equivalent 3-pole, reflecting the additional pole assembly, wider frame, and modified trip unit current sensing. For TN-S systems where the neutral is solidly bonded upstream, a 3-pole breaker is usually adequate. For TN-C-S transitioning at the breaker, IT systems, or applications requiring full neutral switching for maintenance isolation, 4-pole is mandatory — see the Emax 2 sizing guide for the decision logic.
How long are the lead times for Emax 2 in?
Standard configurations from European stock typically ship in 3–5 weeks. Custom configurations involving non-standard auxiliary voltages, specific accessory combinations, or NEMA-market versions can run 8–16 weeks depending on region. We recommend placing orders at the start of the panel design phase, not at the end — accessory configuration changes after order placement frequently restart the manufacturing clock.
Is it cheaper to buy the Emax 2 with the trip unit included or separately?
The Emax 2 platform does not allow truly separate trip unit purchase for new breakers — the trip unit is configured as part of the SKU. However, trip unit upgrades (e.g., replacing an Ekip Dip with an Ekip Touch later) are supported as field retrofits and typically cost 15–25% more than specifying the higher trip unit at order time. Specify correctly upfront when possible.
Do prices differ between fixed (F) and withdrawable (W) executions?
Yes. The withdrawable execution adds 35–45% to the bare breaker price because it includes the cassette assembly with primary disconnects, racking mechanism, position indicators, and safety shutters. The premium is justified for critical buses where maintenance without bus de-energization matters, but is overkill for non-critical feeders.
Conclusion
Pricing the ABB SACE Emax 2 correctly is less about finding a single number and more about building a configuration that matches your application — neither overspecified nor underspecified. The base frame is the smallest part of the conversation. Trip unit selection, accessory loadout, breaking capacity class, and execution type collectively determine 60–70% of installed cost, and procurement teams that treat these as afterthoughts consistently overrun their budgets by 20–30%.
In our experience, the projects that come in on budget are the ones where the protection coordination study, the panel layout, and the accessory schedule are finalized before the first quote is requested. Working backward from a target price almost always produces a compromised specification. Work forward from the application requirements, then optimize.
For the full selection methodology — including sizing, coordination, application-specific guidance, and maintenance planning — return to our pillar resource, the ABB SACE Emax 2 Air Circuit Breaker: Selection, Application and Maintenance Guide. For procurement support on specific configurations, the Stoklink team can provide project-registered pricing and lead time confirmation against current ABB stock.
