RCD and RCBO Cross-Reference: Acti9, F200, 5SV Replacement

What does an RCD cross-reference actually match? A cross-reference between Schneider Acti9, ABB F200/DS201 and Siemens 5SV/5SU1 lines up rated residual operating current (IΔn), type (AC/A/F/B), pole count and rated current (In) — not the model number itself, since none of the three catalogs share a numbering scheme. Match on type alone and a Type AC unit can end up covering a VFD output that needs Type F. Match on sensitivity alone and a 100 A frame can replace a 63 A one that no longer fits the busbar pitch. This guide covers RCCB-to-RCCB matching across the three brands, RCBO cross-reference between the add-on-block and one-piece formats, Type B equivalents for EV and PV circuits, and the current ratings where the ranges don't line up.

Why Model Numbers Don't Cross-Reference Directly

Acti9 iID, F200 and 5SV are three unrelated platforms. Schneider's "iID" prefix says nothing about sensitivity or type; ABB's "F204" tells you 4-pole and nothing about In; Siemens splits its range across 5SV3, 5SV4 and 5SV6 sub-families for different current bands. None of the three publishes a table mapping competitor part numbers to their own. Distributors build that mapping themselves, from the datasheets, one parameter at a time.

What we see in the field: panel builders often ask for "the ABB equivalent of this Schneider RCD" expecting a single answer. There isn't one. There's a parameter set, and sometimes two ABB part numbers satisfy it equally well — the choice then comes down to lead time or price, not electrical difference.

Match Sensitivity and Type Before Anything Else

The good news: IΔn labeling is identical across brands. 10 mA and 30 mA mean personal protection everywhere; 100/300/500 mA mean fire and equipment protection everywhere. That part of a cross-reference is a straight lookup.

Type is where substitution errors happen. Type AC detects sinusoidal AC residual current only. Type A adds pulsating DC and covers most electronic and SMPS loads — it's the shared modern default at Schneider, ABB and Siemens alike. Type F extends Type A to mixed-frequency residual current from single-phase variable frequency drives. Type B adds smooth DC residual, required for three-phase VFDs, EV chargers and transformerless PV inverters. Swap a Type AC device into a circuit feeding electronic ballasts or drives and the pulsating DC component can blind the detection coil. It won't trip when it should.

One parameter survives a straight substitution even in a discriminated (selective) scheme, and it isn't optional: the ratio between upstream and downstream sensitivity.

Replace one device in an existing scheme without checking this ratio, and the new part can trip ahead of the one it's supposed to back up — the whole board drops instead of just the faulted circuit.

RCCB Cross-Reference: Acti9 iID, F200 and 5SV Side by Side

For a bare RCCB (no overcurrent protection, backed by a separate MCB), the three ranges line up closely on sensitivity and construction, less closely on current rating.

Type F sits in the ABB and Siemens rows but not the Schneider one above — Acti9 iID's published type set runs AC/A/SI/B, so a single-phase VFD job needing Type F specifically points toward F200 or 5SV rather than Acti9.

RCBO Cross-Reference: Add-On Block vs One-Piece

This is where the three brands diverge most, and where cross-referencing by part number alone actively misleads. Schneider builds its RCBO two ways: Acti9 Vigi iC60 is an add-on earth-leakage block that clips onto an existing iC60 MCB, and Acti9 iDPN Vigi / Reload is a compact one-piece unit. ABB's DS201 (1P+N) and DS202C/DS203NC are one-piece RCBOs — MCB and RCD built as a single molded unit. Siemens mirrors that with the 5SU1 compact 1P+N RCBO and the 5SV1 modular RCBO.

A one-piece RCBO from ABB or Siemens has no direct "block" equivalent from Schneider unless you already have — or are willing to fit — the matching iC60 MCB underneath it. Conversely, a Vigi block cross-references to nothing on the ABB or Siemens side; there's no add-on module in either range that clips onto a third-party MCB.

This depends on how the panel is maintained. Some panel builders standardize on the Vigi block specifically because a nuisance trip or RCD failure means swapping a small block and keeping the MCB in place; a one-piece failure means pulling the whole module, MCB and all. Others prefer the one-piece format for panel density and wiring speed. Neither is wrong — it's a maintenance philosophy question, not a compliance one.

Type B Cross-Reference for EV, PV and VFD Circuits

Type B coverage is the least consistent parameter across the three ranges. ABB's F200 B is a dedicated true Type B RCCB. Siemens 5SM3 covers Type B specifically for DC fault currents from EV chargers, PV inverters and VFDs. Schneider's Acti9 iID range lists B alongside AC/A/SI, but not in every pole and current combination — check the specific In and pole count before assuming a Type B variant exists at the rating needed.

Where a full Type B unit isn't available or is oversized for the load, the alternative combination under IEC 62955 is a Type A RCD plus a 6 mA DC residual current detection device (RDC-DD) built into the charge point or RCBO. This is common on EV chargers specifically — Type A handles the AC and pulsating-DC residual current, RDC-DD watches for smooth DC above 6 mA and trips the upstream device or disconnects the charger.

Rated Current Steps Don't Always Line Up

At the top end, the ranges split. ABB's F200 runs to 125 A. Siemens 5SV runs 16-125 A. Schneider's Acti9 iID tops out at 100 A. A 125 A F200 or 5SV device has no direct Acti9 iID equivalent — the options are stepping down to a 100 A frame if the load current allows it, or moving to a residual current relay with a separate toroid for feeders above the RCCB range.

That relay-plus-toroid approach applies broadly above roughly 125 A regardless of brand: Siemens 5SM2, ABB RD3 and Schneider Vigirex all work this way, reading current through an external ring core rather than a fixed device body. Cross-referencing a large feeder protection scheme means comparing relay-and-toroid setups, not RCCB part numbers.

Ordering the Right Cross-Referenced Part

A cross-reference is only as good as the parameter check behind it. For a straight RCCB vs RCBO decision, start with the source device's protection scope — earth leakage only, or earth leakage plus overload and short circuit — before comparing brands. If the terminology itself is the sticking point, the MCB vs RCBO vs RCD vs RCCB breakdown separates the four terms that get conflated in RFQs. For the type question specifically, the RCD types AC, A, F, B and SI breakdown and the Type A vs Type B comparison cover the waveform detail this article summarizes. For a full sensitivity-type-poles checklist before placing an order, see how to select an RCD. The broader parameter set behind all of this sits in the RCD protection guide.

Stoklink stocks ABB, Schneider and Siemens RCCBs and RCBOs against the same procurement request, so a cross-reference check happens once, against verified catalog data, rather than per quote. Browse the residual current devices collection for RCCBs across all three brands, or the RCBOs collection for the one-piece and modular formats side by side.

Conclusion

A reliable RCD or RCBO cross-reference runs on four parameters, in order: type, sensitivity, poles, then rated current — the part number is the last thing to check, not the first. The three major brands agree closely on IΔn labeling and on Type A as the modern default, and diverge on Type F and Type B availability by rating, on RCBO construction (add-on block vs one-piece), and on where their current ranges top out. Confirm all four before treating any two devices as equivalent, and check the source device's role in an existing selectivity scheme before substituting anything upstream of it.