An MCB trips on overload and short circuit to protect wiring; an RCCB trips on earth leakage to protect people from shock. They do different jobs, so a home board needs both. An RCBO combines the two functions in one module, giving per-circuit protection and better fault isolation.
| Property | MCB | RCCB |
|---|---|---|
| Protects against | overload + short circuit | earth-leakage current |
| Protects | cables and equipment | people (shock) |
| Typical scope | one circuit | a group of circuits |
| On a fault | trips that circuit | trips the whole group it feeds |
| Combined option | — | RCBO = MCB + RCCB in one ~18 mm module |
Typical industry values for planning — confirm exact figures against the manufacturer datasheet and local code before ordering.
Every final circuit needs overcurrent protection — MCBs sit on lighting, socket and appliance circuits.
Earth-leakage protection is required for shock safety; an RCCB covers a bank of MCBs, while an RCBO per circuit gives the best selectivity (a fault trips only the affected circuit).
Our engineers spec the system and supply against it — send your project for a package quote.
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