Danfoss VLT Drive Decoder (FC) Skip to main content
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Danfoss VLT Drive Decoder

Type a Danfoss VLT FC type code (FC-302P15KT5..., FC-051PK75T4IP20H3..., FC-202P1K1S2...) and read the motor kW/HP, captured output currents, voltage class, and frame size straight from the Danfoss design-guide tables. FC 102 current coverage is incomplete and flagged in the result. Built around the real traps: the power code is a kW key, not a current; the T5 380-500 V class carries distinct ND and HD currents; and an impossible power/voltage combination is rejected, not invented.

A reference decoder for Danfoss VLT FC drive type codes across five families: FC 301 and FC 302 (VLT AutomationDrive, which share one electrical rating table), FC 102 (VLT HVAC Drive), FC 202 (VLT AQUA Drive), and FC 51 (VLT Micro Drive). Enter the long type code off the nameplate and the app reads the series digits to pick the family, walks the positional grammar field by field (product group, power code, phase, mains-voltage class, enclosure, RFI filter, brake, display, coating, and the A/B/C/D option slots), then looks up the matched ratings row by family + voltage class + power code. It returns the motor kW and the published HP equivalent, the captured Normal-Duty and High-Duty rated output currents, the voltage class (T2 200-240 V, T4 380-480 V, T5 380-500 V, T6 525-600 V, T7 525-690 V three-phase, plus the S2/S4 single-phase classes), and the frame/enclosure size. The FC 102 HVAC family resolves kW/HP and frame, but its High-Duty current is not captured and its Normal-Duty current coverage is incomplete; those gaps are flagged instead of filled with placeholders. The power-rating code is treated as an opaque kW lookup key (PK75 = 0.75 kW, P11K = 11 kW, the K is the decimal point), never parsed as a current. When a power code does not exist at the entered voltage class, or a required position carries an undocumented token, the decoder says so and suggests the nearest cataloged drive rather than guessing a rating.

Pro Tip: Read the duty columns deliberately. The Danfoss power code is a kW rating, not a current, so size the motor FLA against the published Normal-Duty (variable-torque: pumps, fans) or High-Duty (constant-torque: conveyors, crushers) output current, never against the HP label. On the FC 301/302, the T5 380-500 V class genuinely carries two different currents at the same kW (P15K T5 is 27 A ND but 43.2 A HD), and the FC 202 publishes the High-Overload column where the same power code can map to a lower kW (P30K maps to 22 kW at T4). Single-phase AQUA drives (S2/S4) are a separate table from the three-phase classes at the same kW. The one gap to know: the FC 102 HVAC family resolves kW/HP and frame, but its High-Duty current is not captured and many of its Normal-Duty currents are still being finalized from the FC 102 design guide, so confirm FC 102 output current against the guide directly.

Read the Danfoss VLT Drive Guide for the families, the real traps, and what the decoder will not do

Danfoss VLT Drive Guide →

Decode the motor nameplate the drive runs

Motor Nameplate Decoder →

Cross-shop the equivalent Allen-Bradley PowerFlex drive

PowerFlex Drive Decoder →

Cross-shop the equivalent Yaskawa drive

Yaskawa Drive Decoder →

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Danfoss VLT Drive Decoder
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How It Works

  1. Type the full type code

    Enter the long type code off the drive nameplate (the T/C type code, not the catalog/ordering number). It starts with FC, then the series 301/302/102/202/051, then the power code, phase, voltage class, enclosure, and options. Dashes and lowercase are tolerated. Examples: FC-302P15KT5E20H1BGCXXXSXXXXA0BXCXXXXD0 or FC-051PK75T4IP20H3BXCXXSXXX (the FC 51 is a shorter code).

  2. Read the type-code breakdown strip

    The decoder splits the string into labeled segments: product group (FC), series, power code, phase, mains voltage, enclosure, RFI filter, brake, display, coating, and the option slots. Each cell shows the raw token and its decoded meaning, with the same physical field matched by token order, not by absolute character index.

  3. Read the motor rating and currents

    The Ratings card shows the motor kW with the published HP equivalent, the Normal-Duty rated output current, the High-Duty rated output current (or 'not captured' where the source did not publish it for that family), the frame/enclosure size, and the resolved voltage class. The power code maps to these values; it is not itself a current.

  4. Check the duty note

    The 'What this means for the job' layer tells you whether to size on Normal Duty or High Duty for your load torque, the supply phase and voltage the drive needs, and the enclosure note. On the FC 301/302 T5 class the ND and HD currents are distinct, so the panel surfaces both.

  5. Watch for the invalid verdict

    If the power code does not exist at the entered voltage class (for example P75K at T2), or a required position carries an undocumented token, the decoder shows a 'Not a cataloged drive' verdict with the reason and the nearest cataloged drive in the same family and class, instead of fabricating a rating.

  6. Export the decode

    PDF export produces a branded report with the type-code breakdown, the decoded ratings, the duty and field notes, and the source citation. CSV and share carry the same decoded context for documentation, not for ordering authorization.

Built For

  • An electrician decoding FC-302P15KT5E20H1BGCXXXSXXXXA0BXCXXXXD0 off a nameplate to confirm it is a 15 kW / 20 HP drive at 380-500 V with 27 A ND / 43.2 A HD before sizing the motor leads
  • A controls tech telling an FC 301 from an FC 302 on a replacement: the kW and current are identical, so the choice is the control feature set (advanced motion, synchronizing, positioning)
  • A pump technician verifying that an FC-202 AQUA single-phase S2 drive is read off the single-phase table, not the three-phase column at the same kW
  • A maintenance planner decoding an FC 51 Micro Drive short type code (FC-051PK75T4IP20H3...) and confirming the shorter string is normal, not truncated
  • An estimator catching that a Danfoss power code like P30K can map to 22 kW in the FC 202 High-Overload column rather than a literal 30 kW
  • A field engineer confirming that a power code entered at the wrong voltage class (P75K at 240 V T2) is flagged as not cataloged with a nearest-drive suggestion
  • A panel builder reading the enclosure and RFI-filter positions to confirm the IP20 versus higher-IP and H1/H3 EMC-filter configuration of the ordered drive
  • An HVAC tech decoding an FC 102 to get the kW/HP and frame, while being told the High-Duty current is not captured for that family so it must be pulled from the FC 102 design guide

Features & Capabilities

Five Families, One Grammar

Decodes FC 301 and FC 302 (VLT AutomationDrive, sharing one ratings table), FC 102 (VLT HVAC), FC 202 (VLT AQUA), and FC 51 (VLT Micro Drive). The series digits at positions 301/302/102/202/051 pick the family; the FC 301 and FC 302 resolve the same electrical row but are named distinctly.

Power Code Read as kW, Not Current

The power-rating field is decoded as an opaque kW lookup key (PK75 = 0.75 kW, P11K = 11 kW, the K is the decimal point), never parsed as a current. The Normal-Duty and High-Duty output currents come from the matched design-guide row, not from the digits.

Distinct Normal-Duty and High-Duty Currents

Where Danfoss publishes two output currents, both are surfaced. On the FC 301/302 T5 380-500 V class the ND and HD values genuinely differ at the same kW (P15K T5 is 27 A ND / 43.2 A HD), and the decoder shows both rather than collapsing them to one number.

Voltage Class Resolved Correctly

Resolves T2 (200-240 V), T4 (380-480 V), T5 (380-500 V, FC 301/302 only), T6 (525-600 V) and T7 (525-690 V) three-phase classes, plus the single-phase S2 (1x200-240 V) and S4 (1x380-480 V) classes. The FC 202 single- and three-phase tables are keyed separately so a single-phase drive is never read off the three-phase column.

Impossible Combinations Rejected

If a power code is not cataloged at the entered voltage class (P75K at T2), or the power token is not a recognized code at all, the decoder returns a 'Not a cataloged drive' verdict with the reason and the nearest real neighbour, instead of inventing a current or kW.

Hard-Validates Required Positions

An undocumented token at a required position (phase, enclosure) is treated as a structural violation that fails the verdict, even if a ratings row could otherwise be reached off the shifted characters, so a malformed ordering string is not handed back as valid.

FC 51 Short-Code Aware

The Micro Drive FC 51 type code is shorter: no separate phase character (the 2-character class S2/T2/T4 carries the phase), a fixed IP20 enclosure, and a fixed H3 RFI filter. The decoder expects the short form and does not flag it as truncated.

PDF and CSV Export, Light and Dark Mode

PDF export uses the shared ToolGrit report generator and includes the type-code breakdown, the decoded ratings, duty and field notes, warnings, and the per-family source citation. Standard ToolGrit light/dark theme; the decode and ratings update in aria-live regions when the type code changes.

Comparison

Family Series Drive Voltage classes Output currents decoded
FC 301 301 VLT AutomationDrive (standard) T2 / T4 / T5 / T6 / T7 Normal-Duty and High-Duty (shares the FC 302 table)
FC 302 302 VLT AutomationDrive (advanced motion) T2 / T4 / T5 / T6 / T7 Normal-Duty and High-Duty; T5 carries distinct ND and HD
FC 102 102 VLT HVAC Drive T2 / T4 / T6 / T7 kW/HP and frame; High-Duty not captured, Normal-Duty partial
FC 202 202 VLT AQUA Drive S2 / S4 (single-phase) + T2 / T4 / T6 / T7 Normal-Duty and High-Duty; single- and three-phase keyed separately
FC 51 051 VLT Micro Drive S2 / T2 / T4 Normal-Duty and High-Duty; short type code, fixed IP20 / H3

References

  • Danfoss VLT AutomationDrive FC 301 / FC 302 Design Guide (AJ286655760917en-002201) - type code and power-ratings tables (Tables 28-41)
  • Danfoss VLT HVAC Drive FC 102 Design Guide (AJ299549559248en-002001) - type code; Normal-Duty currents from Tables 5, 163-164 (High-Duty not captured)
  • Danfoss VLT AQUA Drive FC 202 Design Guide - type code and single- and three-phase power-ratings tables
  • Danfoss VLT Micro Drive FC 51 Design Guide (AJ361178983102en-000401) - type code and power-ratings tables

Frequently Asked Questions

It is the motor kW rating, with the letter K as the decimal point. PK75 is 0.75 kW, PK37 is 0.37 kW, P1K5 is 1.5 kW, P11K is 11 kW, P75K is 75 kW. It is a lookup key into the Danfoss ratings table, not a current. The decoder reads the published Normal-Duty and High-Duty output currents from the matched row; it never parses a current out of the power digits.
They share the same type-code grammar and the same power-ratings tables, so a given FC 301 and FC 302 at the same power code and voltage class have identical kW, HP, and output currents. The 302 adds advanced motion, synchronizing and positioning control (MCO 305/350/351, PROFIsafe) over the standard 301. When cross-referencing, match the kW and current first, then pick 301 versus 302 on the control features you need.
At the T5 380-500 V class the FC 301/302 design guide publishes a distinct Normal-Duty and High-Duty rated output current at the same kW. P15K at T5 is 27 A Normal-Duty and 43.2 A High-Duty; P37K is 65 A ND and 97.5 A HD; P75K is 130 A ND and 195 A HD. The decoder shows both so you size on the duty your load needs (variable-torque pumps and fans on ND, constant-torque or high-breakaway loads on HD). T5 is published for the FC 301/302 only.
Not fully, and the tool is explicit about it. The FC 102 resolves the motor kW/HP, voltage class, and frame size reliably. Its High-Duty current is not captured (it renders as 'not captured'), and its Normal-Duty current is incomplete: it is populated on many of the 200-240 V, 525-600 V and 525-690 V rows but is blank on most of the 380-400 V rows while those values are finalized from the FC 102 design guide. For FC 102 output current, confirm directly against the design guide rather than treating the tool as complete for that family.
The AQUA FC 202 publishes single-phase input classes (S2 = 1x200-240 V, S4 = 1x380-480 V) with different output currents than the three-phase classes at the same kW. The decoder keys single- and three-phase separately so a single-phase drive is never read off the three-phase column. It also surfaces the High-Overload column, where a power code such as P30K can map to a lower kW (22 kW) than the literal 30 the code suggests.
The Micro Drive FC 51 is a compact, fixed-feature drive. Its type code has no separate phase character (the 2-character voltage class S2/T2/T4 carries the phase), the enclosure is fixed IP20, and the RFI filter is fixed H3, so many of the option positions present on the larger families do not exist. A short FC 51 code like FC-051PK75T4IP20H3BXCXXSXXX is normal, not truncated.
The decoder returns a 'Not a cataloged drive' verdict. If the power code is published at other voltage classes for the family, it says so (for example P75K exists at higher classes, not at 240 V T2). It then suggests the nearest cataloged drive in that family and class so you are never left at a dead end, but it does not fabricate a current or kW for an impossible combination.
No. This is a reference decode of the published type-code grammar and design-guide ratings, not an engineering authorization. Ratings and code meanings change between product revisions. Always verify the decoded values against the physical drive nameplate and the current Danfoss design guide, and use the High-Duty rating for constant-torque or high-breakaway loads, before sizing a motor, ordering, or installing.
Disclaimer: This tool decodes published Danfoss VLT FC type-code grammar and power-ratings tables for reference. ToolGrit is not affiliated with Danfoss. It does not certify a drive, approve a substitution, size a motor, or authorize an installation. The FC 102 HVAC family resolves kW/HP and frame, but its High-Duty current is not captured and its Normal-Duty currents are incomplete pending finalization from the FC 102 design guide. Ratings and code meanings change between product revisions, so always verify the decoded values against the physical drive nameplate and the current Danfoss design guide, and use the High-Duty rating for constant-torque or high-breakaway loads, before sizing a motor, ordering, or installing.

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