Square D Type VR (Masterclad) Catalog Number Decoder
Decode a Square D / Schneider Type VR medium-voltage vacuum circuit breaker, the drawout breaker in Masterclad metal-clad switchgear, from its nameplate catalog number (V5D…) or its VR rating number. Returns the full ANSI rated-values set with close and trip control voltages, and reads the VAD-3 and VAD-2 breakers that came before it. The decoder is free, needs no login, and runs entirely in your browser — paste a catalog number such as V5DC133YS00 and it returns every field it can resolve, plus a position-by-position map showing which character carried which value.
- Manufacturer
- Square D
- Frames
- Type VR · VAD-3 · VAD-2 · Class 6055 Masterclad
- Ratings
- 4.76 kV – 27 kV · 1200A – 4000A
What this decoder identifies
- Nameplate catalog number (V5D…) — rating, continuous current, close and trip control voltages
- VR rating number (VR-05025-12) — voltage class, MVA class, continuous current
- Full ANSI rated values from the 1994 Masterclad catalog, with the later K = 1 rating where it differs
- 63 kA, 4000 A and 27 kV ratings from the later Square D data bulletins
- VAD-3 / VacArc and VAD-2 predecessor numbers (V3D…, V2D…, VAD-3-…, VAD-2-…)
- Charging-motor, closing-coil and trip-coil ratings for VAD-3 and VAD-2 by control voltage
Also sold or stamped as
The same breaker family appears under several names depending on the era of the nameplate. This decoder covers numbers labelled:
- Schneider Type VR
- Square D VR
- Masterclad VR
- Class 6055
- VAD-5
- VAD-3 / VacArc (predecessor)
- VAD-2 (Series 2 predecessor)
Square D Type VR (Masterclad) — common questions
Where is the catalog number on a Type VR breaker, and why does it not look like VR-05025-12?
Read the CATALOG NO. line on the breaker nameplate. Type VR nameplates carry a V5D… number (for example V5DC133YS00), not the VR-05025-12 rating number printed in the Masterclad catalog. The V5D number encodes the rating, the continuous current and the closing and trip control voltages; the decoder reads it position by position and also accepts the VR rating number on its own.
Why does the decoder show the 1994 ratings first?
Most Type VR breakers in service were built to the 1994 Masterclad ratings, with a voltage range factor K greater than 1. Square D later re-rated the same catalog numbers to K = 1, which changes the short-circuit, interrupting and closing-and-latching values. The decoder leads with the 1994 rating and shows the later rating beside it where they differ. The K line on the nameplate decides which applies, not the build date: K > 1 breakers were still being built in 2007.
My 27 kV class Type VR says 29 kV on the nameplate. Which is right?
The decoder follows Square D data bulletin 6055DB1402 (revised March 2026), which rates this class at 27 kV. One rating-code-1 nameplate, made in May 2000, has been seen printing 29 kV rated maximum voltage and 125 kV BIL, so check the RATED MAXIMUM VOLTAGE line on your own plate.
Does it read VAD-3, VacArc and VAD-2 breakers?
Yes. VAD-3 (also nameplated VacArc) and VAD-2 use the same catalog grammar as Type VR. The decoder reads VAD-3-… and VAD-2-… numbers and the internal V3D… and V2D… numbers from Square D engineering standards E-52100 and E-51150, including the charging-motor, closing-coil and trip-coil ratings by control voltage. Their ratings match the 1994 Type VR rating of the same number; VAD-2 adds 3000 A on every rating.
Is a Square D Type VR the same as an Eaton VR-Series breaker?
No. Eaton / Cutler-Hammer VR-Series are vacuum replacement elements that retrofit older air breakers such as GE AM, Westinghouse DH and Federal Pacific DST-2. They share the letters, not the product. The decoder recognises VR-Series, DHP-VR and DST-2VR strings and points them to the right place instead of decoding them as a Square D breaker.
Related resources
Free manuals for this equipment
Square D Type VR instruction bulletins and Masterclad catalogs
All breaker decoders
Siemens, Eaton / Cutler-Hammer, GE and Square D catalog-number tools
Working in a switchgear room with no signal? Every decoder also runs offline from a local folder.
Open the Offline KitCan't read the nameplate?
If the plate is painted over, corroded or missing digits, send us what you can read or a photo — our team identifies legacy and obsolete breakers every day, and sources the new-surplus or reconditioned replacement.