Industrial circuit breaker FOB listings on Made-in-China ranged from US$5.50 for a single-pole over-voltage unit to US$8,000 for a 500 A moulded-case thermal unit as of 2026-07-02, with MOQs between 1 and 100 pieces depending on frame size and certification [S4][S7].
Vacuum circuit breakers (VCB) used for medium-voltage transformer protection clustered at US$360-720 per set with a 10-set MOQ from Zhejiang Fuerte, while single-phase 32 A RCBOs with 30 mA earth-leakage protection sold at US$6 per piece with a 5-piece MOQ [S2][S3]. MCCB listings carrying CE marks for 100 A / 690 V / 40 kA thermal-magnetic service were listed at US$28-32.67 per piece with a 5-piece MOQ [S4].
MCB, MCCB, ACB, VCB: frame and breaking-capacity cost tiers
Miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) up to 32 A / 230 V single-phase are the cheapest tier: a Zhejiang Jiuji over-voltage protection breaker was listed at US$5.50-9.00 per piece with a 1-piece MOQ on 2026-05-06 [S7]. RCBO (residual current breaker with overcurrent) units combining 30 mA earth-leakage and overcurrent protection in one 32 A single-phase package sat at US$6 per piece (5-piece MOQ) per the 2026-05-24 Made-in-China listing [S3].
Moulded-case circuit breakers (MCCBs) jump an order of magnitude: a CE-certified NSX100A 4-pole 100 A / 690 V / 40 kA thermal-magnetic unit was listed at US$28-32.67 per piece, while a 500 A MCCB with thermal protection spanned US$800-8,000 per piece with a 1-piece MOQ on 2026-06-05 [S4]. For deeper context on frames, AIC ratings and trip-unit options the related Circuit Breaker 2026 Buying Guide: Frames, AIC, Trip Units, Standards walks the spec side. The Ycm8-series adjustable MCCB with CE-marked earth-leakage protection was listed at US$8.33-8.48 per piece on the 2026-05-12 leakage breaker page [S8].
Air and vacuum circuit breakers (ACB / VCB) for three-phase industrial service cluster higher: Zhejiang Fuerte listed its three-phase VCB and 50 Hz air MCB vacuum unit at US$360-720 per set with a 10-set MOQ on 2026-06-09 [S2]. The TECO TLB-series RCBO covers 15-400 A primary current at 110-440 VAC with a 15 mA residual floor and DIN-rail compact form, aimed at earth-leakage and short-circuit co-protection in industrial panels [S1].
What drives price across the same frame class
Four levers move list price inside a given breaker family: rated current (A), breaking capacity (Icu/Ics in kA), poles (1P/2P/3P/4P), and certification stack (CE only vs CE + IEC 60898 vs ATEX/IECEx). The 500 A MCCB at US$800-8,000 shows the same 500 A frame can vary 10x because the higher band carries higher kA ratings and adjustable trip units, not larger copper [S4]. The TLB RCBO's 15-400 A range with 110-440 VAC envelope and 15 mA residual floor is priced into a "DIN-rail compact" mechanical package, not a higher-breaking-capacity tier [S1].
Earth-leakage adders are real but bounded. A standard MCB plus a separate RCCB/ELCB costs more panel space and labour than an integrated RCBO; the Lovadon 32 A / 30 mA RCBO at US$6 per piece shows the integration premium over a bare MCB is small at low current but grows above 63 A [S3]. For over-voltage co-protection, the Zhejiang Jiuji US$5.50-9.00 unit bundles surge threshold into a DIN device, replacing a separate SPD on small panels [S7].
MOQ, lead time and supplier dispersion
MOQs scale with frame and customisation. MCB-class devices ship at 1-5 piece MOQs (Zhejiang Jiuji 1-piece, Lovadon 5-piece, Yueqing Shendian 5-piece) because they are stocked catalogue lines [S3][S4][S7]. MCCBs and VCBs are quoted at 1-piece to 10-set MOQs depending on whether the seller is the OEM (Yueqing Shendian at 1 piece for 500 A) or a trading company moving container loads (Zhejiang Fuerte at 10 sets for VCB) [S2][S4].
Supplier dispersion is concentrated in two coastal Chinese clusters. Wenzhou / Yueqing in Zhejiang dominates the MCB, RCBO and small-MCCB listings (Lovadon, Shendian, Jiuji all list Zhejiang as the base) [S3][S4][S7]. Shandong and Zhejiang together cover the larger MCCB and VCB tiers (Shandong Ansind Electric Technology, Zhejiang Fuerte Electrical Apparatus) [S2][S7]. For broader sourcing context across industrial components the Remote I/O Module 2026 Price & Cost Guide covers a similar MOQ-and-certification cost pattern in adjacent control gear. PG-series KRC residual current devices (RCD) to IEC 1008 / VDE 0660 are listed at 500-piece MOQ with 10,000-piece/month supply capability, illustrating the volume-only RCD tier [S9].
Certification, standards and the EU/US landing-cost picture
CE is the floor on every Made-in-China listing examined (TECO TLB-series, Shendian NSX100A, Lovadon, Jiuji), with several audited-supplier badges on top [S1][S3][S4][S7]. IEC 60898 is the harmonised MCB standard most Zhejiang sellers reference; the PG-series RCD is explicitly built to IEC 1008 / VDE 0660 [S9]. For ATEX/IECEx zone-classified panels, expect a 30-100% adder over CE-only equivalents — the Made-in-China listings sampled do not break out ATEX pricing, so buyers should request zone 1/2 quotes separately. Landed cost into the EU adds roughly 4-8% for CE documentation review, customs duty (HS 8536 / 8538 depending on type) and a 7-10 day sea-freight leg from Ningbo or Shanghai to Rotterdam or Hamburg.
Where the cheap listings break, and where the price is real
Below US$10 per piece the MOQ matters more than the unit price. A US$5.50 over-voltage MCB at 1-piece MOQ is a sample or distributor drop-ship line, not a production run rate; container-load pricing on the same spec typically lands 20-40% below the listed single-piece number [S7]. Above US$500 per piece, the listing is a configuration placeholder: the US$800-8,000 MCCB range reflects 500 A frame with selectable kA, trip unit (thermal-magnetic vs electronic), and shunt/UV coil adders, so the buyer should pin a configuration code before treating the number as a budget line [S4].
For the medium-voltage tier, the US$360-720 VCB set price is competitive against European equivalents from Schneider, ABB or Eaton, but freight on a 200-400 kg VCB pallet often matches the unit cost on a single-set order — consolidate to a 5-10 set container to make the FOB number meaningful [S2]. Buyers who only need low-current distribution protection should stay in the MCB/RCBO band and avoid paying for MCCB frame copper they will not use.
Track two signals through 2026-Q3: copper busbar and silver-alloy contact prices, which move MCCB and MCB list prices on a 2-3 month lag, and any revision to IEC 60898-1 or GB 10963.1 that would force re-certification on the Zhejiang stock lines. Read the Circuit Breaker 2026 Buying Guide: Frames, AIC, Trip Units, Standards for the spec side that maps onto these FOB bands, and check the encyclopedia entry on circuit breakers for the underlying frame and trip-unit terminology used throughout this guide.
For component-level specifications, see linear guide, and crossed roller guide.