GCS/GCK drawer-type switchgear
- Drawer units: 8E/16E/24E/48E sizes, multiple circuits per cabinet (feeders + motor control mixed)
- Busbar: GCS horizontal busbar ≤4000 A / GCK ≤2500 A, 380/400V
- Five-prevention interlock: drawer position (connected / test / disconnected) interlocked with the breaker to prevent misoperation
- Maintenance: faulty unit withdrawn for repair or swapped as a whole, other circuits in the same cabinet stay energized
- Components: molded case circuit breaker + contactor + thermal relay (motor units), brand selectable
Specifications
The table below covers 80% of factory distribution room cases. Anything outside it we can still build — those are engineered items, quoted separately, with an indicative price the same day.
| Type | GCS / GCK low-voltage withdrawable switchgear, floor-mounted against the wall or free-standing |
|---|---|
| Standard sizes (W×D×H) | 800(1000)×600(800)×2200 mm, custom build available |
| Enclosure construction | Profile frame + metal partitions into compartments (busbar compartment / unit compartment / cable compartment) |
| Drawer unit | 8E / 16E / 24E / 48E sizes, mixed in one cabinet |
| Position and Interlocking | Four positions — connected / test / disconnected / withdrawn — with interlocking to prevent live plug-in or removal |
| IP rating | IP30 (electrical room) / IP42 optional |
| Rated voltage | AC 380V / 400V, 50 Hz |
|---|---|
| Horizontal busbar | GCS ≤4000 A / GCK ≤2500 A |
| Vertical busbar | ≤1000 A (verified against total unit capacity) |
| Short-time withstand current, Icw | 50 kA / 80 kA (matched to the main breaker interrupting capacity) |
| Feeder unit | Molded-case circuit breaker units, covering unit ratings below 630 A |
| Motor unit | Breaker + contactor + thermal overload relay / multifunction protection relay, drawout MCC unit |
| Secondary interface | Drawout primary plug + secondary plug (32-pin standard); secondary circuit stays connected while the unit is withdrawn |
| Component brands | Schneider / ABB / Siemens / Chint; customer-supplied components accepted for factory installation |
| Feeder-intensive configuration | 8–14 feeder circuits per cabinet, replacing multiple GGD feeder cabinets |
|---|---|
| Motor control configuration (MCC) | Drawout motor units grouped together; fan and pump groups can be operated without taking the cabinet offline |
| GGD + drawout hybrid configuration | Main incoming / power factor correction GGD + drawout feeder cabinets — a classic electrical room section |
| Retrofit and expansion type | Replacing old cabinets with drawout cabinets, with busbar T-connections or full-section replacement |
| Dual-source drawout configuration | Incoming ATS + drawout feeders in a single section |
| Assembly standard | GB/T 7251.1 / IEC 61439-1; drawout construction verified to type-test criteria |
|---|---|
| Interlock verification | Each cabinet is verified for four-position interlocking and live plug-in/removal blocking |
| Plug inspection | Primary / secondary plugs checked unit by unit (contact resistance re-measured after 5 withdraw/insert cycles) |
| Routine tests (every unit) | Insulation resistance, dielectric withstand, and energized tests on busbars and units |
| Documents with shipment | System diagram, unit cross-reference table, plug wiring table, BOM, test report |
Five steps to specify your run
A configuration summary is generated as you go. It travels with your inquiry, saving a round of confirmation.
Build details
Systems have been in service for decades, and the failure points are always the same few: poor busbar contact, water ingress at the door seal, high temperature rise in the correction cabinet, and mis-phased outgoing feeders. The six hard rules below are written for exactly these points — every cabinet can be traced to them.
A fault can't burn through to the next unit
Metal partitions separate the busbar compartment, unit compartment and cable compartment, with flame-retardant barriers between units: an arc fault in one unit is confined to its own compartment — this is the core structural reason a drawer cabinet is safer than a fixed cabinet.
Retested after five insertions
Primary and secondary plug-in contacts are inserted and withdrawn 5 times per unit, then contact resistance is retested — plug-in contacts are the number one failure point in drawer cabinets, and this is caught at the factory.
Can't insert under power
The drawer will not close in any position other than connected, and can only be removed in the disconnected position; the handle interlock works together with the position switch and is verified unit by unit: a physical barrier against misoperation is more reliable than training.
Factory-prefabricated busbar sections
Horizontal busbars between cabinets are factory-prefabricated and continuous, torque-tightened and marked with witness lines, then bolted together on site; when mixed with GGD, the transition keeps the same cross-section — no downgrade.
Drawer number equals circuit number
Each drawer is labeled by circuit number, and the unit cross-reference table ships with the order: a spare drawer can be swapped in without tracing wires, and the cabinet faceplate matches the drawings.
Test position allows commissioning
Push the drawer to the test position: the main circuit is open while the secondary circuit remains live, so the unit can be commissioned under no load inside the cabinet without affecting running circuits.
Photos & enclosure construction
Below are photos taken in our own shop — from the complete unit down to the internal busbars and secondary wiring. Every build detail can be checked item by item.
Image key: 01–05 are shop photos (the numbers match the shot list). The line drawing shows the front elevation of the enclosure; dimensions match the specification table above.
Where these cabinets go
These are the routine applications — we can talk scheme and configuration directly. For the industry view, see the industry pages.
Plant distribution room feeders
Multiple circuits centralized, replacing several fixed cabinets.
MCC motor control
Centralized operation of pump groups and fan groups, with unit-level maintenance.
Commercial building distribution
Floor and power feeders in drawer form, maintenance-friendly for property management.
Retrofit & Capacity Expansion
Replace fixed sections with drawer sections to double the circuit count.
Data Centers / Server Rooms
A typical case with many feeder circuits and frequent operation.
Mixed with GGD
Fixed incoming and compensation sections plus drawer feeders — all in one lineup.
Commercial terms
Specification dated September 2026; quotations follow this.
| Drawings & design | Free |
| MOQ | 1 unit (5 or more recommended for production) |
| Production lead time | 15-25 days after drawing approval |
| on-time delivery | 98% |
| Warranty | 12 months |
| Loading port | Ningbo / Shanghai, China |
| Component brands | Schneider / ABB / Siemens / Chint |
| Factory visit & dispatch confirmation | Factory visits welcome; finished-cabinet photos and video before dispatch |
| Capacity | 5,800+ units / year |
Documents for your engineering team
Selection manual, outline dimensions and RFQ checklist — for the customer's electrical engineer. All three documents are being organized by product line; download links go live once complete.
Six questions procurement and electrical engineers ask most
GCS or GCK — which one?
GCS: horizontal busbar up to 4000 A and higher circuit density, for high-current, many-circuit applications. GCK: 2500 A class, simpler construction, good value for standard feeders. In the same lineup, GCS is common for the high-current main incoming section and GCK for smaller feeder sections — we confirm after working through the circuit schedule.
How do drawer cabinets and GGD fixed cabinets split the work?
GGD is simple and inexpensive: use it for circuits that are set and left alone — main incoming, metering, compensation. Drawer cabinets cost more but allow unit-level service: use them for circuits that are operated often — feeders and motor control. The classic switchroom layout mixes both.
How much current can one drawer carry?
By unit size: an 8E unit handles about 63 A, 16E up to the 250 A class, 24E/48E up to 630 A. Higher-current circuits (air circuit breaker incoming) are usually fixed or large-unit designs. We lay out the unit scheme from your circuit schedule.
Can a drawer really be serviced without stopping other circuits?
Pull a faulty unit for repair or swap in a spare drawer and the other circuits in the same cabinet keep running — provided the cabinet has compartment isolation and the plug-in contacts are properly specified. That is the core value of a drawer cabinet: the service window shrinks from shutting down a whole section to shutting down one circuit.
Do plug-in secondary circuits tend to make poor contact?
It is a common issue with drawer cabinets, so our factory process adds a 5-cycle plug-in retest. For routine annual maintenance, exercise every drawer through a full plug-in cycle and reseat it — the contact surfaces self-clean. One spare set of secondary plug-in terminals is enough.
Can it be upgraded to a smart cabinet?
Yes: add smart meters or motor protection relays to the units, network them over RS485 to report circuit current, energy and status, and capture drawer position signals as well. We do this for both existing-cabinet retrofits and new-build options, with the point list issued as needed.
Other cabinet types in the same main circuit
Related products use color-block placeholders for now (product photos not yet complete; they will be replaced together). Internal links will be filled in once live URLs are confirmed.
Send the circuit schedule and we lay out the unit scheme from it
Send your circuit schedule (application / rating / motor data) and we will provide a drawer unit layout at no charge · quotation within 24 hours. Direct from the source factory, MOQ 1 unit, 15–25 day delivery, 1-year warranty.
ISO 9001:2015 · CE(LVD+EMC) · CQC · IP65
When you write, include: single-line diagram or primary scheme, switch room layout, load list, and component brand requirements. You do not need complete drawings — capacity and cabinet type are enough to start.