---
title: "208, 480 or 600 V? Choosing a facility distribution voltage | Entogo"
description: "North American facilities are served at 120/208, 277/480, or 347/600 volts. A higher voltage moves the same power at lower current, cutting conductor size…"
url: https://entogo.ca/insights/choosing-a-facility-distribution-voltage/
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Home › Insights › 208, 480, or 600 volts? Choosing a facility distribution voltage

Power & Distribution

# 208, 480, or 600 volts? Choosing a facility distribution voltage

Entogo August 23, 2026

![Three-phase distribution transformer and low-voltage switchgear at a North American facility substation](https://entogo.ca/_astro/choosing-a-facility-distribution-voltage.B10infhs_Z2obSGL.webp)

Photo — Antti Leppänen · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muurame_electrical_substation_transformer.jpg) · [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)

In short

North American facilities are served at 120/208, 277/480, or 347/600 volts. A higher voltage moves the same power at lower current, cutting conductor size and losses while adding transformer and safety cost. Here is how to match the voltage to the load.

## Why does distribution voltage matter before you pick equipment?

Almost every downstream decision on an electrical project follows from one early choice: the voltage at which power is distributed inside the building. Conductor size, breaker frame, transformer count, the number of electrical rooms, and the available fault energy at a panel all trace back to it. The gap between the standard voltages is not cosmetic — the same load can draw more than double the current on one system that it draws on another, which changes the cost of nearly everything the current passes through.

Fixing the voltage early avoids re-engineering a distribution scheme after the transformers and **switchgear** have already been specified and ordered. This guide is about that internal distribution — the **utilization voltage** the building runs on. The related but separate question of whether to take medium-voltage utility service and own a substation is its own decision and is not settled here.

## What are the standard North American distribution voltages?

Three four-wire **wye** services dominate commercial and industrial supply in North America. Each provides a line-to-neutral voltage for single-phase and lighting loads and a higher line-to-line voltage for three-phase equipment.

| Service (wye) | Line-to-neutral | Line-to-line | Typical role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 120/208 V | 120 V | 208 V | Plug loads, lighting, small HVAC |
| 277/480 V | 277 V | 480 V | Larger US commercial and industrial |
| 347/600 V | 347 V | 600 V | Larger Canadian commercial and industrial |

A **120/208V** service gives 120 volts line-to-neutral for receptacles and 208 volts line-to-line for three-phase equipment. **277/480V** raises both, with 277 volts feeding line-to-neutral lighting and 480 volts moving three-phase power. **347/600V** does the same at a higher step, with 347 volts for lighting and 600 volts line-to-line.

### The Canadian 600-volt system

Canadian utilities standardize on two secondary services rather than the US 480-volt tier. BC Hydro’s distribution standard covers three-phase secondary service at both 120/208 V and 347/600 V, and Ontario utilities supply the same two options. For a large site north of the border, **347/600V** is the default heavy-power service. It behaves like 480V — the same wye arrangement scaled up — but pushes the current advantage further. Six hundred volts is the highest common low-voltage distribution system in North America; above it, equipment moves into medium-voltage classes with different clearances, testing, and cost.

## How does higher voltage change current, conductors, and losses?

For a three-phase load, power is the product of the square root of three, the line voltage, and the line current. With the load fixed, current is inversely proportional to voltage. The same 300 kVA demand looks very different depending on the service:

| Distribution voltage | Line current for a 300 kVA load |
| --- | --- |
| 208 V | ~833 A |
| 480 V | ~361 A |
| 600 V | ~289 A |

Lower current is the whole point of a higher voltage. It means smaller conductors and conduit, smaller breaker frames, lower resistive (I²R) heating losses in the feeders, and longer feeder runs before voltage drop becomes a problem. **ANSI C84.1** governs how much variation the system may see: Range A holds service voltage within plus or minus 5 percent of nominal for systems 600 V and below, while allowing utilization voltage at the equipment terminals to fall to minus 10 percent. A design that starts at a higher voltage carries more headroom to absorb feeder drop across a large building before it violates that window.

The trade-off is that higher voltages raise the cost and complexity of anything that must be stepped down, and they demand more attention to insulation, working clearances, and arc-flash mitigation.

## Where does each voltage make sense?

**120/208V** fits small offices, retail, and light commercial spaces dominated by 120-volt plug and lighting loads. It feeds those loads directly, so no additional step-down stage is needed, and it keeps equipment simple.

**277/480V** and **347/600V** fit motor-driven plants, distribution warehouses, [data centers](https://entogo.ca/solutions/data-centers/), and sites with large EV-charging or battery-storage loads — anywhere feeders are long or three-phase demand is high. These services almost always pair with local step-down transformers to serve the building’s 120-volt loads. Most large facilities therefore run a mixed scheme: a primary 480V or 600V distribution backbone with [dry-type distribution transformers](https://entogo.ca/products/three-phase-dry-type-distribution-transformer/) dropping to 120/208V panelboards where receptacles and controls live.

For very large or campus loads, a facility may take medium-voltage service and own its step-down equipment, distributing at 480V or 600V from a customer substation. That decision belongs in a broader [substations and power distribution](https://entogo.ca/solutions/substations-power-distribution/) review rather than a voltage choice alone.

## What should a buyer specify?

A clean voltage decision comes down to a short checklist:

- **Confirm the available service.** Ask the utility which secondary voltages it offers at the site; that often narrows the field before design starts, and the [metering and CT cabinet](https://entogo.ca/products/ct-metering-distribution-cabinet/) must match it.
- **Total the connected load and the largest motor.** High three-phase demand and long feeders favor 480V or 600V; a small 120V-dominated load favors 208V.
- **Set a voltage-drop budget** across the longest feeder, checked against the ANSI C84.1 window.
- **Plan the step-down stage.** If distribution is at 480V or 600V, size the dry-type transformers and their [low-voltage switchboards](https://entogo.ca/products/low-voltage-switchboard/) that serve 120/208V panels.
- **Match short-circuit ratings.** Specify the interrupting and withstand ratings of the [low-voltage switchgear or MCC](https://entogo.ca/products/low-voltage-switchgear-mcc/) to the fault current at the chosen voltage.
- **Test the medium-voltage case.** Where load or growth justifies it, weigh a customer-owned [unit substation](https://entogo.ca/products/compact-secondary-unit-substation/) against staying at low voltage.

Everything above is framed by **ANSI C84.1** for voltage ranges and by the governing **Canadian Electrical Code** or **National Electrical Code** for conductor sizing, overcurrent protection, and clearances.

## Matching the equipment to the voltage

Voltage selection only pays off if the transformers, switchboards, and switchgear behind it are built and rated for the service the site is assigned. Entogo designs and builds distribution transformers, low-voltage switchboards, and switchgear for 120/208V, 277/480V, and 347/600V systems, specified against ANSI C84.1 and the applicable CEC or NEC rules and certifiable to UL (cULus) or CSA on request. Because the transformers and the switchgear come from one vertically integrated factory, a project can align voltage class, kVA, and short-circuit rating across the whole lineup rather than sourcing each piece separately — useful on fast-moving [industrial EPC](https://entogo.ca/solutions/industrial-epc/) builds where an in-house factory and engineering support help compress the long equipment waits now common across the North American market.

- Power & Distribution
- Transformers
- Switchgear
- Facility Design
- ANSI C84.1

Glossary: [Switchboard](https://entogo.ca/glossary/#switchboard-ul-891) [Low-voltage switchgear](https://entogo.ca/glossary/#low-voltage-switchgear-ul-1558) [Unit substation](https://entogo.ca/glossary/#unit-substation) [Voltage class](https://entogo.ca/glossary/#voltage-class)

FAQ

## Common questions

- **What voltage is a commercial building in Canada?**: Canadian utilities typically deliver 120/208V to smaller buildings and 347/600V to larger commercial and industrial sites, both three-phase four-wire wye services.
- **Is 480V better than 208V for a facility?**: At 480V the same load draws about 43 percent of the current it would at 208V, so conductors, breakers, and losses shrink. 208V is simpler and feeds 120V plug loads directly without a step-down transformer.
- **What is the difference between 480V and 600V distribution?**: Both are line-to-line wye voltages. 480V pairs with 277V lighting and is the US standard, while 600V pairs with 347V and is the common large-facility voltage in Canada, moving the same power at lower current.
- **How much voltage variation is allowed at the service?**: ANSI C84.1 Range A holds service voltage within plus or minus 5 percent of nominal for systems 600V and below, and allows utilization voltage at equipment terminals to sag to minus 10 percent.
- **Do I need a transformer to run 120V equipment on a 480V or 600V service?**: Yes. A step-down transformer converts 480V or 600V distribution to a 120/208V panel for receptacles, controls, and small single-phase loads.

Keep reading

## Related insights

[![Public DC fast EV charging station with transmission lines and grid infrastructure behind it](https://entogo.ca/_astro/dc-fast-charging-site-transformer-switchgear-sizing.oT4SXZBz_15uHXg.webp) EV Charging ### What size transformer and switchgear does a DC fast charging site need? A DC fast charging site is sized from AC input kVA, not DC output kW, and EVSE loads carry no demand factor. Four 150 kW plus eight 350 kW dispensers draw 3,615 kVA, needing 5,000 kVA of transformer and two 3,000 A mains at 480 V. View](https://entogo.ca/insights/dc-fast-charging-site-transformer-switchgear-sizing/)[![Distribution transformer and secondary conductors feeding low-voltage distribution equipment, governed by NEC 240.21(C) tap rules and CEC Rule 26-256](https://entogo.ca/_astro/transformer-secondary-conductors-nec-240-21c-tap-rules.BX_tOclr_UXL9N.webp) Power & Distribution ### How long can transformer secondary conductors be? NEC 240.21(C) tap rules and CEC 26-256 Transformer secondary conductors get no next-size-up rule. NEC 240.21(C) allows 10 ft and 25 ft runs with ampacity floors of one-tenth and one-third of the primary device times the voltage ratio; CEC 26-256 instead demands 125% of rated secondary current at any length. View](https://entogo.ca/insights/transformer-secondary-conductors-nec-240-21c-tap-rules/)[![Power transformer at an electrical substation with an on-load tap changer for voltage regulation](https://entogo.ca/_astro/transformer-voltage-regulation-tap-changers.LSKEj7V-_xljGw.webp) Power & Distribution ### De-energized taps or a load tap changer? Specifying transformer voltage regulation A transformer needs voltage regulation when source voltage swings beyond about 5 percent or loads are voltage-sensitive. Fixed de-energized taps correct a standing offset; on-load tap changers hold output steady continuously. Here is how to choose and specify. View](https://entogo.ca/insights/transformer-voltage-regulation-tap-changers/)

Project inquiry

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