Electrical Panel Schedule Generator with phase balance
Build a printable two-column panel schedule, see connected load on each phase, and export PNG, PDF or CSV. Free, in your browser.
Panel information
Circuits
Circuit number is the first slot. A 2-pole breaker at 1 uses slots 1 and 3; a 3-pole at 2 uses 2, 4 and 6.
| Ckt | Description | Brkr A | Poles | Load VA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Slots 13, 15 | |||||
Slots 14, 16 | |||||
Slots 17, 19 | |||||
Slots 18, 20 | |||||
Phase balance
- Total connected
- 34,600 VA
- Approx. average line current
- 144.2 A
- Phase imbalance
- 14.5%
- Spaces used
- 22 of 40
Imbalance = (max phase VA - min phase VA) / average phase VA. Current = total VA / 240, average line current for the connected load.
Totals are connected load as entered. This is a layout tool, not a load calculation; no NEC demand factors are applied. A licensed electrician verifies the panel.
Planning document; follow local code and the equipment instructions; a licensed electrician decides.
How to fill out a panel schedule
- Start with the panel header: the panel designation (such as LP-1), where it is, the voltage system, whether it has a main breaker or main lugs only, the bus rating in amps, the number of spaces, and what feeds it. Then work down the circuits. Each breaker gets the number of its first slot, a plain description of what it serves, its amp rating, its number of poles and the load in volt-amperes (VA).
- A 2-pole breaker sits across two slots on the same side of the panel, so circuit 1 with two poles uses slots 1 and 3. A 3-pole breaker in a three-phase panel uses slots 1, 3 and 5. This tool fills those slots for you, shows the gaps as spaces, and flags any breaker that overlaps another or runs past the last slot.
What an electrical panel schedule includes
- A panel schedule is the table that documents every circuit in a panelboard. A typical one has a header block (panel name, location, voltage and phases, main device, bus rating, spaces, fed from), then two columns of circuits with odd numbers on the left and even numbers on the right. Each circuit row shows the description, the breaker size, the number of poles, the load and the phase it lands on. Below the table sits a total of the connected load, usually split by phase.
- Field versions also list wire size, and design versions add demand factors and short-circuit ratings. This page covers the layout and the connected load by phase. It leaves wire sizing and demand calculations to your own method.
Single-phase and three-phase bussing
- In a standard panelboard the two slots across from each other on the same row sit on the same bus stab, so they share a phase. Down the rows the phase changes. In a single-phase 120/240 V panel, rows alternate A, B, A, B: circuits 1 and 2 are on A, 3 and 4 on B, 5 and 6 on A again. In a three-phase 120/208 V panel, rows rotate A, B, C: circuits 1 and 2 on A, 3 and 4 on B, 5 and 6 on C, 7 and 8 back on A.
- This is why a 2-pole breaker takes slots 1 and 3, not 1 and 2: it needs two different phases. This tool uses that convention. It matches how panel makers describe their interiors (for example, the uppermost pole is on A, the next on B and the third on C) and is consistent with NEC 408.3(E), which requires the phase sequence on three-phase buses to be A, B, C from front to back, top to bottom or left to right. Row-by-row slot numbering is a manufacturer convention. Some panels, such as certain split-bus or delta-fed boards, are arranged differently, so the markings on your own panel win over any convention.
How to read phase balance
- The tool adds up the connected VA on each phase. A single-pole breaker puts its whole load on its phase. A multi-pole breaker splits its load evenly across the phases it spans, so a 2-pole 4,500 VA water heater at circuits 14 and 16 adds 2,250 VA to each of those two phases.
- Phase imbalance is (maximum phase VA minus minimum phase VA) divided by the average phase VA, shown as a percentage. A result near 0% means the phases carry about the same connected load. A large number means one phase carries much more than another, which loads one conductor harder and can push neutral current up in a three-phase four-wire system. Approximate average line current is total VA divided by 240 for single-phase, or by 208 times the square root of 3 for three-phase. It is an average for the connected load, not the current on a particular conductor.
How to balance a panel
Move single-pole loads to slots on a lighter phase. Swapping two circuits of different loads between rows on different phases is the quickest change. Change the circuit number in the table, watch the phase bars, and stop when the imbalance is acceptable for the job. Moving a breaker in a real panel changes its conductor routing and labels, so treat the result as a plan, and let a licensed electrician decide what is changed in the field.
Panel schedule template in Excel versus this tool
A spreadsheet template gives you a blank grid you can fill and format yourself, and it is a good fit when your firm has a house standard. This tool does the repetitive parts for you: it numbers the slots, shows which phase each row is on, fills multi-pole breakers into the right slots, checks for overlaps and totals the load by phase as you type. You can still download a CSV of the circuit list and open it in Excel or Google Sheets. The tool runs in your browser, and your panel data stays in your browser.
What this tool is not
It is a layout and connected-load tool. It does not apply NEC demand factors, size conductors or breakers, run a load calculation or check short-circuit ratings. Planning document; follow local code and the equipment instructions; a licensed electrician decides. The example presets use made-up numbers.
