US Motors FLA Data Sheet Checklist: D75P2G, D60P1GS, and How to Verify Full Load Amps

You've got an RFQ or a motor drawing that says US Motors D75P2G, 75 HP, 575V and you need the full load amps. Or you're trying to confirm whether the D60P1GS datasheet you found online actually matches the motor sitting on a pallet. This is the checklist I run through before I approve any motor spec. It won't replace an engineer's calculation—and I'm not going to pretend it can—but it will keep you from the most common mistake I see around FLA values.

I review roughly 200 motor data sheets, drawings, and purchase orders a year in a quality/compliance role. In the last couple of years I've blocked more than a few deliveries because the spec on the datasheet didn't match the nameplate on the motor. The problem is usually not the motor itself. It's the FLA being read from the wrong column or the wrong revision of the datasheet.

Here's the quick version of the checklist:

1. Confirm the exact model and voltage table.
2. Find the FLA value, not the LRA or service factor amps.
3. Check the nameplate if you have the motor in hand.
4. Use FLA to set overloads—not HP.
5. Ask for the current datasheet before you order, even for small purchases.

Now let me explain each step, because the order matters more than people think.

Step 1: Confirm the exact model and voltage table

The first thing I check is whether the model number is complete. D75P2G is not the same as D75 or D75P2. The voltage and frequency matter just as much. A 75 HP, 575V motor will have a different FLA than the same motor listed at 460V. The difference is usually 20% to 25% when you switch between those two voltages.

So if your system is 575V, you need the 575V column on the datasheet. If you only have a 460V table in front of you, stop. That number is not the one you should be basing the overload relay on. The same logic applies to the D60P1GS: it has its own datasheet, and the 575V FLA on that page is the number to use, not the one for the D75P2G just because they're in the same family.

For a sanity check: a typical 75 HP, 575V, three-phase AC induction motor like the D75P2G usually has a full load amps value in the low-to-mid 70s. A 60 HP model like the D60P1GS is usually in the high 50s to low 60s. But those ranges are orientation, not gospel. The exact number on the nameplate wins.

Why am I being so annoying about this? Because in my audits, the most common discrepancy is someone using a generic 75 HP 575V FLA from a common table instead of the OEM's data. The generic table might be close—maybe within 5%—but close is not a spec.

Step 2: Find the FLA line on the datasheet, not LRA

On a typical US Motors datasheet, the electrical table lists:

• Model number and frame
• HP and RPM
• Voltage and frequency
• Full load amps (FLA) or full load current (FLC)
• Locked rotor amps (LRA)
• Service factor and service factor amps, sometimes listed separately

The FLA is the continuous current the motor is designed to draw at full load when supplied with the rated voltage. LRA is a completely different animal—it can be five to seven times FLA for a brief moment during startup. It's easy to accidentally grab the LRA and try to size an overload with it. That will not end well.

The service factor amps are also not always the same as FLA. If a motor has a 1.15 service factor, the SFA will be higher than FLA. If you're setting overload protection, the nameplate FLA is the starting point, not the SFA. I'm not a motor engineer, so I'm not going to go deep into trip curves here. What I can tell you from a quality-review perspective is: use the right line item or the whole calculation is off.

Step 3: Nameplate beats datasheet every time

Datasheets tell you what the motor family should be. The nameplate tells you what the specific motor actually is. If you have the physical motor, don't rely on a PDF from a few years ago.

Here's a real example from a Q1 2024 audit I did. We had three motors in a shipment where the nameplate FLA was different from the current catalog value. The vendor's datasheet showed an older efficiency rating. The motor itself had been updated with a higher-efficiency winding, which changed the FLA. Was the difference huge? No. But the customer was putting these into a panel with overloads sized from the old datasheet, so the motor would either nuisance trip or run without proper protection.

The nameplate is the source of truth for the serial number you actually have. If you're buying a new motor, ask the manufacturer for the spec that matches the motor they're shipping. That sounds obvious, but it's the step that gets skipped.

Step 4: Use FLA to set overloads, not HP

This might sound obvious to an electrician, but I've seen purchase orders where the buyer wrote 75 HP on the overload selection and called it done. For an AC induction motor, the overload relay is set based on the motor's nameplate current, not the HP rating. In North America, the usual reference is NEC Article 430, and for overload protection the nameplate value matters. The HP number is useful for the starter size and sometimes the enclosure, but FLA is what determines the overload trip point.

There's also a common misunderstanding about FLA itself. People think FLA is a universal value for a given horsepower. Actually, it depends on the motor's efficiency and power factor. A more efficient motor may have a lower FLA. That's why two 75 HP motors from different product families can have different FLA values even at the same 575V.

So when you see FLA 575V on a datasheet, treat it as motor-specific. If it seems lower than the table value from another source, that's not automatically a red flag. It might just be a more efficient design.

Step 5: Ask for the datasheet before you order—especially small orders

Now the part that's close to my heart. If you only need one motor, it can be tempting to grab a screenshot from somewhere, hope the FLA is right, and place a small order. Don't do that.

When I was starting out, I had to track down a replacement motor for a $300 project. The vendor who treated that tiny order like it mattered sent me the current datasheet before I asked. They even flagged that my drawing was using an old model number. That vendor still gets my business when the order is $20,000. Small doesn't mean unimportant. It means potential.

For a D75P2G or D60P1GS, a current datasheet is not a favor. It's part of the job. If a supplier hesitates to share the exact FLA, that's a warning sign. Same thing if the datasheet they send has a Rev. 2019 date while the catalog online says 2025. Ask for the current one.

And if you're comparing options: the D75P2G as a 75 HP motor will have a higher FLA than the D60P1GS as a 60 HP motor, but not just by a factor of 75/60. The efficiency, pole count, and design code all move the number. The only reliable method is to compare the actual datasheets for the models you're quoting.

What about a NEMA 34 stepper motor?

If you landed here because the search query was NEMA 34 stepper motor or what stepper motor do I need?—the answer looks different. A NEMA 34 stepper motor has a different math entirely. You select it by torque, phase current, inductance, and the torque curve with your driver voltage. There isn't a full load amps number in the same sense as an AC induction motor. The datasheet will usually list phase current and holding torque. That's the spec that matters.

This gets into motion-control territory, which isn't my specialty. I'd recommend checking the stepper's torque/speed curve against your application rather than using the FLA approach. But if you're buying a NEMA 34 stepper, the same rule applies: get the current datasheet, and don't rely on a random forum table.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using a generic FLA table instead of the motor's own sheet. Generic tables are maps, not measurements.
• Confusing FLA with LRA. LRA is for starting. FLA is for continuous full-load operation.
• Reading the 460V column when you need 575V. The difference is too large to ignore.
• Setting overload protection from the service factor amps. Start with the nameplate FLA.
• Not asking for the current datasheet on a small order. It's the same data whether you buy one motor or a hundred.

When in doubt, go to the nameplate and the current manufacturer datasheet. If the two don't agree, stop and ask before you wire anything. That's the checklist.