What is full load amps in a motor?

Full load amps is the current a motor draws while delivering its full rated horsepower at rated voltage. Lightly loaded, it draws less; overloaded, more; FLA is the design ceiling for continuous operation.

The number appears twice, and the code assigns each version a job. Nameplate FLA sets the overload protection. The NEC's table value from 430.248 or 430.250, usually a bit higher, sizes conductors and breakers.

Starting current is a different beast entirely, several times FLA for a moment, which is why motor breakers get generous settings while overloads stay tight.

A clamp meter reading near nameplate FLA all day means the motor lives at its limit, worth investigating before it becomes a winding failure.

The full load amps calculator returns both the table and estimating values for any motor.