"load served" vs "rating"

[WaveGuide]

I'm having trouble distinguishing the NEC terms "load served" and "rating".

Rating is what's stamped on an appliance name plate, in terms of Volts, Amps and/or Watts. But it's often used interchangeably with "load served", as in, "...rating or load served".

But I'm guessing "load served" is the actual load served, which may generally be less than the rating. Or am I way off on that?

Can anyone help explain the difference between these two terms?

 

[jaggedben]

Can you give examples?

One thought is that 'load served' may refer to aggregate feeder or service load as calculated in Article 220.

 

[retirede]

Load served would be a sum of the ratings of all appliances on a circuit unless there are specific exceptions.

 

[WaveGuide]

Load served would be a sum of the ratings of all appliances on a circuit unless there are specific exceptions.

Thank you. That helps.