Maxguard surge protectors (SPD) in Malaysia: MY2-40MAX, the newer M20 and M40, and what they cost

A surge protective device (SPD), or surge arrester, sits in the distribution board and diverts brief voltage spikes, such as those from nearby lightning arriving through the power cable, to earth. Maxguard is a Malaysian switchgear brand, and its MY2-40MAX is the Maxguard SPD that most Malaysian seller listings we found are for. Maxguard’s website now carries two generations of SPD, so it helps to know which one you’re being offered.

Two lines on Maxguard’s website

As of 8 October 2026, Maxguard’s SPD category has 14 series pages covering 27 order codes, and the table above lists all of them:

• The 2022 catalogue line: MY2-20MAX, MY2-40MAX, MY3-65MAX and EL1C40, with “full mode” versions of the MY3-65MAX and EL1C40. These come from the March 2022 catalogue that the website’s “Catalogue 2026” button opens. The website still lists them, and most seller listings we found are for the MY2-40MAX.
• The M series: M20, M40, M12.5M, M25M, M25VG, M110 and MLED-DIN, with datasheets marked “Edition: 2026 JANUARY” that were uploaded in April 2026. A page for an “M12.5/3P+1” series has no datasheet or specifications.

Maxguard doesn’t say whether the M series replaces the 2022 line. One Shopee listing titled MY2-40MAX has an “M40/1+1” variant, and another is titled “MY1 / MY2 / M40”, so some sellers seem to treat the M40 as the MY2-40MAX’s successor. That’s the sellers’ framing, not Maxguard’s.

Which ones are for a house DB

For an ordinary house, the relevant models are the Type 2 ones. Maxguard describes the M40 as “Surge protection for Distribution Board (DB)” and, oddly, the M20 as for a “Main Distribution Board (MDB)”:

• The number is Imax, the largest surge it’s rated to divert: 20kA for M20 and MY2-20MAX, 40kA for M40, MY2-40MAX and EL1C40. The nominal discharge current (In) is half that: 10kA and 20kA.
• Up (voltage protection level), the voltage that gets through during a surge, is ≤1.5kV on the M20 and M40 datasheets, between live and neutral and between neutral and earth. The 2022 catalogue prints “<1.5kV” in a row labelled “Uoc”. We read it as the same protection level, but it’s printed under a different symbol.
• Earthing: the 2026 datasheets say “Suitable for TT and TN-S system”. Malaysian homes use TT. The 2022 pages don’t state the earthing system.
• Codes: in the M series, /1+1 is single-phase (1P+N) and /3+1 is three-phase (3P+N), and a final /A adds a remote-signalling contact (normally open and normally closed terminals) that can drive an alarm or indicator. In the 2022 line the poles are in brackets, and “/A” means the auxiliary contact. The catalogue prints the order codes with an SPD prefix, for example SPDMY2-40MAX(1P+N). This decoding is our reading of the tables, so order by the full code.
• Width: the 2022 1P+N models are 2 modules (36mm), the 3P+N models 4 modules (72mm).
• Upstream protection: the M40 datasheet gives a maximum disconnector rating of a 100A gG fuse or 63A MCB, the M20 125A gG or 100A MCB (1P+N). ST’s example DB layouts feed the SPD through its own MCB or fuse, after the main switch and before the RCCBs.

The “full mode” versions (MY3-65MAX(3P/A) and (7P/A), EL1C40-3P/A and -7P/A) add modules: 3 modules for single-phase, 7 for three-phase. The catalogue calls them “FULL Mode Protection”. The JKR approval annex Maxguard hosts for the MY3-65MAX full-mode models lists protection between live and neutral, live and earth, and neutral and earth; for the EL1C40 full-mode models we have only the catalogue’s wording.

MLED-DIN is something else: a small series-connected Type 2+3 SPD with a 5A nominal load, “suitable for small load application”, not a whole-house device.

The heavier models

The rest of the range is for larger boards:

• M12.5M (1P+N or 3P+N) and the 2022 MY3-65MAX are Type 1+2, for where a building has, or the risk assessment calls for, protection against direct lightning current. The M12.5M datasheet gives a lightning impulse current (Iimp) of 12.5kA live-to-neutral and 50kA neutral-to-earth, and describes it as “Surge protection for Main Distribution Board (MDB)”. The 2022 catalogue doesn’t print an Iimp for the MY3-65MAX. The JKR annex for its full-mode version gives 12.5kA.
• M25M and M25VG (3P+N) are heavy-duty Type 1+2 and Type 1+2+3 devices “for Main Switchboard (MSB)”, with an Iimp of 25kA.
• M110 (3P+N) is a 110kA Type 2. A higher Imax doesn’t mean better protection on every number: its Up is ≤2.0kV, against ≤1.5kV for the M20 and M40.

Whether a house needs Type 1+2 protection at all is for the lightning risk assessment under MS IEC 62305 that ST’s domestic wiring guideline requires. A consulting engineer or ST-registered electrical contractor carries it out. See the SPD category page and our earthing and surge guide.

Indicator colours, and when to replace

• The 2026 datasheets give the status window as green or blue: OK, red: replace (the MLED-DIN has a light instead: on is OK, off means replace). On the photos, the neutral-to-earth module has a blue window. One Pendawai Elektrik member asked whether a blue indicator on the N side of their single-phase Maxguard SPD was normal, and later answered their own question: blue marks the N module.
• The 2022 catalogue says a “competent person” needs to check for damaged or operated modules and replace them. It also says all cables connecting to the SPD shall be at least 6mm².
• Warranty: most of the 2022 catalogue SPD pages carry a 24-month badge and say the warranty doesn’t cover an SPD that has operated (indicator turned red). The 2026 datasheets carry a 60-month badge, terms and conditions apply.

Approvals

• Most of the 2022 catalogue SPD page headers (MY2-40MAX, MY3-65MAX, EL1C40) say these SPDs come “with TUV test report & certificate and SIRIM test certificate”. The M40 datasheet shows CB and “Tested by TÜV Rheinland” marks. We haven’t checked certificate numbers, so look for the ST-SIRIM label on the product.
• Maxguard hosts a JKR eMAL certificate for the MY3-65MAX full-mode models, dated 20 July 2023. It names the manufacturer as Wenzhou Britec Electric Co., Ltd., China, and gives an expiry date of 15 October 2025. JKR’s eMAL model search still listed the MY3-65MAX(3P/A) and (7P/A) and the EL1C40-3P/A and -7P/A under Maxguard on 8 October 2026, but returned nothing for MY2-40MAX or M40 (we didn’t search the other M codes). eMAL is JKR’s approved list for government projects, not a requirement for a house.

Prices in Malaysia

Most listings are for the MY2-40MAX. On 8 October 2026:

On BigGo Malaysia, Shopee and Lazada stores list the 1P+N MY2-40MAX from RM139.90 to RM228.00, mostly RM140–RM175, and the 3P+N from RM255.00 to RM452.00. One Lazada store lists it at RM126.70 and RM252.78 without showing which version is which. SMJ Electrical & Hardware (Kajang and Semenyih) lists both versions on its site with a WhatsApp enquiry instead of a price. Some shop sites show a template “In stock” or stock count of 99999, so a listing shows what a seller advertises, not confirmed stock.

For comparison at 40kA, Schneider’s iPRD40 1P+N was RM400 on ene2u’s website on 6 October 2026 (RM521.99 at its Shopee store on 8 October), and Hager’s 40kA single-phase SPL240 is listed at RM312 on Shopee (see the Hager SPD page).

We found almost no prices for the M series. One Shopee store lists “M40/1+1 40A 1P+N” at RM175.00 as a variant of its MY2-40MAX listing. Another listing is titled “MY1 / MY2 / M40”, but its RM350.00 3P+N variant is labelled MY1. Malaysian distributor KVC lists the M40/1+1 in its catalogue (price after sign-in).

Listings to be careful with

• “MY1-C2 / MY1-C4” “Class C” SPDs (2P and 4P 40kA, RM189.90 and RM289.90 on Shopee) appear under the Maxguard name, but “MY1” isn’t on Maxguard’s website or in its 2022 catalogue.
• A listing titled “MAXGUARD EPS SPD VCT-T2” sells an EPS-branded SPD alongside Maxguard.
• Sellers describe the 1P+N MY2-40MAX as “2P” or “2 pole”. It’s the same single-phase device: one live module and one neutral-to-earth module.

Order by Maxguard’s full code, and ask what’s printed on the device.