16 A RMS, 700 V off-state — sizing the load
The BTA16-700BRG is a standard triac from ST, rated for 16 A RMS continuous on-state current and 700 V off-state blocking voltage. The 16 A RMS figure is the thermal limit in a TO-220 package with an appropriate heatsink — derate it when the ambient climbs above 25 °C or if the heatsink is undersized. The 700 V off-state rating gives headroom on a 230 VAC line (which peaks at ~325 V) and covers 400 VAC line peaks (566 V) with margin.
Gate drive and hold current — what the 50 mA numbers mean
The gate trigger current (Igt) maximum is 50 mA, and the gate trigger voltage (Vgt) maximum is 1.3 V. This is a standard-gate triac — it needs a stronger drive than a sensitive-gate or logic-level triac. If your MCU or logic output is driving the gate directly, check whether it can source 50 mA; otherwise a driver transistor or optocoupler with a higher output current is needed. The 50 mA hold current (Ih) means the triac will self-latch once triggered and stay on until the load current drops below that threshold near the AC zero-crossing.
Surge current and temperature — the real-world limits
Non-repetitive surge current (Itsm) is 160 A at 50 Hz and 168 A at 60 Hz — this is the one-cycle peak the die can survive during a fault like a shorted load or inrush from a motor start or lamp cold filament.
It is ROHS3 compliant.