Motor Poles

Motor Poles are the individual north and south magnetic poles located on the rotor of a motor. In permanent magnet motors, each magnet contributes one north pole and one south pole, creating a series of alternating magnetic poles around the rotor.

The number of motor poles affects the relationship between the motor’s electrical speed and mechanical speed. Motors with more poles require more electrical cycles to complete one mechanical revolution.

Motor poles are commonly specified as a total count.

Example

A motor with 14 poles contains:

• 7 north poles
• 7 south poles

for a total of 14 magnetic poles.

⚠️ Motor Poles are often confused with Pole Pairs. The total pole count is always twice the number of pole pairs.

In simple terms: motor poles are the individual magnetic north and south poles on the motor rotor.