Any load delivered at the output of an electrical device, circuit, machine, or other apparatus that exceeds the rated output of the equipment. It is expressed numerically as the difference between the overload value and the rated value; it can also be quoted as a percentage of the rated output. The magnitude of the load at which operation of the equipment becomes unsatisfactory, due to overheating or distortion, is the overload level; the value of the maximum load that can be tolerated without permanent physical damage to the equipment is the overload capacity.