This work is a contribution to the understanding of the electrical arc behaviour in low voltage breaking devices—circuit breakers, contactors, switches and switch-disconnectors. A structured and detailed study based on a bibliographical synthesis of research work on experimental devices, the switching arcs and their mathematical models are presented. According to this study and under the assumption that the flow is stationary, a 3D modelling in the air for a 50 A current intensity is achieved. The external magnetic field is taken into account, which makes it possible to quantify the distortion of the confined electrical arc for each of the breaking devices. Two particular shapes are observed: a 'U' shape in the case of the circuit breaker and an 'S' shape in the case of the contactor, the switch and the switch-disconnector.