Standards
Open reference for industrial standards — IEC, ISO, ISA, NAMUR, API. Key concepts, document structure, related tools.
EU
ATEX Directive 99/92/EC — Workplace Safety in Explosive Atmospheres
Directive 99/92/EC is the European workplace safety directive for facilities where workers may be exposed to explosive atmospheres. Establishes operator obligations : risk assessment, area classification, Explosion Protection Document, training, marking, organizational measures.
ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU — Equipment for Explosive Atmospheres
Directive 2014/34/EU is the European legal framework governing equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. Manufacturers and importers placing such equipment on the EU market must comply. Replaces ATEX 95 (94/9/EC).
CEN
CENELEC
IEC
Explosive Atmospheres (ATEX / IECEx)
IEC 60079 is the international standards series for equipment intended for use in explosive atmospheres (gas and dust). Foundation of the IECEx certification scheme and the technical basis for the European ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU.
Equipment General Requirements for Explosive Atmospheres
IEC 60079-0 is the foundation of the IEC 60079 series. It defines the general requirements applicable to all Ex equipment — markings, temperature classes, gas groups, dust groups, Equipment Protection Levels (EPL), construction principles. Every other IEC 60079 protection-method part references this one.
Equipment Protection by Flameproof Enclosure 'd'
IEC 60079-1 specifies design and testing of flameproof enclosures (Ex d), the dominant protection method for industrial motors, lights, switchgear and junction boxes in hazardous areas. The principle : contain an internal explosion without propagating to the outside atmosphere.
Equipment Protection by Increased Safety 'e'
IEC 60079-7 specifies 'increased safety' (Ex e) protection — applied to equipment that does not produce arcs, sparks or hot surfaces in normal operation. Used primarily for terminals, junction boxes, motors without slip rings, and lighting fixtures.
Classification of Areas: Explosive Gas Atmospheres
IEC 60079-10-1 defines the methodology to classify plant areas into Zone 0, Zone 1, and Zone 2 based on the likelihood of an explosive gas atmosphere being present. It is the engineering input that drives Ex equipment selection for the rest of the IEC 60079 series.
Classification of Areas: Explosive Dust Atmospheres
IEC 60079-10-2 defines the methodology to classify plant areas containing combustible dust into Zone 20, 21, and 22. Distinct from gas classification because dust has different physics : it accumulates in layers, can ignite without forming a cloud, and includes conductive dusts that bridge insulation.
Equipment Protection by Intrinsic Safety 'i'
IEC 60079-11 specifies the design and assessment of intrinsically safe electrical equipment for use in explosive atmospheres. Intrinsic Safety (Ex i) is the dominant protection method for instrumentation — it limits electrical energy and surface temperature so that no spark or hot surface can ignite the surrounding atmosphere.
Electrical Installations Design, Selection and Erection
IEC 60079-14 is the installation manual for hazardous areas. It specifies cable selection, segregation, gland choice, equipotential bonding, IS loop documentation, marking, and verification activities for the design and erection of Ex installations.
Inspection and Maintenance of Electrical Installations
IEC 60079-17 specifies the periodic inspection and maintenance regime for hazardous area electrical installations. Three inspection levels (visual, close, detailed) at defined intervals. Required by ATEX workplace directive — failure to maintain a verifiable inspection record is a legal non-compliance.
Intrinsically Safe Electrical Systems
IEC 60079-25 extends IEC 60079-11 from individual devices to complete intrinsically safe systems (loops, segments). It defines how to combine certified IS components into a documented safe installation.
Safety of Machinery / Electrical Equipment of Machines
IEC 60204-1 specifies the electrical installation requirements for industrial machinery — from emergency stop circuits to motor protection, cable colors, terminal block requirements. Harmonized standard under the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC.
Measuring relays and protection equipment
IEC 60255 is the series governing measuring relays and protection equipment — the protective relays and intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) that detect faults and trip breakers in power systems. It defines common requirements, electromagnetic compatibility, product safety and the functional behaviour of protection functions. It is the device-level companion to IEC 61850 substation communication.
Low-Voltage Electrical Installations
IEC 60364 is the international reference for the design, installation and verification of low-voltage (≤1000 V AC, ≤1500 V DC) electrical installations in buildings and industrial facilities. Implemented nationally as NF C 15-100 (France), VDE 0100 (Germany), BS 7671 (UK).
Degrees of Protection Provided by Enclosures (IP Code)
IEC 60529 defines the IP (Ingress Protection) classification system for enclosures of electrical equipment. The two-digit IP code specifies the degree of protection against solid foreign objects and water ingress. It is universally used in the selection of instruments, junction boxes, control panels, and field equipment in all industrial sectors.
Telecontrol transmission protocols (SCADA)
IEC 60870-5 is the European family of telecontrol protocols that carry SCADA data between control centres and substations. IEC 60870-5-101 runs over serial links; IEC 60870-5-104 carries the same application layer over TCP/IP. It is the power-grid counterpart to DNP3 (IEEE 1815), and it gains security from the IEC 62351 series.
Low-Voltage Switchgear and Controlgear
IEC 60947 is the multi-part standard governing low-voltage switchgear and controlgear — circuit breakers, contactors, motor starters, fuses, relays and disconnectors. It defines performance, testing and safety requirements for equipment operating at voltages up to 1000 V AC and 1500 V DC.
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
IEC 61000 is the master standard family for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) — the ability of equipment to function correctly in its electromagnetic environment without introducing intolerable electromagnetic disturbances. It covers emissions (how much interference equipment generates) and immunity (how well equipment withstands interference). EMC compliance is mandatory for CE marking in the EU.
Safety Requirements for Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control, and Laboratory Use
IEC 61010 defines safety requirements for electrical equipment used in measurement, control and laboratory applications. It covers instruments, process controllers, data acquisition systems and test equipment — ensuring protection against electrical shock, fire, mechanical hazards and excessive temperatures.
Programmable Logic Controllers
IEC 61131 is the international standard for programmable logic controllers. Part 3 standardizes the 5 programming languages used in industrial automation (LD, FBD, SFC, ST, IL), enabling code portability between PLC platforms and a shared vocabulary for automation engineers worldwide.
IEC 61158 / IEC 61784 — Industrial Communication Networks (Fieldbus)
IEC 61158 defines the protocol specifications for industrial fieldbuses, while IEC 61784 specifies the communication profiles (CPFs) mapping real protocols — PROFIBUS, PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, Modbus, Foundation Fieldbus, DeviceNet and others — to the IEC framework. Together they are the normative basis for all major industrial fieldbus and industrial Ethernet standards.
PV module design qualification and type approval
IEC 61215 is the international standard for design qualification and type approval of terrestrial photovoltaic modules (crystalline silicon and thin-film). Together with its safety companion IEC 61730, it is the gate every bankable module must pass — a defined sequence of climatic, mechanical and electrical stress tests.
EMC for measurement, control and laboratory equipment
IEC 61326 sets the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements — both emission and immunity — for electrical equipment used in measurement, control and laboratory applications. It defines electromagnetic environment classes and performance criteria, and its part 3-1 adds immunity requirements specific to equipment performing safety-related functions.
Wind energy generation systems
IEC 61400 is the international standard series for wind turbines: design requirements and load cases, offshore and floating foundations, power performance, power quality, lightning protection and SCADA communications. It underpins type certification through the IECRE system.
Low-Voltage Switchgear and Controlgear Assemblies
IEC 61439 covers the design verification and routine testing of low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies — motor control centres (MCCs), distribution boards, power distribution units (PDUs) and control panels. It replaced IEC 60439 and introduced mandatory design verification with defined test-based, calculation-based or comparison-based methods.
Functional Safety of Electrical / Electronic / Programmable Electronic Safety-related Systems
IEC 61508 is the foundational, sector-independent standard for functional safety of electrical, electronic and programmable electronic (E/E/PE) safety-related systems. It is the parent framework from which IEC 61511 (process), IEC 62061 (machinery), ISO 26262 (automotive), IEC 61513 (nuclear) and EN 5012x (railway) are derived.
Functional Safety / Safety Instrumented Systems for the Process Industry Sector
IEC 61511 is the international standard for the design, implementation, operation and maintenance of Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) in the process industry. It is the process-sector application of the broader IEC 61508 framework.
Nuclear I&C systems important to safety
IEC 61513 is the top-level standard for instrumentation and control (I&C) important to safety in nuclear power plants. It is the nuclear sector application of IEC 61508 functional safety: it sets the general requirements for the overall I&C architecture, then hands off to a family of SC 45A standards that cover categorization, software and hardware. It governs both hard-wired and computer-based systems.
Photovoltaic system performance monitoring
IEC 61724 defines how to monitor and evaluate the performance of a photovoltaic system: the Performance Ratio, monitoring classes A/B/C, sensor accuracy, and the methods to verify capacity and energy against guarantees. It turns 'is the plant working?' into a measurable, contestable number.
Communication Networks and Systems for Power Utility Automation
IEC 61850 is the international standard for communication in electrical substations and power utility automation. It defines a unified data model for protection relays, circuit breakers, transformers and other substation equipment, enabling interoperability between IEDs (Intelligent Electronic Devices) from different vendors over Ethernet.
CIM, the grid's common information model
IEC 61970 and IEC 61968 define the Common Information Model (CIM): a shared, UML-based description of the objects in a power system. IEC 61970 covers the energy management system (transmission); IEC 61968 covers distribution management; IEC 62325 covers markets. Together they let utility systems exchange grid models without point-to-point mapping — the basis of Europe's CGMES.
Functional Safety of Safety-related Control Systems for Machinery
IEC 62061 applies IEC 61508 functional safety principles to the machinery sector using SIL 1-3 language. It is the SIL-based alternative to ISO 13849 (PL-based), both harmonized under the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and the upcoming Machinery Regulation 2023/1230. This page covers SRECS design, SILCL, architectural constraints, the SIL determination route, and the Edition 2 (2021) changes.
PV inverter safety and anti-islanding
IEC 62109 is the safety standard for power conversion equipment in photovoltaic systems — the inverter and its electronics — covering protection against electric shock, energy, fire and mechanical hazards. IEC 62116 is the test procedure that proves an inverter disconnects when the grid is lost (anti-islanding). Together they make a PV inverter safe to touch and safe to connect.
Industrial Automation and Control Systems Security
IEC 62443 is the international reference for cybersecurity of industrial automation and control systems (IACS). Multi-part framework covering policies, system requirements, component requirements, and certification. The OT-side counterpart of ISO/IEC 27001.
Grid-connected PV systems: documentation, commissioning and inspection
IEC 62446 defines what must be documented, tested and inspected to hand over a grid-connected photovoltaic system — and how to verify it stays healthy. It is the commissioning rulebook: visual inspection, electrical tests, I-V curves and infrared thermography.
OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA)
IEC 62541 is the normative standard for OPC UA (Unified Architecture) — the platform-independent, service-oriented communication protocol for industrial automation. OPC UA enables secure, reliable data exchange between PLCs, SCADA, MES, ERP and cloud systems, and is the foundation for Industry 4.0 and IIoT architectures.
Safety of industrial lithium batteries
IEC 62619 sets the safety requirements and tests for secondary lithium cells and batteries used in industrial applications — stationary storage (telecom, UPS, grid BESS) and motive power (forklifts, AGVs). Edition 2 (2022) added thermal propagation, battery-system design and EMC requirements. It is the cell-and-battery safety layer beneath UL 9540A and NFPA 855.
Electrical energy storage (EES) systems
IEC 62933 is the international standard series for grid-connected electrical energy storage systems: terminology, unit parameters and test methods, environmental issues and — most critically — safety, including the prevention and containment of battery thermal runaway. It works alongside UL 9540A and NFPA 855.
IECEx
ISA
Batch Control
ISA-88 (also known as IEC 61512) defines the standard model and terminology for batch control systems. It provides a unified language for recipes, equipment, and procedural control that lets pharmaceutical, food, and chemical batch plants describe their processes consistently.
Enterprise-Control System Integration
ISA-95 (also IEC 62264) defines the standard interface between enterprise (ERP, business systems) and manufacturing operations (MES, DCS, batch). It is the backbone of every digital manufacturing initiative, smart factory roadmap, and Industry 4.0 architecture.
ISO
Quality Management Systems
ISO 9001 is the world's most widely adopted management standard, with over 1 million certified organizations. Defines a Quality Management System (QMS) framework based on process approach, risk-based thinking, customer focus and continual improvement (PDCA).
Safety of Machinery / Safety-related Parts of Control Systems
ISO 13849 is the international standard for the design of safety-related parts of control systems (SRP/CS) for machinery. It defines the Performance Level (PL a-e) framework, an alternative to the SIL approach of IEC 62061 for the machinery sector.
Gaseous hydrogen fuelling stations
ISO 19880 is the international standard series for gaseous hydrogen refuelling stations — the equipment that compresses, pre-cools, dispenses and quality-controls hydrogen for vehicles. It defines the safety, fuel quality and dispensing requirements that make heavy-mobility hydrogen practical.
Hydrogen generators using water electrolysis
ISO 22734 is the international standard for hydrogen generators that split water by electrolysis — alkaline, PEM and solid-oxide. It sets the safety and performance requirements for the equipment at the heart of green hydrogen, where flammable hydrogen and oxygen are produced together.
Road Vehicles Functional Safety
ISO 26262 is the automotive adaptation of IEC 61508. It defines a complete safety lifecycle for electrical and electronic systems in road vehicles, using ASIL (Automotive Safety Integrity Level) A-D instead of SIL. Mandatory for OEM and Tier-1 suppliers worldwide.
Asset Management
ISO 55000 series is the international standard for asset management systems. Defines a structured framework to extract maximum value from physical assets over their lifecycle, aligning maintenance, operations, capex planning and risk management with business strategy.
NAMUR
Standardization of the Signal Level for Failure Information of Digital Transmitters
NAMUR NE 43 is the de-facto industry recommendation that standardizes how a 4-20 mA transmitter signals its diagnostic state. Out-of-range currents (< 3.6 mA, > 21 mA) communicate sensor failure rather than the transmitter silently failing inside the normal band.
Reliability of Field Devices in Functional Safety Applications
NAMUR NE 130 specifies how operators should collect, analyze and use field device failure data for Prior Use justification in functional safety applications. It complements IEC 61511's Route 2H (Prior Use route) for proving SIL capability.