#1 What is IEC?
#1 What is IEC?
IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) is the world’s leading non-profit organization for developing and publishing international standards in the fields of electrical engineering, electronics, and related technologies. Founded in 1906, the IEC brings together experts, industry representatives, national committees, and technical organizations from around the world to establish globally recognized standards that promote safety, interoperability, efficiency, and innovation.
IEC standards cover a broad range of industries, including power generation and distribution, renewable energy, industrial automation, electrical equipment, electronics, information technology, telecommunications, household appliances, medical devices, transportation, and emerging technologies. These standards provide a common technical foundation that facilitates international trade and ensures compatibility between products and systems worldwide.
The IEC works closely with other international standards organizations, including the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as well as national and industry organizations such as IEEE, JIS, DIN, ANSI, and BSI, to promote harmonized global standards and reduce duplication of technical requirements.
The organization is governed by the IEC Council, which serves as the highest decision-making body responsible for defining the Commission’s strategic direction and policies. The Council delegates operational management to the Council Board, while the Executive Committee oversees the implementation of Council decisions and the day-to-day administration of IEC activities.
National participation in the IEC is organized through National Committees. Depending on their level of participation and economic capacity, countries may join as Full Members or Associate Members. Full Members have the right to actively participate in the development of international standards by joining the relevant IEC Technical Committees according to their national technical interests and expertise.
Types of Membership in IEC Technical Committees
Participating Member (P-Member)
Participating Members actively contribute to the work of an IEC Technical Committee (TC) or Subcommittee (SC). They are expected to review and vote on committee draft documents, submit technical comments, and participate in committee meetings whenever possible. Their votes are counted in the formal approval process, making them full participants in the development of IEC standards.
Observer Member (O-Member)
Observer Members have access to all committee documents and may review and comment on draft standards. However, they are not required to participate actively or vote on committee documents, and their votes are not included in the formal approval process. This membership allows countries to monitor technical developments while maintaining limited participation.
Liaison Member
Liaison Members are international organizations or recognized external bodies that maintain a formal collaborative relationship with an IEC Technical Committee or Subcommittee. They contribute technical expertise, exchange information, and coordinate standardization activities with the IEC. Liaison relationships may also exist between different IEC Technical Committees and Subcommittees to ensure consistency and avoid duplication of work.
#2 IEC Designation & Numbering System
IEC standards are generally assigned publication numbers in the 60000 to 79999 series. For example, a typical IEC publication is designated as IEC 60027-1.
Following the Dresden Agreement between the IEC and CENELEC, the numbering system for many older IEC standards was revised in 1997 by adding 60000 to the original publication number. As a result, standards that were previously identified with lower numbers now appear with their updated designations. For example, IEC 27 became IEC 60027. Therefore, if you encounter an older IEC publication with a two- or three-digit number, it generally refers to the pre-1997 edition of the corresponding modern standard.
The IEC also develops numerous standards jointly with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Publications created by Joint ISO/IEC Technical Committees (JTCs) carry the ISO/IEC designation.
Example:
- ISO/IEC 27001 – Information Security, Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection — Information Security Management Systems — Requirements.
In addition, some standards jointly developed by ISO and IEC are published in the 80000 series. For example:
- IEC 82045-1 – Document Management.
Examples of IEC Standards
| Standard | Description |
|---|---|
| IEC 60027 | Letter symbols to be used in electrical technology. |
| IEC 60041 | Field acceptance tests to determine the hydraulic performance of hydraulic turbines, storage pumps, and pump-turbines. |
| IEC 60045 | Steam turbines. |
| IEC 60050 | International Electrotechnical Vocabulary (IEV). |
| IEC 60052 | Voltage measurement using standard air gaps. |
| IEC 60059 | IEC standard current ratings. |
| IEC 60064 | Tungsten filament lamps for domestic and similar general lighting purposes — Performance requirements. |
| IEC 60065 | Audio, video, and similar electronic apparatus — Safety requirements. |
| IEC 60067 | Dimensions for electron tubes and associated components. |
| IEC 60261 | Sealing tests for electronic tubes. |
| IEC 60263 | Scales and sizes for plotting frequency characteristics and polar diagrams. |
| IEC 60268 | Sound system equipment. |
#3 IEC (Technical Committee)
The IEC’s technical activities are organized into more than 120 Technical Committees (TCs) and Subcommittees, each responsible for a specific field of electrical engineering, electronics, or related technologies. Every committee develops and maintains standards within its designated technical scope, ensuring that publications remain current with technological advances and industry requirements.
The complete list of IEC Technical Committees is provided below. You can browse each committee to explore its scope, published standards, and available documents. If you wish to purchase or download the complete collection of standards published by a particular Technical Committee, simply select the corresponding committee from the list.
TC 1 Terminology
TC 2 Rotating machinery
TC 3 Documentation, graphical symbols and representations of technical information
TC 4 Hydraulic turbines
TC 5 Steam turbines
TC 7 Overhead electrical conductors
TC 8 System aspects of electrical energy supply
TC 9 Electrical equipment and systems for railways
TC 10 Fluids for electrotechnical applications
TC 11 Overhead lines
TC 13 Electrical energy measurement and control
TC 14 Power transformers
TC 15 Solid electrical insulating materials
TC 17 High-voltage switchgear and controlgear
TC 18 Electrical installations of ships and of mobile and fixed offshore units (18A )
TC 20 Electric cables
TC 21 Secondary cells and batteries
TC 22 Power electronic systems and equipment
TC 23 Electrical accessories
TC 25 Quantities and units
TC 26 Electric welding
TC 27 Industrial electroheating and electromagnetic processing
TC 29 Electroacoustics
TC 31 Equipment for explosive atmospheres (IEC SC 31J + SC 31M)
TC 32 Fuses (SC-032A , )
TC 33 Power capacitors and their applications
TC 34 Lighting
TC 35 Primary cells and batteries
TC 36 Insulators
TC 37 Surge arresters
TC 38 Instrument Transformers
TC 40 Capacitors and resistors for electronic equipment
TC 42 High-voltage and high-current test techniques
TC 44 Safety of machinery – Electrotechnical aspects
TC 45 Nuclear instrumentation
TC 46 Cables, wires, waveguides, RF connectors, RF and microwave passive components and accessories (SC046A + … )
TC 47 Semiconductor devices
TC 48 Electrical connectors and mechanical structures for electrical and electronic equipment
TC 49 Piezoelectric, dielectric and electrostatic devices and associated materials for frequency control, selection and detection
TC 51 Magnetic components, ferrite and magnetic powder materials
TC 55 Winding wires
TC 56 Dependability
TC 57 Power systems management and associated information exchange
TC 59 Performance of household and similar electrical appliances
TC 61 Safety of household and similar electrical appliances
TC 62 Electrical equipment in medical practice
TC 64 Electrical installations and protection against electric shock
TC 65 Industrial-process measurement, control and automation
TC 66 Safety of measuring, control and laboratory equipment
TC 68 Magnetic alloys and steels
TC 69 Electrical power/energy transfer systems for electrically propelled road vehicles and industrial trucks
TC 70 Degrees of protection provided by enclosures
TC 72 Automatic electrical controls
TC 73 Short-circuit currents
TC 76 Optical radiation safety and laser equipment
TC 77 Electromagnetic compatibility
TC 78 Live working
TC 79 Alarm and electronic security systems
TC 80 Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems
TC 81 Lightning protection
TC 82 Solar photovoltaic energy systems
TC 85 Measuring equipment for electrical and electromagnetic quantities
TC 86 Fibre optics
TC 87 Ultrasonics
TC 88 Wind energy generation systems
TC 89 Fire hazard testing
TC 90 Superconductivity
TC 91 Electronics assembly technology
TC 94 All-or-nothing electrical relays
TC 95 Measuring relays and protection equipment
TC 96 Transformers, reactors, power supply units, and combinations thereof
TC 97 Electrical installations for lighting and beaconing of aerodromes
TC 99 Insulation co-ordination and system engineering of high voltage electrical power installations above 1,0 kV AC and 1,5 kV DC
TC 100 Audio, video and multimedia systems and equipment
TC 101 Electrostatics
TC 103 Transmitting and receiving equipment for radiocommunication
TC 104 Environmental conditions, classification and methods of test
TC 105 Fuel cell technologies
TC 106 Methods for the assessment of electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields associated with human exposure
TC 107 Process management for avionics
TC 108 Safety of electronic equipment within the field of audio/video, information technology and communication technology
TC 109 Insulation co-ordination for low-voltage equipment
TC 110 Electronic displays
TC 111 Environmental standardization for electrical and electronic products and systems
TC 112 Evaluation and qualification of electrical insulating materials and systems
TC 113 Nanotechnology for electrotechnical products and systems
TC 114 Marine energy – Wave, tidal and other water current converters
TC 115 High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission for DC voltages above 100 kV
TC 116 Safety of motor-operated electric tools
TC 117 Solar thermal electric plants
PC 118 Smart grid user interface
TC 119 Printed Electronics
TC 120 Electrical Energy Storage (EES) Systems
TC 121 Switchgear and controlgear and their assemblies for low voltage
TC 122 UHV AC transmission systems
TC 123 Management of network assets in power systems
TC 124 Wearable electronic devices and technologies
TC 125 e-Transporters
PC 126 Binary power generation systems
PC 127 Low-voltage auxiliary power systems for electric power plants and substations
PC 128 Operation of electrical installations
TC 129 Robotics for electricity generation, transmission and distribution systems
ISO/IEC JTC 1 Information technology
#4 Download IEC
Request IEC Standards
The Pars Octan archive includes the latest available editions of IEC standards, covering a wide range of electrical, electronic, automation, and industrial technologies. Due to the extensive number of IEC publications, however, some documents may not yet be listed on the website.
If you cannot find the IEC standard you require, or if you need more than 20 standards, you can submit a request by specifying the IEC standard number and the required edition year. Our technical team will review your request and respond as quickly as possible with information regarding the availability, purchase options, and delivery of the requested IEC standards or customized standards package.
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