IEC 61000-6-2

IEC 61000-6-2:2016 establishes generic electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) immunity requirements for electrical and electronic equipment intended for industrial locations, including indoor and outdoor installations.

The standard addresses electromagnetic disturbances associated with industrial power distribution, switching equipment, high-current systems, and radio-frequency sources. It applies when no dedicated product or product-family EMC immunity standard exists.

Industrial locations typically include facilities supplied by a dedicated electrical network through a high- or medium-voltage transformer. Equipment connected to DC distribution networks and battery-powered equipment intended for industrial use are also covered.

The standard addresses immunity phenomena across the overall range of 0 Hz to 400 GHz, but testing is required only where specific test requirements are established.

IEC 61000-6-2 covers immunity performance and does not establish emission limits or electrical safety requirements.

IEC 61000-6-2:2016 is relevant to electrical and electronic equipment designed for industrial installations where a dedicated product-specific immunity standard does not apply.

Typical Equipment Categories

Industrial Control Systems: Control modules, monitoring interfaces, and industrial automation electronics.

Manufacturing Equipment: Electronic control assemblies used in production machinery and automated manufacturing lines.

Power Electronics: Industrial power supplies, converters, and electronic power control equipment.

Industrial Communication Devices: Communication gateways, network interfaces, and remote I/O modules.

Monitoring and Instrumentation: Industrial sensors, data acquisition equipment, and condition monitoring systems.

Process Equipment: Electronic controllers used in chemical processing, metalworking, and other industrial operations.

Important: These examples are conditional. Dedicated standards such as IEC 61326-1 or IEC 61800-3 may take precedence for particular equipment categories.

Industrial equipment manufacturers must select applicable EMC requirements according to the intended market, product category, and installation environment.

European Union

EN IEC 61000-6-2:2019 is the European adoption of IEC 61000-6-2:2016. It may support the immunity assessment of industrial equipment under EMC Directive 2014/30/EU.

Manufacturers should verify the current harmonized standard listing and any applicable restrictions before relying on the standard for presumption of conformity. Relevant results form part of the technical documentation supporting CE marking.

International Compliance

National adoptions and customer specifications may reference IEC 61000-6-2 directly or establish additional requirements. The applicable edition should be confirmed before testing.

IEC 61000-6-2:2016 defines immunity requirements according to the equipment’s enclosure, signal/control, DC power, and AC power ports.

Enclosure Immunity

Radiated RF Immunity (IEC 61000-4-3): Evaluates equipment operation under electromagnetic fields representative of RF exposure in industrial environments.

Electrostatic Discharge (IEC 61000-4-2): Evaluates resistance to contact and air discharges affecting accessible equipment surfaces.

Magnetic Field Immunity (IEC 61000-4-8): Assesses equipment containing components susceptible to power-frequency magnetic fields.

Conducted Disturbance Immunity

Conducted RF Immunity (IEC 61000-4-6): Applies RF disturbances to relevant power, signal, and control connections.

EFT/Burst (IEC 61000-4-4): Simulates fast repetitive electrical transients associated with switching operations.

Surge Immunity (IEC 61000-4-5): Evaluates resistance to high-energy transient overvoltages on applicable electrical ports.

Voltage Dips and Interruptions (IEC 61000-4-11 / IEC 61000-4-34): Evaluates the response of AC-powered equipment to temporary supply voltage reductions and interruptions.

The required tests depend on the relevant ports and applicability conditions specified in Tables 1 through 4 of the standard.

IEC 61000-6-2:2016 specifies industrial immunity levels according to the equipment port and electromagnetic disturbance. The tables below summarize the principal test requirements.

Enclosure Port Immunity

Notes: Radiated RF tests use 80% AM at 1 kHz. The magnetic field test applies only to equipment containing magnetically susceptible devices. The standard does not specify a general radiated RF immunity test level between 1 GHz and 1.4 GHz.

Signal and Control Ports

Applicability: Conducted RF and EFT apply to ports with specified cable lengths exceeding 3 m. Surge testing applies to long-distance lines, meaning cables exceeding 30 m within a building or extending outside the building.

DC Power Ports

Applicability: DC power ports not intended for connection to a DC distribution network are evaluated as signal ports. Additional conditions apply to battery connections, dedicated AC/DC adaptors, and cable lengths.

AC Power Ports

Voltage Dips and Interruptions

Notes: The durations separated by a slash correspond to 50 Hz and 60 Hz, respectively. Voltage dip and interruption testing applies to AC input ports. IEC 61000-4-11 or IEC 61000-4-34 is selected according to the rated mains current. Special performance provisions apply to electronic power converters.

Additional Test Conditions: Conducted RF uses 80% AM at 1 kHz. EFT/Burst uses 5/50 ns pulses at 5 kHz or 100 kHz. Surge testing uses a 1.2/50 microsecond voltage waveform with an associated 8/20 microsecond current waveform.

The complete test plan must consider all applicability conditions and footnotes in Tables 1 through 4 of IEC 61000-6-2:2016.

Compliance with IEC 61000-6-2:2016 is determined by evaluating equipment functionality during and after exposure to the applicable immunity disturbances.

Performance Criteria

Criterion A: The equipment must operate as intended during and after testing without unacceptable degradation or loss of function.

Criterion B: Temporary degradation is permitted during testing, provided normal performance is restored afterward without changes to the actual operating state or stored data.

Criterion C: Temporary loss of function is permitted if the equipment recovers automatically or can be restored through normal control operation.

Pass/Fail Assessment

The manufacturer must establish acceptable functional performance levels before testing. The laboratory evaluates observed behavior against the performance criterion assigned to each test.

Any equipment that becomes dangerous or unsafe as a consequence of immunity testing is considered to have failed.

IEC 61000-6-2:2016 requires equipment to be tested in its expected most susceptible operating mode, using a configuration representative of normal industrial installation and operation.

Test Setup

The equipment under test (EUT) must be connected to the representative auxiliary equipment necessary to exercise its relevant ports. Power connections, communication cables, grounding arrangements, and manufacturer-specified external protection measures must reflect intended installation conditions.

Functional Monitoring

Critical functions should be monitored during immunity exposure, including communication integrity, control outputs, measurement accuracy, and operating state where applicable.

The test report must document the selected operating modes, configuration, tested ports, observed performance, and technical justification for any excluded tests.

Industrial EMC failures often arise from interactions between equipment rather than from individual components. Motor drives, contactors, switching power supplies, and communication networks can create interference paths that are difficult to reproduce outside normal operating conditions.

Typical Failure Mechanisms

Common-Mode Coupling: High-frequency currents traveling along cable shields, grounding conductors, or power connections can disturb sensitive control electronics.

Communication Disruptions: RF exposure or fast transients may cause packet loss, communication timeouts, or unexpected controller resets.

False Sensor Readings: Electromagnetic interference can introduce measurement errors, unstable analog signals, or unintended digital input transitions.

Ground Potential Differences: Long cable runs between equipment at different locations can create additional susceptibility to surge and transient disturbances.

What Should Be Monitored During Testing?

Beyond checking whether equipment remains powered, engineers should monitor communication errors, sensor accuracy, output stability, alarm conditions, and unexpected changes in operating state. Some immunity failures are temporary and may not be visible after the disturbance ends.

Engineering Insight: A device that remains operational during an immunity test may still fail its performance criterion if it produces incorrect measurements, loses communication, or changes its operating state unexpectedly.