EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026

• Abstract:

  This part of IEC 60695 summarises the test methods that are used in the assessment of the corrosivity of fire effluent. It presents a brief summary of test methods in common use, either as international standards, national or industry standards. It includes special observations on their relevance, for electrotechnical products and their materials, to real fire scenarios and gives recommendations on their use.

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 29-Oct-2026
• ICS: 13.220.99 - Other standards related to protection against fire
• ICS: 19.020 - Test conditions and procedures in general
• ICS: 29.020 - Electrical engineering in general
• Technical Committee: CLC/SR 89 - Fire hazard testing
• Current Stage: 6060 - Document made available - Publishing
• Start Date: 30-Oct-2026
• Due Date: 28-Nov-2025
• Completion Date: 30-Oct-2026
• Ref Project: SIST EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 - Fire hazard testing - Part 5-2: Corrosion damage effects of fire effluent - Summary and relevance of test methods (IEC 60695-5-2:2026)

• Refers: EN ISO 13943:2017 - Fire safety - Vocabulary (ISO 13943:2017)
• Effective Date: 27-Oct-2026
• Refers: EN IEC 60695-5-1:2021 - Fire hazard testing - Part 5-1: Corrosion damage effects of fire effluent - General guidance
• Effective Date: 27-Oct-2026
• Refers: EN IEC 60695-4:2021 - Fire hazard testing - Part 4: Terminology concerning fire tests for electrotechnical products
• Effective Date: 27-Oct-2026

EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 is a CLC publication in the IEC 60695 fire hazard testing series. It summarises test methods for assessing the corrosivity of fire effluent and explains how those methods relate to electrotechnical products, their materials and real fire scenarios.

The document is meant for technical committees, product committees, designers and test laboratories that need to choose or interpret a corrosion-damage test. It helps them compare indirect gas tests and direct corrosion-target methods before deciding which approach fits a product, material or end use.

What does EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 specify?

EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 summarises the test methods used to assess the corrosivity of fire effluent. It gives short descriptions of methods in common use, notes where they are relevant to electrotechnical products and their materials, and offers guidance on their use in real fire scenarios.

Clause 1 says the document is a summary, not a full replacement for the method standards it reviews. Clause 2 lists the referenced standards needed to apply it correctly. Clause 3 defines the key fire-safety terms, Clause 4 classifies the test methods, Clause 5 reviews published methods, and Clause 6 compares their relevance and limitations.

Annex	What it covers
Annex A	Test methods for acidity and conductivity of aqueous solutions obtained after bubbling combustion effluent through water
Annex B	Repeatability and reproducibility from comparative tests of solutions of combustion gases

The main body also contains Table 1 on fire-stage characteristics, Table 2 on the overview of corrosivity test methods, and Figure 1 showing a typical corrosion target.

What are the key requirements of EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026?

EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 does not set one single corrosion test for all products. Instead, it requires the user to match the test to the specimen, the fire model and the way corrosivity will be measured.

Clause 4 - classify the method before testing

Clause 4 classifies methods in three ways: by test specimen, by physical fire model, and by the type of corrosivity measurement. In practice, this means a committee or laboratory must first decide whether it is testing a product, a material, or a composite sample, and whether it wants direct damage, a simulated target or an indirect gas measurement.

Clause 4.2 separates product testing from material or composite sample testing. That matters because the choice changes what the result can represent: a finished product can be judged directly, while a basic material usually needs a more abstract interpretation.

Clause 4.3 links the test to the fire stage represented by the physical fire model. The document points to oxygen concentration, irradiance and temperature as the main variables. In practice, the test should resemble the fire phase of interest, otherwise the corrosion data may not reflect the expected effluent.

Clause 4.4 distinguishes three corrosion approaches:

• product as target
• simulated product as target
• indirect assessment

That matters because direct targets measure damage, while indirect methods only measure gas properties that are used as proxies for corrosive potential.

Clause 5.2 - halogen acid in combustion gases

Clause 5.2 reviews the method for determining halogen acid gas from cable materials. It uses a small sample heated in a tube furnace, with the evolved gases absorbed in alkaline solution and then measured by titration.

In practice, this is an analytical chemistry test for halogen acid, not a direct corrosion test. The document says it indicates corrosive potential, but a low reading does not automatically mean low corrosion hazard because other corrosive species may also be present.

Clause 5.3 - acidity and conductivity of gases dissolved in water

Clause 5.3 covers methods that bubble combustion gases through water and then measure pH and, in some cases, conductivity. This is a common indirect way to compare the corrosive tendency of combustion products.

The document explains that these results can rank materials within a similar family, especially when a correlation to corrosive potential has been established. That is important because the method is simple and relatively low-cost, but it does not directly measure metal damage.

Annex A compares the main versions of these methods, and Annex B gives repeatability and reproducibility information from comparative tests.

Clause 5.4 - copper corrosion methods

Clause 5.4 reviews ASTM D 2671 procedures that use copper as the corrosion target, mainly for heat-shrinkable insulating tubing. The methods include a copper mirror test, a heated contact test on conductors, and a cyclic humidity test with copper dust.

These methods are qualitative. In practice, they are useful when the concern is whether decomposition products can visibly attack copper, especially under non-flaming oxidative conditions.

Clause 5.5 - cone corrosimeter method

Clause 5.5 reviews the cone corrosimeter method used in ISO 11907-4 and ASTM D 5485. It measures metal loss on a target by tracking the increase in electrical resistance after exposure to combustion effluent.

This is a direct corrosion-damage method, so it is closer to how fire effluent can affect exposed metal parts in service. The document also notes that target thickness matters, so results from different targets should be kept separate rather than mixed.

Clause 6 - use the results as part of a wider assessment

Clause 6 says the reviewed methods are for controlled laboratory evaluation of relative corrosion effects. They are not to be used by themselves to describe actual fire risk under real conditions.

In practice, corrosion ranking should be combined with other fire-behaviour data such as ignitability, surface spread of flame and rate of heat release. The document also points to fuel load, ventilation, humidity and exposed surfaces as factors that shape the real outcome.

What terms does EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 define?

EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 uses a small set of fire-safety terms that anchor its method summaries.

• corrosion damage - physical or chemical damage, or impaired function, caused by chemical action.
• corrosion target - the sensor or object used to measure the degree of corrosion damage under specified test conditions.
• fire effluent - the gases and aerosols, including suspended particles, created by combustion or pyrolysis and released to the environment.
• fire scenario - a qualitative description of a fire over time, including the key events that distinguish it from other fires.
• physical fire model - the laboratory process, including apparatus, environment and procedure, that represents a phase of a fire.
• pyrolysis - chemical decomposition caused by heat.
• smoke - the visible part of fire effluent.

Who uses EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026?

EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 is used by IEC and product committees responsible for electrotechnical products, because they choose the test method and the severity level. It is also used by test laboratories that assess materials, components and finished products for corrosive fire effluent.

Designers and assessors of cables, printed wiring boards, switchboards, computers, heat-shrinkable tubing and other electrotechnical products can use it to decide whether an indirect gas test or a direct corrosion-target test is more suitable. It is especially relevant where corrosion damage could affect high-value or safety-related installations.

What changed in EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 from the previous edition?

EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 is identified as IEC 60695-5-2 ED2 and supersedes 89/1614/CD and 89/1638/CC.

Which standards are used with EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026?

Standard	Role in this document
IEC 60695-4	Provides the terminology for fire tests
IEC 60695-5-1	Gives the general guidance that this part is read with
ISO 13943:2017	Supplies fire-safety vocabulary used in the definitions
IEC 60695-1-10	Background guidance on assessing fire hazard of electrotechnical products
IEC 60695-1-11	Background guidance on fire-hazard assessment
IEC 60695-1-12	Background guidance on fire safety engineering
IEC 60754-1	Basis for the halogen acid gas test reviewed in Clause 5.2
IEC 60754-2	Basis for the acidity and conductivity test reviewed in Clause 5.3
IEC 60754-3	Mentioned as a low-halogen method, but noted as not relevant to predicting corrosivity
ISO 19706:2011	Supplies the fire-stage characteristics shown in Table 1
ISO 11907-4	One of the standards using the cone corrosimeter method
ASTM D 5485	Another standard using the cone corrosimeter method
ASTM D 2671	Source of the copper corrosion procedures reviewed in Clause 5.4
CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 0.3	Another standard based on the acidity and conductivity method
DIN VDE 0472, Part 813	Another standard based on the acidity and conductivity method
NF C20-453	French standard used in the repeatability and reproducibility study

What does the EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 document contain?

EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 contains short summaries of four method families: halogen acid measurement, acidity and conductivity in aqueous solution, copper corrosion tests, and the cone corrosimeter method. It also contains a classification scheme for test specimens, fire models and corrosion measurements, which is the core tool for deciding how to use each method.

Table 1 links the methods to fire-stage characteristics taken from ISO 19706:2011, and Table 2 compares method limits and applicability. Figure 1 shows the structure of a typical corrosion target with defined metal thickness, which helps readers understand the direct metal-loss approach used in the cone corrosimeter method.

Annex A compares different acidity and conductivity methods for combustion effluent dissolved in water. Annex B gives comparative pH and resistivity data, together with repeatability and reproducibility information, so laboratories can judge how stable the results are when methods are compared.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-december-2026
Preskušanje požarne ogroženosti - 5-2. del: Poškodbe zaradi korozijskega učinka
izžarevanja ognja - Povzetek in relevantnost preskusnih metod (IEC 60695-5-
2:2026)
Fire hazard testing - Part 5-2: Corrosion damage effects of fire effluent - Summary and
relevance of test methods (IEC 60695-5-2:2026)
Prüfungen zur Beurteilung der Brandgefahr - Teil 5-2: Korrosionsschädigung durch
flüchtige Verbrennungsprodukte - Zusammenfassung und Anwendbarkeit der
Prüfverfahren (IEC 60695-5-2:2026)
Essais relatifs aux risques du feu - Partie 5-2: Effets des dommages de corrosion des
effluents du feu - Récapitulatif et pertinence des méthodes d'essai (IEC 60695-5-2:2026)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026
ICS:
13.220.99 Drugi standardi v zvezi z Other standards related to
varstvom pred požarom protection against fire
19.020 Preskuševalni pogoji in Test conditions and
postopki na splošno procedures in general
29.020 Elektrotehnika na splošno Electrical engineering in
general
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD EN IEC 60695-5-2

NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM October 2026
ICS 29.020; 19.020; 13.220.99
English Version
Fire hazard testing - Part 5-2: Corrosion damage effects of fire
effluent - Summary and relevance of test methods
(IEC 60695-5-2:2026)
Essais relatifs aux risques du feu - Partie 5-2: Effets des Prüfungen zur Beurteilung der Brandgefahr - Teil 5-2:
dommages de corrosion des effluents du feu - Récapitulatif Korrosionsschädigung durch flüchtige
et pertinence des méthodes d'essai Verbrennungsprodukte - Zusammenfassung und
(IEC 60695-5-2:2026) Anwendbarkeit der Prüfverfahren
(IEC 60695-5-2:2026)
This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2026-10-20. CENELEC members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC
Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre or to any CENELEC member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the
same status as the official versions.
CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Türkiye and the United Kingdom.

European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2026 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.
Ref. No. EN IEC 60695-5-2:2026 E

European foreword
The text of document 89/1672/FDIS, future edition 1 of IEC 60695-5-2, prepared by TC 89 "Fire
hazard testing" was submitted to the IEC-CENELEC parallel vote and approved by CENELEC as
The following dates are fixed:
• latest date by which the document has to be implemented at national (dop) 2027-10-31
level by publication of an identical national standard or by endorsement
• latest date by which the national standards conflicting with the (dow) 2029-10-31
document have to be withdrawn
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CENELEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document is read in conjunction with EN IEC 60695-5-1.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national committee. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CENELEC website.
Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 60695-5-2:2026 was approved by CENELEC as a
European Standard without any modification.
In the official version, for Bibliography, the following notes have to be added for the standard indicated:
IEC 60695-1-10 NOTE Approved as EN 60695-1-10
IEC 60695-1-11 NOTE Approved as EN 60695-1-11
IEC 60695-1-12 NOTE Approved as EN IEC 60695-1-12
IEC 60754-1 NOTE Approved as EN 60754-1
IEC 60754-2 NOTE Approved as EN 60754-2
IEC 60754-3 NOTE Approved as EN IEC 60754-3
Annex ZA
(normative)
Normative references to international publications
with their corresponding European publications
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments)
applies.
NOTE 1  Where an International Publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated by (mod),
the relevant EN/HD applies.
NOTE 2  Up-to-date information on the latest versions of the European Standards listed in this annex is available
here: www.cencenelec.eu.
Publication Year Title EN/HD Year
IEC 60695-4 - Fire hazard testing - Part 4: Terminology EN IEC 60695-4 -
concerning fire tests for electrotechnical
products
IEC 60695-5-1 - Fire hazard testing - Part 5-1: Corrosion EN IEC 60695-5-1 -
damage effects of fire effluent - General
guidance
ISO 13943 2017 Fire safety - Vocabulary EN ISO 13943 2017

This standard has been withdrawn and replaced with EN ISO 13943:2023.
IEC 60695-5-2 ®
Edition 1.0 2026-09
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Fire hazard testing -
Part 5-2: Corrosion damage effects of fire effluent - Summary and relevance of
test methods
ICS 29.020; 19.020; 13.220.99 ISBN 978-2-8327-1506-2

IEC 60695-5-2:2026-09(en)
IEC 60695-5-2:2026 © IEC 2026
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Classification of test methods . 7
4.1 General . 7
4.2 Test specimen . 7
4.2.1 Product testing . 7
4.2.2 Material or composite sample testing . 8
4.3 The physical fire model . 8
4.4 The nature of the corrosivity measurement . 10
4.4.1 Product as target . 10
4.4.2 Simulated product as target . 10
4.4.3 Material as target. 10
4.4.4 Indirect assessment . 10
5 Published test methods . 10
5.1 General . 10
5.2 Tests for the determination of halogen acid in combustion gases . 10
5.2.1 Standards . 10
5.2.2 Purpose and principle . 10
5.2.3 Test specimen . 11
5.2.4 Test method . 11
5.2.5 Repeatability and reproducibility . 11
5.2.6 Relevance of test data to corrosion hazard assessment . 11
5.3 Tests for the determination of the acidity and conductivity of combustion
gases dissolved in an aqueous solution . 11
5.3.1 Standards . 11
5.3.2 Purpose and principle . 11
5.3.3 Test specimen . 12
5.3.4 Test method . 12
5.3.5 Repeatability and reproducibility . 12
5.3.6 Relevance of test data to corrosion hazard assessment . 12
5.4 Tests for the determination of corrosive gases by evaluation of copper
corrosion. 12
5.4.1 Purpose and principle . 12
5.4.2 Test specimen . 12
5.4.3 Test methods . 13
5.4.4 Special observations . 13
5.4.5 Repeatability and reproducibility . 13
5.4.6 Relevance of test data to corrosion hazard assessment . 13
5.5 Cone corrosimeter method . 13
5.5.1 Standards . 13
5.5.2 Purpose and principle . 13
5.5.3 Test specimen . 13
5.5.4 Corrosion target . 14
5.5.5 Test method . 14
IEC 60695-5-2:2026 © IEC 2026
5.5.6 Special observation . 15
5.5.7 Repeatability and reproducibility . 15
5.5.8 Relevance of test data to corrosion hazard assessment . 15
6 Overview of methods and relevance of data . 15
Annex A (informative) Acidity and conductivity of aqueous solutions – Test methods . 18
Annex B (informative) Determination of repeatability and reproducibility –
Comparative tests of solutions of combustion gases . 19
Bibliography . 23

Figure 1 – Schematic drawing of a typical corrosion target of defined metal thickness . 15

Table 1 – Characteristics of fire stages (from Table 1 in ISO 19706:2011 [12]) . 9
Table 2 – Overview of corrosivity test methods . 17
Table A.1 – Test methods for the measurement of acidity and conductivity of aqueous
solutions obtained after bubbling combustion effluent through water . 18
Table B.1 – Determination of repeatability and reproducibility – Comparative pH tests
on solutions of combustion gases . 20
Table B.2 – Determination of repeatability and reproducibility – Comparative resistivity
tests on solutions of combustion gases . 21
Table B.3 – Results obtained on brominated polycarbonate . 22

IEC 60695-5-2:2026 © IEC 2026
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
Fire hazard testing -
Part 5-2: Corrosion damage effects of fire effluent -
Summary and relevance of test methods

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC Publication(s)”). Their
preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with
may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising
with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence between
any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.
5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
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services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) IEC draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). IEC takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent rights in
respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, IEC had not received notice of (a) patent(s), which
may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent
the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at https://patents.iec.ch. IEC
shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 60695-5-2 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 89: Fire hazard testing. It is an
International Standard.
This first edition cancels and replaces the third edition of IEC TS 60695-5-2 published in 2021.
This edition constitutes a technical revision. This edition includes the following significant
technical changes with respect to IEC TS 60695-5-2:
a) 4.4, The nature of the corrosivity measurement, has been added to follow recent
technological developments;
b) 5.2, Tests for the determination of halogen acid in combustion gases, has been updated
following the recent development of IEC 60754.
IEC 60695-5-2:2026 © IEC 2026
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
89/1672/FDIS 89/1680/RVD
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
This International Standard is to be read in conjunction with IEC 60695-5-1.
A list of all parts in the IEC 60695 series, published under the general title Fire hazard testing,
can be found on the IEC website.
IEC 60695-5 consists of the following parts:
Part 5-1: Corrosion damage effects of fire effluent - General guidance
Part 5-2: Corrosion damage effects of fire effluent - Summary and relevance of test methods
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
– reconfirmed,
– withdrawn, or
– revised.
IEC 60695-5-2:2026 © IEC 2026
INTRODUCTION
In the design of an electrotechnical product the risk of fire and the potential hazards associated
with fire need to be considered. In this respect the objective of component, circuit and
equipment design, as well as the choice of materials, is to reduce the risk of fire to a tolerable
level even in the event of reasonably foreseeable (mis)use, malfunction or failure.
IEC 60695-1-10 [1] , IEC 60695-1-11 [2] and IEC 60695-1-12 [3] provide guidance on how this
is to be accomplished.
Fires involving electrotechnical products can also be initiated from external non-electrical
sources. Considerations of this nature are dealt with in an overall fire hazard assessment.
The aim of the IEC 60695 series is to save lives and property by reducing the number of fires
or reducing the consequences of the fire. This can be accomplished by:
– trying to prevent ignition caused by an electrically energised component part and, in the
event of ignition, to confine any resulting fire within the bounds of the enclosure of the
electrotechnical product.
– trying to minimise flame spread beyond the product's enclosure and to minimise the harmful
effects of fire effluents including heat, smoke, and toxic or corrosive combustion products.
All fire effluents are corrosive to some degree and the level of potential to corrode depends on
the nature of the fire, the combination of combustible materials involved in the fire, the nature
of the substrate under attack, and the temperature and relative humidity of the environment in
which the corrosion is taking place. There is no evidence that fire effluent from electrotechnical
products offers greater risk of corrosion damage than the fire effluent from other products such
as furnishings, building materials, etc.
The performance of electrical and electronic components can be adversely affected by
corrosion damage when subjected to fire effluent. A wide variety of combinations of small
quantities of effluent gases, smoke particles, moisture and temperature can provide conditions
for electrical component or system failures from breakage, overheating or shorting.
Evaluation of potential corrosion damage is particularly important for high value and safety-
related electrotechnical products and installations.
Technical committees responsible for the products will choose the test(s) and specify the level
of severity.
The study of corrosion damage requires an interdisciplinary approach involving chemistry,
electricity, physics, mechanical engineering, metallurgy and electrochemistry. In the
preparation of this document, all of the above have been considered.
IEC 60695-5-1 defines the scope of the guidance and indicates the field of application.
IEC 60695-5-2 provides a summary of test methods including relevance and usefulness.

___________
Numbers in square brackets refer to the bibliography.
IEC 60695-5-2:2026 © IEC 2026
1 Scope
This part of IEC 60695 summarises the test methods that are used in the assessment of the
corrosivity of fire effluent. It presents a brief summary of test methods in common use, either
as international standards, national or industry standards. It includes special observations on
their relevance, for electrotechnical products and their materials, to real fire scenarios and gives
recommendations on their use.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 60695-4, Fire hazard testing - Part 4: Terminology concerning fire tests
IEC 60695-5-1, Fire hazard testing - Part 5-1: Corrosion damage effects of fire effluent -
General guidance
ISO 13943:2017, Fire safety - Vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 60695-4 and
ISO 13943:2017 (some of which are reproduced below) apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
– IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
– ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
corrosion damage
physical and/or chemical damage or impaired function caused by chemical action
[SOURCE: ISO 13943:2017, 3.69]
3.2
corrosion target
sensor used to determine the degree of corrosion damage (3.1), under specified test conditions
Note 1 to entry: This sensor can be a product or a component. It can also be a reference material or object used to
simulate the behaviour of a product or a component.
[SOURCE: ISO 13943:2017, 3.70]
3.3
fire effluent
all gases and aerosols, including suspended particles created by combustion or pyrolysis (3.6)
and emitted to the environment
[SOURCE: ISO 13943:2017, 3.123]
IEC 60695-5-2:2026 © IEC 2026
3.4
fire scenario
qualitative description of the course of a fire with respect to time, identifying key events that
characterize the studied fire and differentiate it from other possible fires
Note 1 to entry: See fire scenario cluster (ISO 13943:2017, 3.154) and representative fire scenario
(ISO 13943:2017, 3.153).
Note 2 to entry: It typically defines the ignition and fire growth processes, the fully developed fire stage, the fire
decay stage, and the environment and systems that will impact on the course of the fire.
Note 3 to entry: Unlike deterministic fire analysis, where fire scenarios are individually selected and used as design
fire scenarios, in fire risk assessment, fire scenarios are used as representative fire scenarios within fire scenario
clusters.
[SOURCE: ISO 13943:2017, 3.152]
3.5
physical fire model
laboratory process, including the apparatus, the environment and the fire test procedure
intended to represent a certain phase of a fire
[SOURCE: ISO 13943:2017, 3.298]
3.6
pyrolysis
chemical decomposition of a substance by the action of heat
Note 1 to entry: Pyrolysis is often used to refer to a stage of fire before flaming combustion has begun.
Note 2 to entry: In fire science, no assumption is made about the presence or absence of oxygen.
[SOURCE: ISO 13943:2017, 3.316]
3.7
smoke
visible part of a fire effluent (3.3)
[SOURCE: ISO 13943:2017, 3.347]
4 Classification of test methods
4.1 General
The test methods included in this document can generally be classified according to the
following three criteria:
a) the nature of the test specimen which is burnt;
b) the physical fire model used in the test;
c) the nature of the measurement of corrosivity.
4.2 Test specimen
4.2.1 Product testing
The test specimen for product testing shall be a finished manufactured product or a
representative portion taken from it. Examples include a printed circuit board, a switchboard, a
computer or a cable.
IEC 60695-5-2:2026 © IEC 2026
4.2.2 Material or composite sample testing
The test specimen for material or composite testing shall consists of a single material (solid or
liquid) or of a combination of different materials
4.3 The physical fire model
Test methods use a wide variety of heat sources and geometries. The amount, the rate of
production and the corrosive nature of fire effluent including smoke released from a given
material or product is not an inherent property of that material or product but is critically
dependent on the conditions under which that material or product is burnt. In a fire scenario or
a fire test, the chemical nature of the fuel, the decomposition temperature and the amount of
ventilation are the main variables which affect the composition of fire effluent.
It is critical to show that the test conditions defined in a standardized test method are relevant
to, and replicate, the desired stage of a real fire. ISO has published a general classification of
fire stages in ISO 19706 [12], shown in Table 1. The important factors affecting effluent
production are oxygen concentration, irradiance and temperature.

IEC 60695-5-2:2026 © IEC 2026
Table 1 –
...