prEN IEC 62208:2022

Empty enclosures for low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies - General requirements

Leergehäuse für Niederspannungs-Schaltgerätekombinationen - Allgemeine Anforderungen

Enveloppes vides destinées aux ensembles d'appareillages à basse tension - Exigences générales

Prazna ohišja za sestave nizkonapetostnih stikalnih in krmilnih naprav - Splošne zahteve

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• Publication Date: 21-Jan-2024
• ICS: 29.130.20 - Low voltage switchgear and controlgear
• Technical Committee: CLC/SR 121B - Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies
• Drafting Committee: IEC/SC 121B - Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies
• Current Stage: 4060 - Enquiry results established and sent to TC, SR, BTTF - Enquiry
• Start Date: 23-Sep-2022
• Completion Date: 23-Sep-2022
• Directive: 2014/35/EU - Directive 2014/35/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits
• Mandate: M/511 - Mandate to CEN, CENELEC and ETSI relating to harmonised standards in the field of the Low Voltage Directive
• Ref Project: oSIST prEN IEC 62208:2022 - Empty enclosures for low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies - General requirements

Relations

• Revises: EN 62208:2011 - Empty enclosures for low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies - General requirements
• Effective Date: 26-Jan-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN IEC 62208:2022
01-september-2022
Prazna ohišja za sestave nizkonapetostnih stikalnih in krmilnih naprav - Splošne
zahteve
Empty enclosures for low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies - General
requirements
Leergehäuse für Niederspannungs-Schaltgerätekombinationen - Allgemeine
Anforderungen

Enveloppes vides destinées aux ensembles d'appareillages à basse tension - Exigences

générales
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN IEC 62208:2022
ICS:
29.130.20 Nizkonapetostne stikalne in Low voltage switchgear and
krmilne naprave controlgear
oSIST prEN IEC 62208:2022 en

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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oSIST prEN IEC 62208:2022
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oSIST prEN IEC 62208:2022
121B/157/CDV
COMMITTEE DRAFT FOR VOTE (CDV)
PROJECT NUMBER:
IEC 62208 ED3
DATE OF CIRCULATION: CLOSING DATE FOR VOTING:
2022-07-01 2022-09-23
SUPERSEDES DOCUMENTS:
121B/145/CD, 121B/156/CC
IEC SC 121B : LOW-VOLTAGE SWITCHGEAR AND CONTROLGEAR ASSEMBLIES
SECRETARIAT: SECRETARY:
Germany Mr Jörg Hußmann
OF INTEREST TO THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEES: PROPOSED HORIZONTAL STANDARD:
TC 18,SC 22G,SC 23B,TC 44,TC 64,SC 121A
Other TC/SCs are requested to indicate their interest, if
any, in this CDV to the secretary.
FUNCTIONS CONCERNED:
EMC ENVIRONMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE SAFETY

SUBMITTED FOR CENELEC PARALLEL VOTING NOT SUBMITTED FOR CENELEC PARALLEL VOTING

Attention IEC-CENELEC parallel voting
The attention of IEC National Committees, members of
CENELEC, is drawn to the fact that this Committee Draft
for Vote (CDV) is submitted for parallel voting.
The CENELEC members are invited to vote through the
CENELEC online voting system.

This document is still under study and subject to change. It should not be used for reference purposes.

Recipients of this document are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of

which they are aware and to provide supporting documentation.
TITLE:
Empty enclosures for low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies - General
requirements
PROPOSED STABILITY DATE: 2026
NOTE FROM TC/SC OFFICERS:

Copyright © 2022 International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC. All rights reserved. It is permitted to

download this electronic file, to make a copy and to print out the content for the sole purpose of preparing National

Committee positions. You may not copy or "mirror" the file or printed version of the document, or any part of it,

for any other purpose without permission in writing from IEC.
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oSIST prEN IEC 62208:2022
IEC CDV 62208 © IEC 2022 2 121B/157/CDV
1 CONTENTS

2 CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................... 1

3 FOREWORD......................................................................................................................... 4

4 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 6

5 1. Scope ............................................................................................................................ 7

6 2. Normative references .................................................................................................... 7

7 3. Terms and definitions .................................................................................................... 8

8 4. Classification ............................................................................................................... 10

9 5. EMC ............................................................................................................................ 10

10 6. Information to be given regarding the enclosure ........................................................... 10

11 6.1. General ............................................................................................................... 10

12 6.2. Marking ............................................................................................................... 10

13 6.3. Documentation .................................................................................................... 11

14 6.3.1. General ....................................................................................................... 11

15 6.3.2. Dimensions .................................................................................................. 11

16 6.3.3. Mounting arrangements ................................................................................ 11

17 6.3.4. Permissible loads ......................................................................................... 11

18 6.3.5. Lifting and transport support ......................................................................... 12

19 6.3.6. Protective measures .................................................................................... 12

20 6.3.7. Thermal power dissipation capability ............................................................ 12

21 7. Service conditions ....................................................................................................... 12

22 7.1. General ............................................................................................................... 12

23 7.2. Normal service conditions ................................................................................... 12

24 7.3. Special service conditions ................................................................................... 12

25 7.4. Conditions during transport and storage .............................................................. 13

26 8. Design and construction .............................................................................................. 13

27 8.1. General ............................................................................................................... 13

28 8.2. Static loads ......................................................................................................... 13

29 8.3. Lifting and transport support ................................................................................ 13

30 8.4. Access to the interior of the enclosure ................................................................. 14

31 8.5. Protection against electric shock ......................................................................... 14

32 8.5.1. Requirements for earth continuity within the class I enclosure ....................... 14

33 8.5.2. Requirements for class II enclosure .............................................................. 14

34 8.6. Protection against mechanical impact (IK code) ................................................... 14

35 8.7. Protection against contact with live parts, ingress of solid foreign bodies and

36 water (IP code) ................................................................................................... 15

37 8.8. Protection against corrosion ................................................................................ 15

38 8.9. Enclosures constructed of or covered by insulating material ................................. 15

39 9. Type tests ................................................................................................................... 15

40 9.1. General ............................................................................................................... 15

41 9.2. General conditions of tests .................................................................................. 15

42 9.3. Marking ............................................................................................................... 16

43 9.4. Static loads ......................................................................................................... 16

44 9.5. Lifting ................................................................................................................. 17

45 9.6. Mechanical operation .......................................................................................... 17

46 9.7. Axial loads of metal inserts .................................................................................. 17

47 9.8. Degree of protection against external mechanical impacts (IK code) ..................... 18

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48 9.9. Degree of protection (IP code) ............................................................................. 18

49 9.9.1. Degree of protection against access to hazardous parts and against the

50 ingress of solid foreign objects indicated by first characteristic numeral ......... 18

51 9.9.2. Degree of protection against ingress of water as indicated by second

52 characteristic numeral .................................................................................. 19

53 9.9.3. Degree of protection against hazardous parts as indicated by additional

54 letter ............................................................................................................ 19

55 9.10. Properties of insulating materials ......................................................................... 19

56 9.10.1. Thermal stability .......................................................................................... 19

57 9.10.2. Resistance to normal and abnormal heat ...................................................... 20

58 9.10.3. Resistance to fire ......................................................................................... 20

59 9.11. Dielectric strength ............................................................................................... 21

60 9.11.1. General ....................................................................................................... 21

61 9.11.2. Preconditioning ............................................................................................ 21

62 9.11.3. Enclosures without metal elements inside the protected space ...................... 22

63 9.11.4. Enclosures having metal elements inside the protected space ....................... 22

64 9.11.5. Results to be obtained ................................................................................. 22

65 9.12. Effective earth continuity between the exposed-conductive-parts of the class

66 I enclosure and the protective circuit ................................................................... 22

67 9.13. Resistance to ultra-violet (UV) radiation ............................................................... 23

68 9.13.1. Verification by test ....................................................................................... 23

69 9.13.2. Verification by comparison to a reference design .......................................... 24

70 9.14. Resistance to corrosion ....................................................................................... 24

71 9.14.1. General ....................................................................................................... 24

72 9.14.2. Test procedure ............................................................................................. 24

73 9.14.3. Results to be obtained ................................................................................. 25

74 9.15. Thermal power dissipation capability ................................................................... 25

75 9.15.1. Determination of the power dissipation capability by test ............................... 25

76 9.15.2. Determination of the power dissipation capability by calculation and

77 comparison .................................................................................................. 25

78 9.15.3. Determination of the power dissipation capability by calculation method ........ 26

79 Annex A (informative) List of notes concerning certain countries ......................................... 27

80 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................... 28

82 Table 1 - Climatic conditions ............................................................................................... 12

83 Table 2 – Number of samples to be tested and order of test per sample ............................... 16

84 Table 3 – Axial loads of metal inserts .................................................................................. 18

85 Table 4 - Dielectric test voltage ........................................................................................... 22

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88 INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
89 ____________
91 EMPTY ENCLOSURES FOR LOW-VOLTAGE
92 SWITCHGEAR AND CONTROLGEAR ASSEMBLIES –
93 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
96 FOREWORD

97 1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising

98 all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international

99 co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and

100 in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,

101 Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC Publication(s)”). Their

102 preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with

103 may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising

104 with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collaborates closely with the International Organization for

105 Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.

106 2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international

107 consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all

108 interested IEC National Committees.

109 3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National

110 Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC

111 Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any

112 misinterpretation by any end user.

113 4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications

114 transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence between

115 any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.

116 5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide con formity

117 assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any

118 services carried out by independent certification bodies.

119 6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.

120 7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and

121 members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or

122 other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and

123 expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC

124 Publications.

125 8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is

126 indispensable for the correct application of this publication.

127 9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of patent

128 rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

129

130 IEC 62208 has been prepared by subcommittee 121B: Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear

131 assemblies, of IEC technical committee 121: Switchgear and controlgear and their assemblies

132 for low voltage. It is an International Standard.

133 This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2011. This edition

134 constitutes a technical revision.

135 This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous

136 edition:

137 a) consideration of the modifications introduced in standard IEC 61439-1:2020 Ed.3;

138 b) alignment of test procedures with the newest relevant standards.
139
140
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141 The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
121B/XX/FDIS 121B/XX/RVD
142

143 Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in

144 the above table.

145 The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.

146 This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in

147 accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available

148 at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are

149 described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/standardsdev/publications.

150 The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the

151 stability date indicated on the IEC website under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data related to

152 the specific document. At this date, the document will be
153 • reconfirmed,
154 • withdrawn,
155 • replaced by a revised edition, or
156 • amended.
157
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158 INTRODUCTION

159 The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) draws attention to the fact that it is claimed

160 that compliance with this document may involve the use of a patent. IEC takes no position

161 concerning the evidence, validity, and scope of this patent right.

162 The holder of this patent right has assured IEC that s/he is willing to negotiate licences under

163 reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions with applicants throughout the world.

164 In this respect, the statement of the holder of this patent right is registered with IEC. Information

165 may be obtained from the patent database available at http://patents.iec.ch.

166 Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the

167 subject of patent rights other than those in the patent database. IEC shall not be held

168 responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
169
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170 EMPTY ENCLOSURES FOR LOW-VOLTAGE
171 SWITCHGEAR AND CONTROLGEAR ASSEMBLIES –
172 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
173
174
175 1 Scope

176 This document applies to empty enclosures, as provided by the enclosure manufacturer, prior

177 to the incorporation of switchgear and controlgear components by the assembly manufacturer.

178 This document specifies general definitions, classifications, characteristics and test

179 requirements of enclosures to be used as part of switchgear and controlgear assemblies (e.g.

180 in accordance with the product standard in the IEC 61439 series), the rated voltage of which

181 does not exceed 1 000 V AC or 1 500 V DC, and suitable for general use for either indoor or

182 outdoor applications.
183 NOTE 1 Additional requirements may apply for specific applications.

184 NOTE 2 Empty enclosures according to this document are suitable for mounting of electrical components.

185 This document does not apply to enclosures, which are covered by other specific products

186 standards (e.g. IEC 60670-24).

187 Compliance with the safety requirements of the applicable product standard for the final product

188 produced using an empty enclosure is the responsibility of the assembly manufacturer.

189 NOTE 3 This standard may serve as a basis for other technical committees.
190 2 Normative references

191 The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content

192 constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.

193 For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any

194 amendments) applies.

195 IEC 60068-2-2:2007, Environmental testing – Part 2-2: Tests – Test B: Dry heat

196 IEC 60068-2-11:2021, Basic environmental testing procedures – Part 2-11: Tests – Test Ka:

197 Salt mist

198 IEC 60068-2-30:2005, Environmental testing – Part 2-30: Tests – Test Db: Damp heat, cyclic

199 (12 h + 12 h cycle)
200 IEC 60085:2007, Electrical insulation – Thermal evaluation and designation
201 IEC 60364 (series), Low-voltage electrical installations
202 IEC 60417-5172, Graphical symbols for use on equipment

203 IEC 60529:1989+AMD1:1999+AMD2:2013 CSV, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures

204 (IP Code)

205 IEC 60695-2-10:2021, Fire hazard testing – Part 2-10: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods –

206 Glow-wire apparatus and common test procedure

207 IEC 60695-2-11:2021, Fire hazard testing – Part 2-11: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods –

208 Glow-wire flammability test methods for end-products

209 IEC 60695-11-5:2016; Fire hazard testing - Part 11-5: Test flames - Needle-flame test method

210 - Apparatus, confirmatory test arrangement and guidance
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211 IEC 62262:2002 + IEC 62262:2002/A1:2021, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures for

212 electrical equipment against external mechanical impacts (IK code)
213 ISO 178:2019, Plastics – Determination of flexural properties

214 ISO 179-1:2010, Plastics – Determination of Charpy impact properties – Part 1; Non-

215 instrumented impact test

216 ISO 179-2:2020, Plastics – Determination of Charpy impact properties – Part 2; Instrumented

217 impact test
218 ISO 2409:2020, Paints and varnishes – Cross-cut test

219 ISO 4628-3:2016, Paints and varnishes – Evaluation of degradation of coatings – Designation

220 of quantity and size of defects, and of intensity of uniform changes in appearance – Part 3:

221 Assessment of degree of rusting

222 ISO 4892-2:2013, Plastics – Methods of exposure to laboratory light sources – Part 2: Xenon-

223 arc sources

224 ISO 11469:2016, Plastics – Generic identification and marking of plastic products

225 3 Terms and definitions

226 For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.

227 ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following

228 addresses:
229 • IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
230 • ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
231
232 3.1
233 empty enclosure

234 enclosure intended for support and installation of electrical equipment, whose internal space

235 provides suitable protection against external influences as well as a specified degree of

236 protection against approach to or contact with live parts and against contact with moving parts

237 Note 1 to entry: Throughout this document, the word enclosure is used for empty enclosure.

238 Note 2 to entry: For the purposes of this document, the terms boxes, cubicles, desks or cabinets are alternative

239 terms for enclosures.
240 3.2
241 protected space

242 internal space or portion of an enclosure as specified by the enclosure manufacturer intended

243 to enclose electrical components, and which provides defined protection against external

244 influences and contact with live parts
245 3.3
246 cover
247 external part of the enclosure
248 3.4
249 door
250 hinged or sliding cover
251 3.5
252 mounting plate

253 separate internal accessory of the enclosure intended for the mounting of electrical components

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254 3.6
255 cable gland plate

256 removable accessory of the enclosure, intended for securing and sealing of cables, conductors

257 and conduits at their point of entry
258 3.7
259 removable cover

260 cover which is designed for closing an opening in the external enclosure and which can be

261 removed for carrying out certain operations and maintenance work
262 Note 1 to entry: A lid is considered as a removable cover
263 3.8
264 inspection

265 action comprising careful scrutiny, including visual scrutiny where conditions are obvious, of an

266 item carried out either without dismantling, or with the addition of partial dismantling as required,

267 supplemented by means such as measurement, in order to arrive at a reliable conclusion as to

268 the condition of an item

269 [SOURCE: IEC 60050-426:2020, 426-14-02, modified – “including visual scrutiny where

270 conditions are obvious” has been added.]”
271 3.9
272 rated insulation voltage U

273 value of the RMS withstand voltage assigned by the enclosure manufacturer to the enclosure

274 or to a part of it, characterizing the specified (long-term) withstand capability of its insulation

275 [SOURCE: IEC 60050-312:2014, 312-06-02, modified – Symbol U has been added, in the

276 definition “rated value” has been replaced by “value”, “equipment” has been replaced by

277 “enclosure” and the Note has been deleted.]
278 3.10
279 class I enclosure

280 enclosure with at least one provision for a basic protection and a connection to a protective

281 conductor as provision for fault protection
282 Note 1 to entry: See IEC 61140:2016, 7.3 for further details.

283 [SOURCE: IEC 61439-1:2020, 3.7.24, modified – “assembly” has been replaced by “enclosure”

284 and Note 2 to entry has been deleted.]
285 3.11
286 class II enclosure
287 enclosure which is provided with the following;
288 • basic insulation as provision for basic protection, and
289 • supplementary insulation as provision for fault protection,
290 or in which

291 • basic protection and fault protection are provided by reinforced insulation

292 NOTE to entry: See IEC 61140:2016, 7.4 for further details.

293 [SOURCE: IEC 61439-1:2020, 3.7.25, modified – “assembly” has been replaced by “enclosure”]

294 3.12
295 Conditions of installation of empty enclosures
296 3.12.1
297 empty enclosure for indoor installation

298 empty enclosure that is designed for use in locations where the normal service conditions for

299 indoor use as specified in clause 7 apply
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300 3.12.2
301 empty enclosure for outdoor installation

302 empty enclosure that is designed for use in locations where the normal service conditions for

303 outdoor use as specified in clause 7 apply
304 4 Classification
305 Enclosures are classified according to:
306 a) the type of material:
307 • insulating;
308 • metallic;
309 • combination of insulating and metallic.
310 b) method of mounting:
311 • floor standing;
312 • wall mounting;
313 • flush mounting;
314 • pole mounting.
315 c) the intended location:
316 • outdoor;
317 • indoor.
318 d) the degree of protection:
319 • IP code, according to IEC 60529:1989+AMD1:1999+AMD2:2013;
320 • IK code, according to IEC 62262:2002 + IEC 62262:2002/A1:2021.
321 5 EMC
322 EMC requirements are not applicable for enclosures to this standard.

323 NOTE EMC is not a basic requirement for empty enclosures to this standard. However, when enclosure

324 manufacturers want to assign a degree of protection against electromagnetic disturbances (EM code) it is referred

325 to IEC 61000-5-7:2001.
326 6 Information to be given regarding the enclosure
327 6.1 General
328 The following information shall be given by the enclosure manufacturer.
329 6.2 Marking

330 The enclosure shall be identifiable, making it possible for the assembly manufacturer to obtain

331 relevant information from the enclosure manufacturer. Such identification shall comprise:

332 • either the name, trade mark or identification mark of the enclosure manufacturer;

333 • type designation or identification number of the enclosure.

334 The marking shall be durable and easily legible and may be inside the enclosure.

335 Compliance is checked according to the test of 9.3 and by inspection.
336 Marking for the recycling of plastic parts shall be as stated in ISO 11469.

337 Marking of enclosures used for class II assemblies with the symbol IEC 60417-5172 is the

338 responsibility of the assembly manufacturer.
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339 6.3 Documentation
340 6.3.1 General
341 The enclosure manufacturer’s documentation shall include:
342 • the enclosure classification (see clause 4);
343 • any instruction necessary f
...