IEC GUIDE 115:2021
(Main)Application of uncertainty of measurement to conformity assessment activities in the electrotechnical sector
Application of uncertainty of measurement to conformity assessment activities in the electrotechnical sector
IEC Guide 115:2021 presents a practical approach to the application of uncertainty of measurement to conformity assessment activities in the electrotechnical sector. It is specifically conceived for use in IECEE Schemes as well as by testing laboratories engaged in testing electrical products to national safety standards. It describes the application of uncertainty of measurement principles and provides guidance on making uncertainty of measurement calculations. It also gives some examples relating to uncertainty of measurement calculations for product conformity assessment testing. IEC Guide 115 has been prepared by the IECEE Committee of Testing Laboratories (CTL) to provide guidance on the practical application of the measurement uncertainty requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 to the electrical safety testing conducted within the IECEE CB Scheme. The IECEE CB Scheme is a multilateral, international agreement, among over 40 countries and some 60 national certification bodies, for the acceptance of test reports on electrical products tested to IEC standards.The aim of the CTL is, among other tasks, to define a common understanding of the test methodology with regard to the IEC standards as well as to ensure and continually improve the repeatability and reproducibility of test results among the member laboratories. The practical approach to measurement uncertainty outlined in this document has been adopted for use in the IECEE Schemes, and is also extensively used around the world by testing laboratories engaged in testing electrical products to national safety standards.
Application de l’incertitude de mesure aux activités d’évaluation de la conformité dans le secteur électrotechnique
L'IEC Guide 115:2021 présente une approche pratique de l’application de l’incertitude de mesure aux activités d’évaluation de la conformité dans le secteur électrotechnique. Il est spécifiquement conçu pour être utilisé dans les méthodes du système IECEE ainsi que par les laboratoires qui réalisent les essais des produits électriques selon les normes nationales de sécurité. Il décrit l’application des principes de l’incertitude de mesure et donne des recommandations pour la réalisation des calculs de l’incertitude de mesure. Le présent Guide donne également quelques exemples de calculs de l’incertitude de mesure pour des essais d’évaluation de la conformité de certains produits. L'IEC Guide 115 a été établi par le Comité des laboratoires d’essai (CTL, Committee of Testing Laboratories) du système IEC d’essais de conformité et de certification des équipements électriques (IECEE, IEC System of Conformity Assessment Schemes for Electrotechnical Equipment and Components) afin de donner des recommandations pour l’application pratique des exigences concernant l’incertitude de mesure de l’ISO/IEC 17025 aux essais de sécurité électrique réalisés dans le cadre de la méthode des organismes de certification (OC) du système IECEE. La méthode OC du système IECEE est un accord international multilatéral conclu entre plus de 40 pays et quelque 60 organismes nationaux de certification pour l’acceptation des rapports d’essai sur les produits électriques soumis à essai selon les normes IEC. Le but du CTL est, entre autres tâches, de définir une analyse commune de la méthodologie d’essai selon les normes IEC ainsi que d’assurer et d’améliorer de manière continue la répétabilité et la reproductibilité des résultats d’essai entre les laboratoires membres. L’approche pratique de l’incertitude de mesure décrite dans le présent document a été adoptée pour être utilisée dans les méthodes du système IECEE et elle est également largement utilisée dans le monde par les laboratoires d’essai pour les essais des produits électriques selon les normes nationales de sécurité.
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IEC GUIDE 115 ®
Edition 2.0 2021-03
REDLINE VERSION
GUIDE
colour
inside
Application of uncertainty of measurement to conformity assessment activities
in the electrotechnical sector
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
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About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.
About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigendum or an amendment might have been published.
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Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published
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details all new publications released. Available online and once
and French, with equivalent terms in 18 additional languages.
a month by email.
Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary
(IEV) online.
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IEC GUIDE 115 ®
Edition 2.0 2021-03
REDLINE VERSION
GUIDE
colour
inside
Application of uncertainty of measurement to conformity assessment activities
in the electrotechnical sector
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 17.020; 19.080 ISBN 978-2-8322-9569-4
– 2 – IEC GUIDE 115:2021 RLV IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Application of uncertainty of measurement principles . 8
4.1 General . 8
4.2 Uncertainty of measurement principles . 10
4.3 Background. 10
4.4 Uncertainty of measurement principles – Application of procedures . 11
4.5 Conclusion . 13
5 Guidance on making uncertainty of measurement calculations including examples
of how to perform the calculations . 13
5.1 General principles . 13
5.2 Summary of steps when estimating uncertainty . 14
5.3 Simple example – Estimation of measurement uncertainty for a temperature-
rise test with thermocouples . 17
Annex A (informative) Uncertainty of measurement calculations for product conformity
assessment testing – Examples 1 to 6 . 19
Bibliography . 30
Figure 1 – Procedure 1: uncertainty of measurement calculated . 11
Figure 2 – Procedure 2: accuracy method . 12
Table 1 . 12
Table 2 . 13
Table 3 . 14
Table 4 . 17
Table 5 . 18
Table 6 . 18
Table A.1 – Input test. 20
Table A.2 – Input power test . 22
Table A.3 – Leakage current measurement test . 23
Table A.4 – Distance measurement using calliper gauge . 25
Table A.5 – Torque measurement . 27
Table A.6 – Pre-conditioning for ball pressure test . 28
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
APPLICATION OF UNCERTAINTY OF MEASUREMENT
TO CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES
IN THE ELECTROTECHNICAL SECTOR
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
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
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) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This redline version of the official IEC Standard allows the user to identify the changes
made to the previous edition GUIDE 115:2007. A vertical bar appears in the margin
wherever a change has been made. Additions are in green text, deletions are in
strikethrough red text.
– 4 – IEC GUIDE 115:2021 RLV IEC 2021
This second edition of IEC Guide 115 has been prepared, in accordance with
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1, Annex A, by IECEE/CTL. This is a non-mandatory guide in
accordance with SMB Decision 136/8.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2007.
The main changes with respect to the previous edition are as follows:
a) editorial alignment to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 without adapting the technical content;
b) references to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in order to help for the
transition to the new edition of ISO/IEC 17025.
The text of this IEC Guide is based on the following documents:
Four months' vote Report on voting
SMBNC/8/DV SMBNC/14/RV
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 Guide is English.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the 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/standardsdev/publications.
IMPORTANT – The 'colour inside' logo on the cover page of this publication indicates
that it contains colours which are considered to be useful for the correct
understanding of its contents. Users should therefore print this document using a
colour printer.
INTRODUCTION
This document has been prepared by the IECEE Committee of Testing Laboratories (CTL) to
provide guidance on the practical application of the measurement uncertainty requirements of
ISO/IEC 17025 to the electrical safety testing conducted within the IECEE CB Scheme.
The IECEE CB Scheme is a multilateral, international agreement, among over 40 countries
and some 60 national certification bodies, for the acceptance of test reports on electrical
products tested to IEC standards.
The aim of the CTL is, among other tasks, to define a common understanding of the test
methodology with regard to the IEC standards as well as to ensure and continually improve
the repeatability and reproducibility of test results among the member laboratories.
The practical approach to measurement uncertainty outlined in this document has been
adopted for use in the IECEE Schemes, and is also extensively used around the world by
testing laboratories engaged in testing electrical products to national safety standards.
This document is of particular interest to the following IEC technical committees, which may
can decide to make use of it if necessary:
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 13: EQUIPMENT FOR ELECTRICAL ENERGY MEASUREMENT,
TARIFF AND LOAD CONTROL
ELECTRICAL ENERGY MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 17: HIGH-VOLTAGE SWITCHGEAR AND CONTROLGEAR
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 18: ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS OF SHIPS AND OF MOBILE
AND FIXED OFFSHORE UNITS
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 20: ELECTRIC CABLES
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 21: SECONDARY CELLS AND BATTERIES
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 22: POWER ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 23: ELECTRICAL ACCESSORIES
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 32: FUSES
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 33: POWER CAPACITORS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 34: LAMPS AND RELATED EQUIPMENT LIGHTING
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 35: PRIMARY CELLS AND BATTERIES
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 38: INS
...
IEC GUIDE 115 ®
Edition 2.0 2021-03
GUIDE
GUIDE
Application of uncertainty of measurement to conformity assessment activities
in the electrotechnical sector
Application de l’incertitude de mesure aux activités d’évaluation de la
conformité dans le secteur électrotechnique
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from
either IEC or IEC's member National Committee in the country of the requester. If you have any questions about IEC
copyright or have an enquiry about obtaining additional rights to this publication, please contact the address below or
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IEC Central Office Tel.: +41 22 919 02 11
3, rue de Varembé info@iec.ch
CH-1211 Geneva 20 www.iec.ch
Switzerland
About the IEC
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is the leading global organization that prepares and publishes
International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.
About IEC publications
The technical content of IEC publications is kept under constant review by the IEC. Please make sure that you have the
latest edition, a corrigendum or an amendment might have been published.
IEC publications search - webstore.iec.ch/advsearchform IEC online collection - oc.iec.ch
The advanced search enables to find IEC publications by a Discover our powerful search engine and read freely all the
variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical publications previews. With a subscription you will always have
committee, …). It also gives information on projects, replaced access to up to date content tailored to your needs.
and withdrawn publications.
Electropedia - www.electropedia.org
IEC Just Published - webstore.iec.ch/justpublished
The world's leading online dictionary on electrotechnology,
Stay up to date on all new IEC publications. Just Published
containing more than 22 000 terminological entries in English
details all new publications released. Available online and once
and French, with equivalent terms in 18 additional languages.
a month by email.
Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary
(IEV) online.
IEC Customer Service Centre - webstore.iec.ch/csc
If you wish to give us your feedback on this publication or need
further assistance, please contact the Customer Service
Centre: sales@iec.ch.
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IEC GUIDE 115 ®
Edition 2.0 2021-03
GUIDE
GUIDE
Application of uncertainty of measurement to conformity assessment activities
in the electrotechnical sector
Application de l’incertitude de mesure aux activités d’évaluation de la
conformité dans le secteur électrotechnique
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 17.020; 19.080 ISBN 978-2-8322-9480-2
– 2 – IEC GUIDE 115:2021 IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Application of uncertainty of measurement principles . 8
4.1 General . 8
4.2 Uncertainty of measurement principles . 10
4.3 Background. 10
4.4 Uncertainty of measurement principles – Application of procedures . 11
4.5 Conclusion . 13
5 Guidance on making uncertainty of measurement calculations including examples
of how to perform the calculations . 13
5.1 General principles . 13
5.2 Summary of steps when estimating uncertainty . 14
5.3 Simple example – Estimation of measurement uncertainty for a temperature-
rise test with thermocouples . 17
Annex A (informative) Uncertainty of measurement calculations for product conformity
assessment testing – Examples 1 to 6 . 19
Bibliography . 30
Figure 1 – Procedure 1: uncertainty of measurement calculated . 11
Figure 2 – Procedure 2: accuracy method . 12
Table 1 . 12
Table 2 . 13
Table 3 . 14
Table 4 . 17
Table 5 . 18
Table 6 . 18
Table A.1 – Input test. 20
Table A.2 – Input power test . 22
Table A.3 – Leakage current measurement test . 23
Table A.4 – Distance measurement using calliper gauge . 25
Table A.5 – Torque measurement . 27
Table A.6 – Pre-conditioning for ball pressure test . 28
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
APPLICATION OF UNCERTAINTY OF MEASUREMENT
TO CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES
IN THE ELECTROTECHNICAL SECTOR
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
assessment services and, in some areas, access to IEC marks of conformity. IEC is not responsible for any
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) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This second edition of IEC Guide 115 has been prepared, in accordance with
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1, Annex A, by IECEE/CTL. This is a non-mandatory guide in
accordance with SMB Decision 136/8.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2007.
The main changes with respect to the previous edition are as follows:
a) editorial alignment to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 without adapting the technical content;
b) references to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in order to help for the
transition to the new edition of ISO/IEC 17025.
– 4 – IEC GUIDE 115:2021 IEC 2021
The text of this IEC Guide is based on the following documents:
Four months' vote Report on voting
SMBNC/8/DV SMBNC/14/RV
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 Guide is English.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the 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 b
...
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