IEC 60364-5-54:2011

Low-voltage electrical installations - Part 5-54: Selection and erection of electrical equipment - Earthing arrangements and protective conductors

IEC 60364-5-54:2011 addresses the earthing arrangements and protective conductors including protective bonding conductors in order to satisfy the safety of the electrical installation. This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition, published in 2002, and constitutes a technical revision. The main changes with respect to the previous edition are listed below:
- clarification of the definition of protective conductor;
- improved specification of mechanical characteristics of the earth electrode;
- introduction of earth electrode for protection against electric shock and lighting protection;
- annexes describing concrete-embedded foundation earth electrodes and soil-embedded earth electrode.

Installations électriques basse-tension - Partie 5-54: Choix et mise en oeuvre des matériels électriques - Installations de mise à la terre et conducteurs de protection

La CEI 60364-5-54:2011 concerne les installations de mise à la terre et les conducteurs de protection, y compris les conducteurs de liaison de protection afin de satisfaire à la sécurité de l'installation électrique. Cette troisième édition annule et remplace la deuxième édition, parue en 2002, et constitue une révision technique. Les principales modifications par rapport à l'édition précédente sont les suivantes:
- la définition de conducteur de protection a été clarifiée;
- les caractéristiques mécaniques et physiques de la prise de terre ont été mieux spécifiées;
- introduction d'une prise de terre pour la protection contre les chocs électriques et la protection foudre;
- annexes qui décrivent les prises de terre à fond de fouille noyées dans le béton et les prises de terre noyées dans le sol.

Nizkonapetostne električne inštalacije - 5-54. del: Izbira in namestitev električne opreme - Ozemljitve, zaščitni vodniki in vodniki za zaščitno izenačitev potencialov

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 22-Mar-2011
• ICS: 01 - GENERALITIES. TERMINOLOGY. STANDARDIZATION. DOCUMENTATION
• ICS: 29.020 - Electrical engineering in general
• ICS: 91.140.50 - Electricity supply systems
• Technical Committee: TC 64 - Electrical installations and protection against electric shock
• Drafting Committee: MT 3 - TC 64/MT 3
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 15-Apr-2011
• Completion Date: 23-Mar-2011
• Ref Project: oSIST IEC 60364-5-54:2010 - Low-voltage electrical installations - Part 5-54: Selection and erection of electrical equipment - Earthing arrangements, protective conductors and protective bonding conductors

Relations

• Amended By: IEC 60364-5-54:2011/AMD1:2021 - Amendment 1 - Low-voltage electrical installations - Part 5-54: Selection and erection of electrical equipment - Earthing arrangements and protective conductors
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023
• Revises: IEC 60364-5-54:2002 - Electrical installations of buildings - Part 5-54: Selection and erection of electrical equipment - Earthing arrangements, protective conductors and protective bonding conductors
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 60364-5-54 ®
Edition 3.0 2011-03
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
BASIC SAFETY PUBLICATION
PUBLICATION FONDAMENTALE DE SÉCURITÉ

Low-voltage electrical installations –
Part 5-54: Selection and erection of electrical equipment – Earthing
arrangements and protective conductors

Installations électriques basse-tension –
Partie 5-54: Choix et mise en œuvre des matériels électriques – Installations de
mise à la terre et conducteurs de protection

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 your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

Droits de reproduction réservés. Sauf indication contraire, aucune partie de cette publication ne peut être reproduite
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Si vous avez des questions sur le copyright de la CEI ou si vous désirez obtenir des droits supplémentaires sur cette
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IEC 60364-5-54 ®
Edition 3.0 2011-03
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
BASIC SAFETY PUBLICATION
PUBLICATION FONDAMENTALE DE SÉCURITÉ

Low-voltage electrical installations –
Part 5-54: Selection and erection of electrical equipment – Earthing
arrangements and protective conductors

Installations électriques basse-tension –
Partie 5-54: Choix et mise en œuvre des matériels électriques – Installations de
mise à la terre et conducteurs de protection

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE
CODE PRIX X
ICS 29.020; 91.140.50 ISBN 978-2-88912-400-8

– 2 – 60364-5-54  IEC:2011
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
541 General . 7
541.1 Scope . 7
541.2 Normative references . 7
541.3 Terms and definitions . 8
542 Earthing arrangements . 9
542.1 General requirements . 9
542.2 Earth electrodes . 10
542.3 Earthing conductors . 12
542.4 Main earthing terminal . 13
543 Protective conductors . 13
543.1 Minimum cross-sectional areas . 13
543.2 Types of protective conductors . 15
543.3 Electrical continuity of protective conductors . 16
543.4 PEN, PEL or PEM conductors . 16
543.5 Combined protective and functional earthing conductors . 18
543.6 Currents in protective earthing conductors . 19
543.7 Reinforced protective earthing conductors for protective earthing
conductor currents exceeding 10mA . 19
543.8 Arrangement of protective conductors . 19
544 Protective bonding conductors . 19
544.1 Protective bonding conductors for connection to the main earthing
terminal . 19
544.2 Protective bonding conductors for supplementary bonding . 20
Annex A (normative) Method for deriving the factor k in 543.1.2 (see also IEC 60724
and IEC 60949) . 21
Annex B (informative) Example of earthing arrangements and protective conductors . 25
Annex C (informative) Erection of concrete-embedded foundation earth electrodes . 27
Annex D (informative) Erection of soil-embedded earth electrodes . 30
Annex E (informative) List of notes concerning certain countries . 34
Bibliography . 40

Figure 54.1 – Examples of a PEN conductor connection . 18
Figure B.54.1 – Examples of earthing arrangements for foundation earth electrode,
protective conductors and protective bonding conductors . 26

Table 54.1 – Minimum size of commonly used earth electrodes, embedded in soil or
concrete used to prevent corrosion and provide mechanical strength . 11
Table 54.2 – Minimum cross-sectional area of protective conductors (where not

calculated in accordance with 543.1.2) . 14
Table A.54.1 – Value of parameters for different materials . 21
Table A.54.2 – Values of k for insulated protective conductors not incorporated in
cables and not bunched with other cables . 22
Table A.54.3 – Values of k for bare protective conductors in contact with cable
covering but not bunched with other cables . 22

60364-5-54  IEC:2011 – 3 –
Table A.54.4 – Values of k for protective conductors as a core incorporated in a cable
or bunched with other cables or insulated conductors . 23
Table A.54.5 – Values of k for protective conductors as a metallic layer of a cable, e.g.
armour, metallic sheath, concentric conductor, etc. . 24
Table A.54.6 – Values of k for bare conductors where there is no risk of damage to any
neighbouring material by the temperature indicated . 24
Table D.54.1 – Resistivity for types of soil . 31
Table D.54.2 – Variation of the resistivity for different types of soil . 31

– 4 – 60364-5-54  IEC:2011
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
LOW-VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS –

Part 5-54: Selection and erection of electrical equipment –
Earthing arrangements and protective conductors

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
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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publi
...

IEC 60364-5-54 ®
Edition 3.1 2021-04
CONSOLIDATED VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Low-voltage electrical installations –
Part 5-54: Selection and erection of electrical equipment – Earthing
arrangements and protective conductors

Installations électriques à basse tension –
Partie 5-54: Choix et mise en œuvre des matériels électriques – Installations
de mise à la terre et conducteurs de protection

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
your local IEC member National Committee for further information.

Droits de reproduction réservés. Sauf indication contraire, aucune partie de cette publication ne peut être reproduite
ni utilisée sous quelque forme que ce soit et par aucun procédé, électronique ou mécanique, y compris la photocopie
et les microfilms, sans l'accord écrit de l'IEC ou du Comité national de l'IEC du pays du demandeur. Si vous avez des
questions sur le copyright de l'IEC ou si vous désirez obtenir des droits supplémentaires sur cette publication, utilisez
les coordonnées ci-après ou contactez le Comité national de l'IEC de votre pays de résidence.

IEC Central Office Tel.: [phone]
3, rue de Varembé [e-mail]
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
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publication ou si vous avez des questions contactez-nous:
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IEC 60364-5-54 ®
Edition 3.1 2021-04
CONSOLIDATED VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
Low-voltage electrical installations –

Part 5-54: Selection and erection of electrical equipment – Earthing

arrangements and protective conductors

Installations électriques à basse tension –

Partie 5-54: Choix et mise en œuvre des matériels électriques – Installations

de mise à la terre et conducteurs de protection

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 29.020; 91.140.50 ISBN 978-2-8322-9715-5

IEC 60364-5-54 ®
Edition 3.1 2021-04
CONSOLIDATED VERSION
REDLINE VERSION
VERSION REDLINE
colour
inside
Low-voltage electrical installations –
Part 5-54: Selection and erection of electrical equipment – Earthing
arrangements and protective conductors

Installations électriques à basse tension –
Partie 5-54: Choix et mise en œuvre des matériels électriques – Installations
de mise à la terre et conducteurs de protection

– 2 – IEC 60364-5-54:2011+AMD1:2021 CSV
 IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
INTRODUCTION to Amendment 1 . 6
541 General . 7
541.1 Scope . 7
541.2 Normative references . 7
541.3 Terms and definitions . 8
542 Earthing arrangements . 10
542.1 General requirements . 10
542.2 Earth electrodes . 11
542.3 Earthing conductors . 14
542.4 Main earthing terminal . 14
543 Protective conductors . 14
543.1 Minimum cross-sectional areas . 14
543.2 Types of protective conductors . 16
543.3 Electrical continuity of protective conductors . 17
543.4 PEN, PEL or PEM conductors . 17
543.5 Combined protective and functional earthing conductors . 19
543.6 Currents in protective earthing conductors . 20
543.7 Reinforced protective earthing conductors for protective earthing conductor
currents exceeding 10 mA . 20
543.8 Arrangement of protective conductors . 20
544 Protective bonding conductors . 20
544.1 Protective bonding conductors for connection to the main earthing terminal . 20
544.2 Protective bonding conductors for supplementary bonding . 21
545 Functional earthing and functional-equipotential-bonding for Information and
communication technology equipment and systems (ICT) . 21
545.1 Functional-equipotential-bonding for ICT . 21
545.2 Main functional earthing terminal (MFET) . 22
545.3 Equipotential bonding ring conductors . 22
Annex A (normative) Method for deriving the factor k in 543.1.2 (see also IEC 60724
and IEC 60949) . 24
Annex B (informative) Example of earthing arrangements and protective conductors . 28
Annex C (informative) Erection of concrete-embedded foundation earth electrodes . 32
Annex D (informative) Erection of soil-embedded earth electrodes . 35
Annex E (informative) List of notes concerning certain countries . 39
Bibliography . 45

Figure 54.1 – Examples of a PEN conductor connection . 19
Figure B.54.1 – Examples of earthing arrangements for foundation earth electrode,
protective conductors and protective bonding conductors . 31

Table 54.1 – Minimum size of commonly used earth electrodes, embedded in soil or
concrete used to prevent corrosion and provide mechanical strength . 12

 IEC 2021
Table 54.2 – Minimum cross-sectional area of protective conductors (where not
calculated in accordance with 543.1.2) . 15
Table A.54.1 – Value of parameters for different materials . 24
Table A.54.2 – Values of k for insulated protective conductors not incorporated in
cables and not bunched with other cables . 25
Table A.54.3 – Values of k for bare protective conductors in contact with cable
covering but not bunched with other cables . 25
Table A.54.4 – Values of k for protective conductors as a core incorporated in a cable
or bunched with other cables or insulated conductors . 26
Table A.54.5 – Values of k for protective conductors as a metallic layer of a cable, e.g.
armour, metallic sheath, concentric conductor, etc. . 27
Table A.54.6 – Values of k for bare conductors where there is no risk of damage to any
neighbouring material by the temperature indicated . 27
Table D.54.1 – Resistivity for types of soil . 36
Table D.54.2 – Variation of the resistivity for different types of soil . 36

– 4 – IEC 60364-5-54:2011+AMD1:2021 CSV
 IEC 2021
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
LOW-VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS –

Part 5-54: Selection and erection of electrical equipment –
Earthing arrangements and protective conductors

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 si
...