IEC 60212:2010

Standard conditions for use prior to and during the testing of solid electrical insulating materials

IEC 60212:2010 gives the accepted conditions of exposure time, temperature, atmospheric humidity and liquid immersion for use in testing solid electrical insulating materials. The range is sufficiently wide to enable suitable conditions to be selected so that either of the primary objects, set out below as a) and b), of conditioning can be achieved. These objectives aim to obtain greater reproducibility of test results by:
a) partly counteracting the variations of the properties of the material due to the past history of the test specimens (often known as "normalizing", here called preconditioning), and
b) ensuring uniformity of conditions during the testing.
This standard is not intended to be applied for determining the influence of exposure to certain temperatures and humidity or immersions in liquids, on the properties of a material. Procedures pertaining to the effect of an environment on a material are given in various parts of IEC 60068. The significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition are as follows:
- the scope and normative references have been updated and terms and definitions completely reviewed;
- technical details in Table 2 have been aligned to today's usage.

Conditions normales à observer avant et pendant les essais de matériaux isolants électriques solides

La CEI 60212:2010 indique les conditions normales de durée d'exposition, de température, d'humidité atmosphérique et d'immersion dans un liquide à observer pour les essais des matériaux isolants électriques solides. La gamme en est suffisamment étendue pour pouvoir satisfaire aux conditions à déterminer pour atteindre soit l'un soit l'autre des buts premiers du conditionnement (voir a) et b) ci-dessous). Ces objectifs visent à obtenir une reproductibilité plus étendue des résultats d'essai:
a) en neutralisant partiellement les différences constatées sur les propriétés du matériau dues aux influences subies antérieurement par les éprouvettes (traitement souvent connu sous le nom "normalizing" en anglais et appelé ici préconditionnement), et
b) en assurant l'uniformité des conditions au cours des essais.
La présente norme n'est pas destinée à être appliquée pour déterminer l'influence de l'exposition à un certain nombre de températures, de taux d'humidité ou d'immersions dans des liquides, sur les propriétés d'un matériau. Les modalités concernant les effets d'un environnement sur un matériau sont données dans les différentes parties de la CEI 60068. Les modifications techniques majeures par rapport à l'édition précédente sont énumérées comme suit:
- le domaine d'application et les références normatives ont été mises à jour et les termes et définitions complètement revus;
- les détails techniques du Tableau 2 ont été alignés sur l'usage qu'il en est fait de nos jours.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 14-Dec-2010
• ICS: 17.220.99 - Other standards related to electricity and magnetism
• ICS: 29.035.01 - Insulating materials in general
• Technical Committee: TC 112 - Evaluation and qualification of electrical insulating materials and systems
• Drafting Committee: WG 1 - TC 112/WG 1
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 31-Mar-2011
• Completion Date: 15-Dec-2010

Overview

IEC 60212:2010 is an international standard published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) that defines the standard conditions for use prior to and during the testing of solid electrical insulating materials. The standard prescribes accepted parameters including exposure time, temperature, atmospheric humidity, and liquid immersion to ensure consistency and reliability in testing these materials. It focuses on preconditioning to normalize specimens and conditioning to maintain uniform testing environments, aiming to improve the reproducibility of test results.

This edition, published in 2010, updates the scope, normative references, terms, and definitions from the previous versions. It also aligns technical details with modern testing practices, particularly in the specified atmospheric conditions.

Key Topics

• Scope and Purpose
  IEC 60212:2010 specifies the environmental conditions-such as temperature, humidity, and immersion liquids-used in preparing and testing solid electrical insulating materials. Its goal is to counteract past specimen history effects (preconditioning) and ensure uniform test conditions (conditioning), thus enhancing reproducibility.

• Preconditioning and Conditioning

  • Preconditioning involves treating specimens to remove or offset variations caused by previous exposure to environmental factors.
  • Conditioning consists of exposing specimens to defined climatic or liquid immersion conditions just before and during testing.

• Environmental Parameters and Procedures
  The standard defines recommended temperature and humidity ranges as well as immersion conditions for materials prior to and during testing. Tables included in the document provide codes and detailed environmental conditions for systematic application.

• Terminology and Definitions
  Clear definitions of important terms such as specimen, chamber, working space, relative humidity, vapour pressure, and recovery are established to maintain clarity and consistency in applications.

• Exclusions
  This standard is not designed to assess the influence of temperature, humidity, or liquids on material properties over time; such evaluations are covered in IEC 60068 series.

Applications

IEC 60212:2010 is essential for laboratories, manufacturers, and quality assurance personnel working with solid electrical insulating materials such as plastics, ceramics, and composites used in electrical and electronic equipment. Key practical uses include:

• Standardized Test Preparation
  Ensuring specimens are conditioned under internationally accepted conditions leads to more reliable and comparable test outcomes across different labs and manufacturers.

• Material Specification Compliance
  The standard assists in defining the environmental conditions for testing materials according to material specifications and specific application needs.

• Quality Control and Certification
  Use of IEC 60212:2010 protocols supports uniformity in quality control processes and facilitates conformance to regulatory and market requirements.

• Research and Development
  In R&D, applying this standard helps researchers understand material behaviors under consistent environmental conditions, facilitating innovative insulation solutions.

Related Standards

• IEC 60068 Series – Environmental testing guidelines covering the effects of various environmental factors, including temperature and humidity, on electrical equipment and materials.

• IEC 60216-4-1 – Specifies thermal endurance properties of electrical insulating materials related to ageing ovens used for testing.

• ISO 62:2008 – Plastics water absorption test methods relevant for conditioning and testing of plastic insulating materials.

Using IEC 60212:2010 in conjunction with these standards ensures comprehensive evaluation and consistent treatment protocols for solid electrical insulating materials.

---

Keywords: IEC 60212, solid electrical insulating materials, preconditioning, conditioning, test conditions, atmospheric humidity, liquid immersion, electrical insulation testing, standard environmental conditions, reproducibility, electrical material testing standards.

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 60212 ®
Edition 3.0 2010-12
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Standard conditions for use prior to and during the testing of solid electrical
insulating materials
Conditions normales à observer avant et pendant les essais de matériaux
isolants électriques solides
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IEC 60212 ®
Edition 3.0 2010-12
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Standard conditions for use prior to and during the testing of solid electrical
insulating materials
Conditions normales à observer avant et pendant les essais de matériaux
isolants électriques solides
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE
M
CODE PRIX
ICS 17.220.99; 29.035.01 ISBN 978-2-88912-292-9
– 2 – 60212 Ó IEC:2010
CONTENTS
FOREW ORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Sc o pe . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Temperature and humidity (or liquid immersion) recommended for preconditioning,
conditioning and testing . 8
5 Period of conditioning . 8
6 Procedures for atmospheric preconditioning, conditioning, and testing . 9
7 Liquid immersion, conditioning and testing . 9
8 Standard reference atmosphere . 10
9 Code for specifying preconditioning, conditioning and testing . 10
10 Report . 10

Table 1 – Codes for preconditioning, conditioning and testing . 10
Table 2 – Standard atmospheric conditions for testing and conditioning . 11
Table 3 – Standard liquid immersion conditions for testing and conditioning . 12
Table 4 – List of preferred periods for preconditioning and conditioning . 12

60212 Ó IEC:2010 – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
STANDARD CONDITIONS FOR USE PRIOR TO AND DURING
THE TESTING OF SOLID ELECTRICAL INSULATING MATERIALS

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
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patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 60212 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 112:
Evaluation and qualification of electrical insulating materials and systems.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 1971 and constitutes a
technical revision.
The significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition are as follows:
· the scope and normative references have been updated and terms and definitions
completely reviewed;
· technical details in Table 2 have been aligned to today’s usage.

– 4 – 60212 Ó IEC:2010
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
CDV Report on voting
112/148/CDV 112/162/RVC
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The committee has decided that the contents of this amendment and the base publication will
remain unchanged until the stability date indicated on the IEC web site under
"http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data related to the specific publication. At this date, the
publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
60212 Ó IEC:2010 – 5 –
INTRODUCTION
Many electrical insulating materials have properties which are affected by the temperature or
humidity, or both, of the atmospheres to which they are subjected. It is usually necessary,
therefore, when testing these materials, to control both temperature and humidity prior to
testing, as well as the conditions in which the specimens are actually tested. The selection of
appropriate conditions and tests should be decided according to the materials specification
and the intended application. Unless otherwise specified, specimens should be conditioned
and measured in the same climate as that in which they are to be tested.
When giving results of tests on electrical insulating materials likely to be affected by those
factors, it is important that the relevant conditions to which the test specimens were exposed
are reported. Specifications for such materials should, therefore, identify the atmospheres to
which the test specimens should be exposed before testing and the conditions under which
the tests are to be made.
– 6 – 60212 Ó IEC:2010
STANDARD CONDITIONS FOR USE PRIOR TO AND DURING
THE TESTING OF SOLID ELECTRICAL INSULATING MATERIALS

1 Scope
This International Standard gives the accepted conditions of exposure time, temperature,
atmospheric humidity and liquid immersion for use in testing solid electrical insulating
materials. The range is sufficiently wide to enable suitable conditions to be selected so that
either of the primary objects, set out below as a) and b), of conditioning can be achieved.
These objectives aim to obtain greater reproducibility of test results by:
a) partly counteracting the variations of the properties of the material due to the past history
of the test specimens (often known as "normalizing", here called preconditioning), and
b) ensuring uniformity of conditions during the testing.
This standard is not intended to be applied for determining the influence of exposure to
certain temperatures and humidity or immersions in liquids, on the properties of a material.
Procedures pertaining to the effect of an environment on a material are given in various parts
of IEC 60068.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application 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 60068-1:1988, Environmental testing – Part 1: General and guidance
Amendment 1 (1992)
IEC 60216-4-1, Electrical insulating materials – Thermal endurance properties – Part 4-1:
Ageing ovens – Single-chamber ovens
ISO 62:2008: Plastics – Determination of water absorption
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
insulating material
solid with negligibly low electric conductivity, used to separate conducting parts at different
electrical potentials
NOTE 1 In English, the term "insulating material" is sometimes used in a broader sense to also designate
insulating liquids and gases.
NOTE 2 An insulating material may be a solid, a liquid or a gas, or a mixture of these. This standard refers only to
a solid insulating material.
3.2
specimen
typical sample of the insulating material under test, as described in the relevant test
specification
60212 Ó IEC:2010 – 7 –
3.3
preconditioning
treatment of a specimen with the object of removing or partly counteracting the effect of its
previous history with respect, principally, to the temperature and humidity to which it has been
exposed
NOTE 1 This treatment is sometimes known as "normalizing".
NOTE 2 Preconditioning usually precedes conditioning of a specimen. When the combination of temperature and
humidity for conditioning is the same as that prescribed for preconditioning, the preconditioning may be said to
take the place of conditioning.
NOTE 3 Preconditioning may be effected by subjecting the specimen to climatic, electrical or any other conditions
required by the relevant test specification.
3.4
conditioning (of a specimen)
subjection of a specimen for a specified duration to specific climatic conditions (usually a
specified temperature and a specified relative humidity) or to an atmosphere of specified
relative humidity or to complete immersion in water or other liquid at a specified temperature
NOTE 1 When the combination of temperature and humidity for conditioning is the same as that prescribed for
preconditioning, the preconditioning and conditioning may be merged and the preconditioning may be said to take
the place of conditioning.
NOTE 2 According to circumstances, the space used for conditioning may be a whole laboratory room in which
the specified conditions are maintained within the prescribed tolerances, or a special chamber.
3.5
chamber
enclosure or space in some part of which the specified conditions can be achieved
3.6
working space
part of the chamber in which the specified conditions can be maintained within the specified
tolerances
3.7
period of conditioning
time that a specimen is subjected to conditioning
3.8
recovery
treatment of a specimen, after conditioning, in order that the properties remain stable before
measurement
3.9
test conditions
temperature and humidity of the atmosphere surrounding the specimen, or temperature and
kind of liquid (for liquid immersion), at the time tests are carried out
3.10
standard reference atmosphere
atmosphere to which values measured under any other atmospheric conditions are corrected
by calculation
3.11
relative humidity
ratio of the actual vapour pressure (which indicates the amount of water vapour present in the
air) to the theoretical maximum (saturation) vapour pressure at the same temperature,
expressed as a percentage
– 8 – 60212 Ó IEC:2010
3.12
vapour pressure
pressure exerted by a vapour in equilibrium with its solid or liquid phase
3.13
saturation vapour pressure
maximum possible pressure exerted by a vapour in equilibrium with its solid or liquid phase,
such that any increase will initiate within the vapour a change to a more condensed state
3.14
ageing
irreversible changes in one or more properties of a material as a result of its normal use or as
a result of time through the action of an electrical, thermal, mechanical and/or environmental
stress
4 Temperature and humidity (or liquid immersion) recommended for
preconditioning, conditioning and testing
The recommended standard conditions of temperature and humidity (or liquid immersion) for
preconditioning, conditioning and testing are given in Tables 2 and 3. Parameters should be
carefully chosen so that treatment does not cause ageing in a test specimen.
When preconditioning is required, one of the standard atmospheres or one of the dry-hot
conditions given in Table 2 may be used for a time specified in the material specification, (e.g.
24 h ± 2 h). It is usual to specify (55 ± 2) °C with a relative humidity of less than 20 %.
Preconditioning can be necessary in order to eliminate the effects of stress appearing after
the moulding process of some plastic materials or as a drying treatment before the test
procedure starts. The preconditioning shall normally be handled in a different environment.
The environment surrounding the sample (such as oil) shall be defined such that it does not
have a deleterious effect on the sample’s properties. There may be more than one
preconditioning environment required to remove previous history and maximize reproducibility
of results. Immersion in oil/liquid is only needed if testing is required to be undertaken in a
liquid. A preconditioning fluid will have an influence on the test properties so further
conditioning may be needed before testing and a recovery procedure required, as given in
IEC 60068-1. The property of the sample will change through the time frame of the test unless
it is correctly prepared beforehand.
5 Period of conditioning
The period of conditioning should be specified in the relevant material standard or test
method. The period of conditioning will usually depend upon the type of material being tested.
In general, it is not intended that the period of conditioning shall be sufficient to enable the
specimens to reach equilibrium with the surrounding atmosphere. The rate at which
equilibrium is reached depends largely upon the nature and dimensions of the test specimens.
Consequently, the period of exposure necessary to obtain equilibrium may in some cases
(e.g. thin paper) be only a matter of a few minutes, but in others (such as hard rubber) it may
be many months.
It is recommended that periods of conditioning be selected from the list given in Table 4.

60212 Ó IEC:2010 – 9 –
6 Procedures for atmospheric preconditioning, conditioning and testing
It is strongly recommended that, whenever possible, tests should be made on specimens in a
room or in a suitable chamber in which the required conditions are maintained throughout the
test.
The test specimens may be conditioned (e.g. in a suitable chamber) and rapidly transferred to
the testing room atmosphere, provided that the conditions in the testing room do not differ
materially from the required conditions. This is admissible only when the property of the
material under test is unlikely to be affected appreciably by transfer from the required
conditioning atmosphere to the testing atmosphere. The maximum period allowed between
the transfer and the test should be indicated in the test specification. The tests should be
made within a few minutes of such a transfer if the maximum period allowable is not given.
Any technique may be used for obtaining the required conditions for the test specimens prior
to, and during, testing (e.g. controlling temperature and humidity in the room or chamber).
The required conditions shall be maintained throughout the preconditioning, conditioning and
testing operations.
Care should be taken to allow free access of the conditioning atmosphere to all the
specimens, and to ensure uniform conditions throughout the conditioning atmosphere in the
neighbourhood of the specimens.
Where assisted drying is required before commencing testing, the hot dry atmosphere at
55 °C, given in Table 2, may be used for at least 4 h, unless otherwise prescribed in the
relevant materials standard and test specification.
When dry-hot conditions are used, the oven should be ventilated. Information on oven
ventilation is given in IEC 60216-4-1.
When certain types of materials are being conditioned, harmful products may develop and it is
important to prevent these from contaminating specimens of other materials.
When measuring leads are passed through the wall of a chamber, care should be taken to
prevent significant leakage paths in parallel with the electrodes or measuring instrument, e.g.
over the surfaces of the insulation of the leads.
7 Liquid immersion, conditioning and testing
The recommended temperatures for liquid immersion, conditioning and testing are given in
Table 3. Specimens should be preconditioned, if specified, and immersed in the liquid at the
specified temperature for the required time given in the material specification.
Care should be taken to allow free access of the liquid to all the specimens and to ensure
uniform conditions throughout the liquid in the neighbourhood of the specimens.
When some materials are being conditioned, harmful products may develop and it is important
to prevent contamination of specimens of other materials.
If the specimen cannot be tested in the liquid, it should be taken from the liquid and the
surface liquid removed by pressing with a clean, dry filter, or blotting paper, or by wiping with
a clean absorbent cloth before testing. The test should be commenced immediately after the
surplus liquid has been removed, and completed as soon as possible. The maximum time
between the removal of the specimen from the liquid and the measurement should be
specified in the material specification.

– 10 – 60212 Ó IEC:2010
8 Standard reference atmosphere
The standard atmosphere (B) of 23 °C ±2 °C and 50 % ±10 % relative humidity, see Table 2,
is the preferred ambient atmosphere for conditioning and testing and should be used unless
otherwise prescribed in the test specification. It is recommended that no other atmospheres
are used if the insulating material is to be used at ambient conditions.
Results of tests which have been obtained at different temperatures and/or humidities cannot
be correlated to a standard atmosphere.
9 Code for specifying preconditioning, conditioning and testing
Where it is desired to use a code for describing the conditions used for preconditioning,
conditioning and testing, the following codes, shown in Table 1, should be used.
Table 1 – Codes for preconditioning, conditioning and testing
Conditioning Code
As received R
Atmospheric preconditioning and (Hours) h/(temperature) °C/(r.h.) %
conditioning
Immersion conditioning (Hours) h/(temperature) °C/liquid
Testing (M) M/(temperature) °C/(r.h.) %
When the conditioning time is in weeks, the time portion of the code may be expressed as
weeks (w).
When preconditioning is used before conditioning, the two codes should be connected with a
plus sign (+). A semicolon should separate the conditioning code from the testing code. Thus,
if a specimen is to be preconditioned for 48 h at 55 °C and less than 20 % r.h., conditioned 96
h at 23 °C and 50 % r.h. and tested in the same atmosphere, the code would read:
48 h/55 °C/<20 % + 96 h/23 °C/50 %; M/23 °C/50 %.
If preconditioning is not foreseen, the first part of the code is omitted.
If the required tolerances are different from those designated in Tables 2 and 3, the tolerance
should be included in the code as, for instance, 96 h/20 ± 0,5 °C/93 ± 1 %.
10 Report
The reporting procedure, as set out in the test specification, shall be followed and should
include a reference to this standard and the preconditioning, conditioning and test conditions
that the specimens were exposed to – in the form of the code described above.

60212 Ó IEC:2010 – 11 –
Table 2 – Standard atmospheric conditions for testing and conditioning
Condition designation Temperature Relative humidity
°C %
Title
(See Note 1) (See Note 2) (See Notes 2 and 3)
R As received – –
(Hours) h/15–35°C/ Standard ambient (Note 4, 5)     15 to 35 45 to 75
45-75 %
(Hours)h/20°C/65 % Standard atmosphere A 20 65

(Hours)h/23°C/50 % Standard atmosphere B 23 50   ± 10
(Hours)h/27°C/65 % Standard atmosphere C 27 65
± 2
(Hours)h/23°C/93 % Damp 23 93
(Hours)h/40 °C/93 % Damp-warm 40 93   ± 3
(Hours)h/55 °C/93 %  "    " 55 93
Dry (Notes 4, 5) 15 to 35 Less than 1,5
(Hours)h/15–35 °C/<1,5 % ±2
(Hours)h/55 °C/<20 % Dry hot 55  Low (less than 20)

(Hours)h/70 °C/<20 % "    " 70 "
"    " 90 "
(Hours)h/90 °C/<20 %
"    " 105 "
(Hours)h/105 °C/<20 % ± 2
"    " 120 "
(Hours)h/120 °C/<20 %
(Hours)h/130 °C/<20 % "    " 130 "
(Hours)h/155 °C/<20 % "    " 155 "
"    " 180 "
(Hours)h/180 °C/<20 %
"    " 200 "
(Hours)h/200 °C/<20 %
"    " 220 "
(Hours)h/220 °C/<20 % ± 3
(Hours)h/250 °C/<20 % "    " 250 "
(Hours)h/275 °C/<20 % "    " 275 "

"    " 320 "
(Hours)h/320 °C/<20 % ± 5
"    " 400 "
(Hours)h/400 °C/<20 %
(Hours)h/500 °C/<20 % "    " 500 "

± 10
(Hours)h/630 °C/<20 % "    " 630 "
(Hours)h/800 °C/<20 % "    " 800 "

± 20
(Hours)h/1 000 °C/<20 % "    " 1 000 "
(Hours)h/–10 °C/– Cold –10 "
(Hours)h/–25 °C/– " –25 "
(Hours)h/–40 °C/– " –40 ± 3 "
(Hours)h/–55 °C/– " –55 "
(Hours)h/–65 °C/– " –65 "
NOTE 1 The periods for preconditioning and conditioning (represented by "Hours" in column 1) should be specified
in the material specification and should be selected from Table 4.
NOTE 2 In special cases, closer tolerances may be used, e.g. ±1 °C and ±2 r.h. %
NOTE 3 When the testing specification requires a period of preconditioning or conditioning, it is important to
distinguish between the overall limits of the temperatures within which it may be carried out, and the limits within
which the temperature should be maintained in order to keep within the specified relative humidity limits, e.g. the
temperature tolerances in column 3 will not in themselves ensure the close relative humidity control required by
column 4.
NOTE 4 When the range of 15 °C to 35 °C is considered too wide, the range may be reduced to 18 °C to 28 °C.
NOTE 5 When a temperature (t) is chosen in this range it should be specified in the designation, (Hours) h/t °C
/r.h. %.
– 12 – 60212 Ó IEC:2010
Table 3 – Standard liquid immersion conditions for testing and conditioning
Condition designation Temperature
°C
Title Liquid
(See Note 1) (See Note 2)
a
(Hours)h/23±0,5°C/water Standard water immersion Distilled water or water 23 ± 0,5
of equivalent purity (de-
ionized water)
(Hours)h/20 °C/liquid Liquid immersion As designated 20

(Hours)h/23 °C/liquid   "      " " 23
(Hours)h/27 °C/liquid   "      " " 27
(Hours)h/55 °C/liquid   "      " " 55
(Hours)h/70 °C/liquid   "      " " 70    ± 2
(Hours)h/90 °C/liquid   "      " " 90
(Hours)h/105 °C/liquid   "      " " 105
(Hours)h/120 °C/liquid   "      " " 120
(Hours)h/130 °C/liquid   "      " " 130
NOTE 1 The period of immersion (represented by "Hours" in column 1) should be specified in the material
specification and selected from Table 3.
NOTE 2 For special tests, close
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