IEC 60695-2-12:2021

Fire hazard testing - Part 2-12: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods - Glow-wire flammability index (GWFI) test method for materials

IEC 60695-2-12:2021 specifies the details of the glow-wire test to be applied to test specimens of solid electrical insulating materials or other solid materials for flammability testing to determine the glow-wire flammability index (GWFI). GWFI is the highest temperature, determined during this standardized procedure, at which the tested material does not ignite or, if it does, extinguishes within 30 s after removal of the glow-wire and is not totally consumed; and molten drips, if they occur, do not ignite the wrapping tissue. This test method is a materials test carried out on a series of standard test specimens. The data obtained, along with data from the glow-wire ignition temperature (GWIT) test method for materials, IEC 60695-2-13, can then be used in a preselection process in accordance with IEC 60695-1-30 [4] to judge the ability of materials to meet the requirements of IEC 60695-2-11. This basic safety publication focusing on safety test method(s) is primarily intended for use by technical committees in the preparation of safety publications in accordance with the principles laid down in IEC Guide 104 and ISO/IEC Guide 51. One of the responsibilities of a technical committee is, wherever applicable, to make use of basic safety publications in the preparation of its publications. This publication is to be read in conjunction with IEC 60695-2-10. This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2010 and Amendment 1:2014. This edition constitutes a technical revision. This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition:
a) New terms and definitions with regards to times and durations have been added to Clause 3, with an effect on the application of the test method.

Essais relatifs aux risques du feu - Partie 2-12: Essais au fil incandescent/chauffant - Méthode d'essai d'indice d'inflammabilité au fil incandescent (GWFI) pour matériaux

IEC 60695-2-12:2021 décrit les informations détaillées de l’essai au fil incandescent destiné à être appliqué à des éprouvettes d’essai de matériaux isolants électriques solides ou autres matériaux solides pour les essais d’inflammabilité dans le but de déterminer l’indice d’inflammabilité au fil incandescent (GWFI, glow-wire flammability index). Le GWFI est la température la plus élevée, déterminée durant cette procédure normalisée, à laquelle le matériau en essai ne s’enflamme pas ou s’il s’enflamme, s’éteint dans les 30 s qui suivent le retrait du fil incandescent et n’est pas entièrement consumé; et des gouttes en fusion, s’il y a lieu, n’enflamment pas le papier mousseline. Cette méthode d’essai est un essai de matériaux exécuté sur une série d’éprouvettes d'essai normalisées. Les données obtenues, ainsi que les données issues de la méthode d’essai de température d’allumabilité au fil incandescent (GWIT, glow-wire ignition temperature) pour matériaux, IEC 60695-2-13, peuvent alors être utilisées dans un processus de présélection conformément à l’IEC 60695 1 30 [4] pour estimer l'aptitude des matériaux à satisfaire aux exigences de l’IEC 60695 2 11. La présente publication fondamentale de sécurité, fondée sur la ou les méthodes d'essai de sécurité, est essentiellement destinée à être utilisée par les comités d’études dans le cadre de l’élaboration de publications de sécurité conformément aux principes établis dans le Guide IEC 104 et le Guide ISO/IEC 51. L’une des responsabilités d’un comité d’études consiste, le cas échéant, à utiliser les publications fondamentales de sécurité dans le cadre de l’élaboration de ses publications. Cette norme doit être utilisée conjointement avec l’IEC 60695-2-10. Cette troisième édition annule et remplace la deuxième édition parue en 2010 et l'Amendement 1:2014. Cette édition constitue une révision technique. Cette édition inclut les modifications techniques majeures suivantes par rapport à l'édition précédente:
a) ajout à l’Article 3 de nouveaux termes et définitions, ayant rapport aux moments et durées, applicables à la méthode d'essai.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 07-Oct-2021
• ICS: 13.220.40 - Ignitability and burning behaviour of materials and products
• ICS: 29.020 - Electrical engineering in general
• Technical Committee: TC 89 - Fire hazard testing
• Drafting Committee: WG 12 - TC 89/WG 12
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 10-Sep-2021
• Completion Date: 08-Oct-2021

Relations

• Revises: IEC 60695-2-12:2010/AMD1:2014 - Amendment 1 - Fire hazard testing - Part 2-12: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods - Glow-wire flammability index (GWFI) test method for materials
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023
• Revises: IEC 60695-2-12:2010 - Fire hazard testing - Part 2-12: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods - Glow-wire flammability index (GWFI) test method for materials
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 60695-2-12 ®
Edition 3.0 2021-10
REDLINE VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
HORIZONTAL PUBLICATION
Fire hazard testing –
Part 2-12: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods – Glow-wire flammability index
(GWFI) test method for materials
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.

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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.

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IEC 60695-2-12 ®
Edition 3.0 2021-10
REDLINE VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
colour
inside
HORIZONTAL PUBLICATION
Fire hazard testing –
Part 2-12: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods – Glow-wire flammability index
(GWFI) test method for materials
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
ICS 13.220.40; 29.020 ISBN 978-2-8322-4436-4

– 2 – IEC 60695-2-12:2021 RLV © IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 2
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Test specimens . 7
4.1 Test specimen preparation . 8
4.2 Test specimen dimensions . 8
4.3 Testing ranges in formulations . 9
4.3.1 General . 9
4.3.2 Density, melt flows and filler/reinforcement . 9
4.3.3 Colour . 9
5 Apparatus . 9
6 Temperature measuring system verification . 9
7 Conditioning and test conditions . 10
7.1 Conditioning of test specimens . 10
7.2 Conditioning of the wrapping tissue and the wooden board . 10
7.3 Testing conditions . 10
8 Test procedure . 10
8.1 General . 10
8.2 Initial test temperatures . 10
8.3 Test temperatures . 11
9 Observations and measurements . 11
9.1 General .
9.1 Initial observations . 11
9.2 Test observations . 12
10 Evaluation of test results . 12
10.1 Test criteria . 12
10.2 Glow-wire flammability index . 12
11 Test report . 13
Bibliography . 14

Table 1 – Initial test temperatures . 11

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
FIRE HAZARD TESTING –
Part 2-12: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods –
Glow-wire flammability index (GWFI) test method for materials

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 IEC 60695-2-12:2010+AMD1:2014 CSV. 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 60695-2-12:2021 RLV © IEC 2021
IEC 60695-2-12 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 89: Fire hazard testing. It is
an International Standard.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2010 and
Amendment 1:2014. This edition constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) New terms and definitions with regards to times and durations have been added to
Clause 3, with an effect on the application of the test method.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
89/1537/FDIS 89/1545/RVD
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement,
available at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by
IEC are described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/standardsdev/publications.
It has the status of a basic safety publication in accordance with IEC Guide 104.
This standard is to be used in conjunction with IEC 60695-2-10.
A list of all the parts in the IEC 60695 series, under the general title Fire hazard testing, can
be found on the IEC web site.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data related to
the specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
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
In the design of any electrotechnical product, the risk of fire and the potential hazards
associated with fire need to be considered. In this respect the objective of component, circuit,
and product design, as well as the choice of materials, is to reduce to acceptable levels the
potential risks of fire during normal operating conditions, reasonable foreseeable abnormal
use, malfunction and/or failure. IEC 60695-1-10 [1] , together with its companion

IEC 60695-1-11 [2], has been developed to provide guidance on how this is to be
accomplished.
The primary aims of IEC 60695-1-10 and IEC 60695-1-11 are to provide guidance on how to:
a) prevent ignition caused by an electrically energized component part, and
b) confine any resulting fire within the bounds of the enclosure of the electrotechnical
product in the event of ignition.
Secondary aims of IEC 60695-1-10 and IEC 60695-1-11 include the minimization of any flame
spread beyond the product’s enclosure and the minimization of the harmful effects of fire
effluents such as heat, smoke, toxicity and/or corrosivity.
Fires involving electrotechnical products can also be initiated from external non-electrical
sources. Considerations of this nature should be are normally dealt with in the overall fire
hazard assessment.
In electrotechnical equipment, overheated metal parts can act as ignition sources. In glow-
wire tests, a red-hot glowing wire is used to simulate such an ignition source.
...

IEC 60695-2-12 ®
Edition 3.0 2021-10
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
HORIZONTAL PUBLICATION
PUBLICATION HORIZONTALE
Fire hazard testing –
Part 2-12: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods – Glow-wire flammability index
(GWFI) test method for materials

Essais relatifs aux risques du feu –
Partie 2-12: Essais au fil incandescent/chauffant – Méthode d'essai d'indice
d’inflammabilité au fil incandescent (GWFI) pour matériaux

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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variety of criteria (reference number, text, technical publications previews. With a subscription you will always
committee, …). It also gives information on projects, replaced have access to up to date content tailored to your needs.
and withdrawn publications.
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containing more than 22 000 terminological entries in English
details all new publications released. Available online and
and French, with equivalent terms in 18 additional languages.
once a month by email.
Also known as the International Electrotechnical Vocabulary

(IEV) online.
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IEC 60695-2-12 ®
Edition 3.0 2021-10
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
HORIZONTAL PUBLICATION
PUBLICATION HORIZONTALE
Fire hazard testing –
Part 2-12: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods – Glow-wire flammability index

(GWFI) test method for materials

Essais relatifs aux risques du feu –

Partie 2-12: Essais au fil incandescent/chauffant – Méthode d'essai d'indice

d’inflammabilité au fil incandescent (GWFI) pour matériaux

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 13.220.40; 29.020 ISBN 978-2-8322-1011-1

– 2 – IEC 60695-2-12:2021 © IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Test specimens . 8
4.1 Test specimen preparation . 8
4.2 Test specimen dimensions . 8
4.3 Testing ranges in formulations . 9
4.3.1 General . 9
4.3.2 Density, melt flows and filler/reinforcement . 9
4.3.3 Colour . 9
5 Apparatus . 9
6 Temperature measuring system verification . 9
7 Conditioning and test conditions . 9
7.1 Conditioning of test specimens . 9
7.2 Conditioning of the wrapping tissue and the wooden board . 10
7.3 Testing conditions . 10
8 Test procedure . 10
8.1 General . 10
8.2 Initial test temperatures . 10
8.3 Test temperatures . 10
9 Observations and measurements . 11
9.1 Initial observations . 11
9.2 Test observations . 11
10 Evaluation of test results . 11
10.1 Test criteria . 11
10.2 Glow-wire flammability index . 12
11 Test report . 12
Bibliography . 13

Table 1 – Initial test temperatures . 10

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
FIRE HAZARD TESTING –
Part 2-12: Glowing/hot-wire based test methods –
Glow-wire flammability index (GWFI) test method for materials

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.
IEC 60695-2-12 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 89: Fire hazard testing. It is
an International Standard.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2010 and
Amendment 1:2014. This edition constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) New terms and definitions with regards to times and durations have been added to
Clause 3, with an effect on the application of the test method.

– 4 – IEC 60695-2-12:2021 © IEC 2021
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
89/1537/FDIS 89/1545/RVD
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement,
available at www.iec.ch/members_experts/r
...