IEC 60038:2009

IEC standard voltages

IEC 60038:2009 specifies standard voltage values which are intended to serve as preferential values for the nominal voltage of electrical supply systems, and as reference values for equipment and system design. This seventh edition supersedes the sixth edition (1993), its Amendment 1 (1994) and its Amendment 2 (1997). It constitutes a technical revision. The significant technical changes are:
- the addition of the values of 230 V (50 Hz) and 230/400 V (60 Hz) to Table 1;
- the replacement of the utilization voltage range at LV by a reference to the relevant standard and an informative annex;
- the addition of the value of 30 kV to Table 3;
- the replacement of the value of 1 050 kV by 1 100 kV in Table 5.
It has the status of a horizontal standard in accordance with IEC Guide 108

Tensions normales de la CEI

La CEI 60038:2009 spécifie des valeurs de tension normale destinées à servir de valeurs préférentielles pour la tension nominale des réseaux d'alimentation électrique, et de valeurs de référence pour la conception des matériels et des réseaux. Cette septième édition remplace la sixième édition (1993), son amendement 1 (1994) et son amendement 2 (1997). Elle constitue une révision technique. Les modifications techniques majeures sont:
- une clarification du domaine d'application;
- l'addition des valeurs de 230 V (50 Hz) et de 230/400 V (60 Hz) au Tableau 1;
- la mise à jour du Tableau 1 pour prendre en compte la fin de la période de transition pour les valeurs de 230/400 V et de 400/690 V;
- le remplacement de la plage de la tension d'utilisation en BT par une référence à la norme appropriée et par une annexe informative;
- l'addition de la valeur de 30 kV au Tableau 3;
- le remplacement de la valeur de 1 050 kV par celle de 1 100 kV dans le Tableau 5.
Elle a le statut de norme horizontale conformément au Guide IEC 108.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 14-Dec-2021
• ICS: 01 - GENERALITIES. TERMINOLOGY. STANDARDIZATION. DOCUMENTATION
• ICS: 29.020 - Electrical engineering in general
• Technical Committee: TC 8 - System aspects of electrical energy supply
• Drafting Committee: MT 1 - TC 8/MT 1
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 15-Jul-2009
• Completion Date: 17-Jun-2009

Relations

• Amended By: IEC 60038:2009/AMD1:2021 - Amendment 1 - IEC standard voltages
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023
• Revises: IEC 60038:1983/AMD2:1997 - Amendment 2 - IEC standard voltages
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023
• Revises: IEC 60038:1983/AMD1:1994 - Amendment 1 - IEC standard voltages
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023
• Revises: IEC 60038:1983 - IEC standard voltages
• Effective Date: 05-Sep-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC 60038 ®
Edition 7.0 2009-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
HORIZONTAL STANDARD
NORME HORIZONTALE
IEC standard voltages
Tensions normales de la CEI
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.
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IEC 60038 ®
Edition 7.0 2009-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
HORIZONTAL STANDARD
NORME HORIZONTALE
IEC standard voltages
Tensions normales de la CEI
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE
M
CODE PRIX
ICS 29.020 ISBN 978-2-88910-024-8
– 2 – 60038 © IEC:2009
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.0H3
1 Scope.1H5
2 Normative references .2H5
3 Terms and definitions .3H5
4 Standard voltages .4H7
4.1 AC systems having a nominal voltage between 100 V and 1 000 V inclusive
and related equipment.5H7
4.2 DC and a.c. traction systems.6H8
4.3 AC three-phase systems having a nominal voltage above 1 kV and not
exceeding 35 kV and related equipment .7H8
4.4 AC three-phase systems having a nominal voltage above 35 kV and not
exceeding 230 kV and related equipment .8H9
4.5 AC three-phase systems having a highest voltage for equipment exceeding
245 kV.9H10
4.6 Equipment having a nominal voltage below 120 V a.c. or below 750 V d.c.10H11
Annex A (informative) Highest and lowest voltage values at supply and utilization
terminals for a.c. systems having a nominal voltage between 100 V and 1 000 V.11H12
Bibliography.12H13

Table 1 – AC systems having a nominal voltage between 100 V and 1 000 V inclusive
and related equipment .13H7
a
Table 2 – DC and a.c. traction systems .14H8
Table 3 – AC three-phase systems having a nominal voltage above 1 kV and not
a
exceeding 35 kV and related equipment .15H9
Table 4 – AC three-phase systems having a nominal voltage above 35 kV and not
a
exceeding 230 kV and related equipment .16H10
Table 5 – AC three-phase systems having a highest voltage for equipment exceeding
a
245 kV .17H10
Table 6 – Equipment having a nominal voltage below 120 V a.c. or below 750 V d.c.18H11
Table A.1 – Highest and lowest voltage values at supply and utilization terminals for
a.c. systems having a nominal voltage between 100 V and 1 000 V .19H12

60038 © IEC:2009 – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
IEC STANDARD VOLTAGES
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
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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
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4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
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between any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in
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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.
International Standard IEC 60038 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 8: System
aspects for electrical energy supply.
This seventh edition supersedes the sixth edition (1993), its Amendment 1 (1994) and its
Amendment 2 (1997). It constitutes a technical revision. The significant technical changes
are:
– a clarification of the scope;
– the addition of the values of 230 V (50 Hz) and 230/400 V (60 Hz) to Table1;
– the update of Table 1 to take into account the end of the transition period for the values of
230/400 V and 400/690 V;
– the replacement of the utilization voltage range at LV by a reference to the relevant
standard and an informative annex;
– the addition of the value of 30 kV to Table 3;
– the replacement of the value of 1 050 kV by 1 100 kV in Table 5.

– 4 – 60038 © IEC:2009
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
8/1260/FDIS 8/1264/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
It has the status of a horizontal standard in accordance with IEC Guide 108.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the maintenance result 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.
60038 © IEC:2009 – 5 –
IEC STANDARD VOLTAGES
1 Scope
This publication applies to
– a.c. transmission, distribution and utilization systems and equipment for use in such systems
with standard frequencies 50 Hz and 60 Hz having a nominal voltage above 100 V;
– a.c. and d.c. traction systems;
– a.c. and d.c. equipment having nominal voltages below 120 V a.c. or below 750 V d.c.,
the a.c. voltages being intended (but not exclusively) for 50 Hz and 60 Hz applications;
such equipment covers batteries (from primary or secondary cells), other power supply
devices (a.c. or d.c.), electrical equipment (including industrial and communication),
and appliances.
This publication does not apply to voltages representing or transmitting signals or measured
values.
This publication does not apply to standard voltages of components and parts used within
electrical devices or items of equipment.
This publication specifies standard voltage values which are intended to serve
− as preferential values for the nominal voltage of electrical supply systems, and
− as reference values for equipment and system design.
NOTE 1 Two main reasons have led to the values specified in this standard:
The values of nominal voltage (or highest voltage for equipment) specified in this standard are mainly based on the
historical development of electrical supply systems throughout the world, since these values turned out to be the
most
...

IEC 60038 ®
Edition 7.1 2021-12
CONSOLIDATED VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
HORIZONTAL PUBLICATION
PUBLICATION HORIZONTALE
IEC standard voltages
Tensions normales de l’IEC
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International Standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.
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IEC 60038 ®
Edition 7.1 2021-12
CONSOLIDATED VERSION
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
colour
inside
HORIZONTAL PUBLICATION
PUBLICATION HORIZONTALE
IEC standard voltages
Tensions normales de l’IEC
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 29.020 ISBN 978-2-8322-4028-1

IEC 60038 ®
Edition 7.1 2021-12
CONSOLIDATED VERSION
REDLINE VERSION
VERSION REDLINE
colour
inside
HORIZONTAL PUBLICATION
PUBLICATION HORIZONTALE
IEC standard voltages
Tensions normales de l’IEC
– 2 – IEC 60038:2009+AMD1:2021 CSV
 IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Standard voltages . 9
4.1 AC systems having a nominal voltage between 100 V and 1 000 V inclusive
and related equipment . 9
4.2 DC and a.c. AC traction systems . 10
4.3 AC three-phase systems having a nominal voltage above 1 kV and not
exceeding 35 kV and related equipment . 10
4.4 AC three-phase systems having a nominal voltage above 35 kV and not
exceeding 230 kV and related equipment . 12
4.5 AC three-phase systems having a highest voltage for equipment exceeding
245 kV . 12
4.6 Equipment having a nominal voltage below 120 V a.c. AC or below 750 V
d.c. DC . 13
Annex A (informative) Highest and lowest voltage values at supply and utilization
terminals for a.c. AC systems having a nominal voltage between 100 V and 1 000 V . 14
Bibliography . 16
Table 1 – AC systems having a nominal voltage between 100 V and 1 000 V inclusive
and related equipment . 9
a
Table 2 – DC and a.c. AC traction systems . 10
Table 3 – AC three-phase systems having a nominal voltage above 1 kV and not
a
exceeding 35 kV and related equipment . 11
Table 4 – AC three-phase systems having a nominal voltage above 35 kV and not
a
exceeding 230 kV and related equipment . 12
Table 5 – AC three-phase systems having a highest voltage for equipment exceeding
a
245 kV . 12
Table 6 – Equipment having a nominal voltage below 120 V a.c. AC or below 750 V
d.c. DC . 13
Table 7 – AC single wire earth return (SWER) systems . 11
Table A.1 – Highest and lowest voltage values at supply and utilization terminals for
a.c. AC systems having a nominal voltage between 100 V and 1 000 V . 14

 IEC 2021
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
IEC STANDARD VOLTAGES
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 provides no marking procedure to indicate its approval and cannot be rendered responsible for any
equipment declared to be in conformity with an IEC Publication.
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 consolidated version of the official IEC Standard and its amendment has been
prepared for user convenience.
IEC 60038 edition 7.1 contains the seventh edition (2009-06) [documents 8/1260/FDIS
and 8/1264/RVD] and its amendment 1 (2021-12) [documents 8/1600/FDIS and
8/1603/RVD].
In this Redline version, a vertical line in the margin shows where the technical content
is modified by amendment 1. Additions are in green text, deletions are in strikethrough
red text. A separate Final version with all changes accepted is available in this
publication.
– 4 – IEC 60038:2009+AMD1:2021 CSV
 IEC 2021
International Standard IEC 60038 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 8: System
aspects for electrical energy supply.
This seventh edition constitutes a technical revision. The significant technical changes are:
– a clarification of the scope;
– the addition of the values of 230 V (50 Hz) and 230/400 V (60 Hz) to Table1;
– the update of Table 1 to take into account the end of the transition period for the values of
230/400 V and 400/690 V;
– the replacement of the utilization voltage range at LV by a reference to the relevant
standard and an informative annex;
– the addition of the value of 30 kV to Table 3;
– the replacement of the value of 1 050 kV by 1 100 kV in Table 5.
– co-ordination of Table 1 of IEC 60850:2014 and Table 2 of IEC 60038;
– co-ordination of 60 Hz highest and lowest values with major national 60 Hz standards;
– co-ordination of Annex A with IEC 60364-5-52:2009;
– a new table covering single wire earth return systems for remote areas.
It has the status of a horizontal standard in accordance with IEC Guide 108.
This publication has been drafted in
...