oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026

• Status: Not Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 30-Sep-2026
• ICS: 01.040.29 - Electrical engineering (Vocabularies)
• ICS: 17.220.01 - Electricity. Magnetism. General aspects
• Technical Committee: I11 - Imaginarni 11
• Current Stage: 4020 - Public enquire (PE) (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 23-Jul-2026
• Due Date: 10-Dec-2026
• Completion Date: 29-Sep-2026
• Ref Project: prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 - Quantities and units - Part 6: Electromagnetism

• Revises: SIST EN IEC 80000-6:2023 - Quantities and units - Part 6: Electromagnetism (IEC 80000-6:2022)
• Effective Date: 23-Sep-2025

oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 is the SIST version of IEC Part 6 in the Quantities and units series for electromagnetism. It gives the agreed names, symbols, definitions and units for electromagnetic quantities, so engineers and technical writers can describe electrical and magnetic measurements in a consistent way. The document is based on classical electromagnetism, mainly Maxwell’s equations, and it uses SI as the reference system for units.

What does oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 specify?

oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 specifies the vocabulary and unit treatment for quantities and units in electromagnetism. Clause 1 sets the scope, Clause 2 covers normative references, and Clause 3 contains the quantity tables and supporting notes. The document is organized around Table 1, with two informative annexes and a bibliography.

Annex	What it covers
Annex A	Units in the CGS system with special names, including deprecated units and conversion factors
Annex B	Alphabetical index for the quantity names

Clause 1 states that the standard gives names, symbols and definitions for electromagnetic quantities and units, with conversion factors where relevant. The same clause anchors the document in classical electromagnetism rather than quantum field theories, which matters if you are specifying or checking engineering quantities in power, electronics, or EMC work. Clause 3 then presents the main body of quantity definitions and unit symbols.

What are the key requirements of oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026?

oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 is mainly a terminology and quantity-definition standard, so its key content is the controlled naming of quantities and their SI-based units. In practice, the reader uses it to choose the correct quantity name, symbol and unit symbol, and to avoid mixing older or informal terms.

How should quantities and units be used?

Clause 3 and Table 1 define the names, symbols and units for the main electromagnetic quantities, including charge, current, fields, fluxes, potentials, material properties, impedance, power and energy. This matters because the same physical idea can appear in several contexts, such as electric current, displacement current, or total current, and the standard keeps those distinctions explicit.

The document also states that unit definitions follow the SI Brochure. For day-to-day work, that means SI unit symbols are the default language of the standard, and legacy unit forms are handled separately in Annex A.

What does it say about dimensionless quantities and angles?

The introduction explains that quantities of dimension one use the unit one, symbol 1, and that prefixes are not used with this unit. Instead of prefixing, powers of 10 are recommended. This is important when writing ratios, indices or coefficients, because it keeps calculations and reports consistent.

The same part also treats plane angle and solid angle as dimensionless derived units in SI, with radian and steradian equal to one. In practice, this helps when you are documenting formulas and want the unit notation to remain clear without changing the quantity meaning.

How are sinusoidal quantities handled?

The introduction gives guidance for sinusoidal quantities and their complex representations, including electric current, voltage and magnetic flux. It uses root-mean-square (RMS) values, phasors and phase quantities as the preferred framework for alternating-current work.

For engineers, this matters because many electrical calculations compare RMS values rather than instantaneous values. The document shows how the same quantity can be written in real form and as a phasor, which helps when moving between time-domain calculations and AC circuit analysis.

Which electromagnetic field quantities are covered?

Table 1 defines the field quantities and their relationships, including electric field strength, electric flux density, magnetic flux density, magnetic field strength, electric polarization, magnetization and magnetic vector potential. Several entries also show the relevant vector or scalar character.

That is useful in practice because it tells you which quantity to measure or specify in a model, test report or calculation. For example, the table distinguishes field strength from flux density and relates them to charge, current and material response.

What material properties are defined?

Clause 3 defines permittivity, relative permittivity, electric susceptibility, permeability, relative permeability, magnetic susceptibility, conductivity and resistivity. The definitions note whether the property belongs to a linear medium and whether it is scalar or tensorial for isotropic and anisotropic media.

This matters when selecting materials or interpreting test data, because the same property may depend on position or direction. The standard gives the quantity name and symbol you need when documenting dielectric, magnetic or conductive behavior.

What does it say about circuit quantities?

Table 1 also defines capacitance, inductance, mutual inductance, coupling factor, leakage factor, resistance, conductance, impedance, admittance, quality factor, power factor and several power quantities. These definitions link the circuit quantities back to the field quantities through current, voltage, flux and energy.

For practical use, this gives a common language for design calculations, component datasheets and test results. It is especially useful when comparing direct current and alternating current behavior, because the document separates DC terms from AC and phasor terms.

What does Annex A add?

Annex A lists deprecated CGS units with special names, including gauss, maxwell and oersted, together with conversion factors to SI. This annex is informative, but it is valuable when older documents, legacy drawings or archival measurements use CGS notation.

What terms does oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 define?

oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 uses standard quantity-language terms that support consistent measurement and documentation.

• International System of Quantities (ISQ) - the quantity system used as the basis for the quantity definitions in this part.
• International System of Units (SI) - the unit system used for the unit symbols and unit definitions in the standard.
• root-mean-square (RMS) value - the square root of the mean of the squared quantity over a stated time interval, used for AC quantities.
• phasor - the complex representation of a sinusoidal quantity, used for current and voltage.
• electric flux density - a vector quantity linked to electric charge distribution and electric field strength.
• magnetic vector potential - a vector quantity whose curl gives magnetic flux density.
• International Electrotechnical Vocabulary (IEV) - the vocabulary source used for many related terms and cross-references.

Who uses oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026?

oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 is used by electrical engineers, metrology staff, technical authors, educators, laboratory personnel, quality managers and buyers who need consistent terminology for electromagnetic quantities. It is relevant in electrical engineering, electricity transmission and distribution, and electromagnetic compatibility.

In practice, users apply it when writing specifications, calibration records, test reports, calculation sheets, drawings and standards-based documentation. It is also useful for committees and organizations that need harmonized quantity names across international publications.

What changed in oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 from the previous edition?

oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 is the third edition and it cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2022. The document states that it is a technical revision.

The significant technical changes named in the document are:

• the SI Brochure 9th edition is cited for the definitions of units
• corrections have been made to IEV entries

Which standards are used with oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026?

oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 states that no normative references are listed in Clause 2, but Clause 3 and the bibliography rely on several companion IEC and ISO documents.

Reference	What it contributes
IEC 60050-121	Electromagnetism vocabulary references used in quantity definitions
IEC 60050-131	Circuit theory vocabulary, including phasor-related terms
IEC 60027-1	Letter symbols for electrical technology, used for sinusoidal notation
SI Brochure, 9th edition	Basis for unit definitions
ISO 80000-1	General rules for quantities and units
ISO 80000-2	Mathematical symbols and the imaginary unit
ISO 80000-3	Space, time, position vectors, angular frequency and wavenumber
ISO 80000-4	Mechanics, including force-related notation
EN ISO 80000-5	Thermodynamics, cited for energy-related unit context
ISO 80000-9	Physical chemistry and molecular physics, cited in symbol notes
IEC 60050-103, -113, -151	Vocabulary references listed in the bibliography for mathematics, physics for electrotechnology, and electrical and magnetic devices

What does the oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 document contain?

oSIST prEN IEC 80000-6:2026 contains a scope clause, a reference clause, and a main clause with the tables of names, symbols, definitions and units for electromagnetic quantities. The core material is Table 1, which covers quantities from charge and current to flux, fields, impedance, power and energy.

The document also contains explanatory notes on SI usage, dimensionless quantities, sinusoidal quantities, RMS values and phasors. Annex A provides conversion information for deprecated CGS units, and Annex B gives an alphabetical index to the quantity names.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2026
Veličine in enote - 6. del: Elektromagnetizem
Quantities and units - Part 6: Electromagnetism
Größen und Einheiten - Teil 6: Elektromagnetismus
Grandeurs et unités - Partie 6: Electromagnétisme
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN IEC 80000-6:2026
ICS:
01.040.29 Elektrotehnika (Slovarji) Electrical engineering
(Vocabularies)
17.220.01 Elektrika. Magnetizem. Electricity. Magnetism.
Splošni vidiki General aspects
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

25/854/CDV
COMMITTEE DRAFT FOR VOTE (CDV)
PROJECT NUMBER:
IEC 80000-6 ED3
DATE OF CIRCULATION: CLOSING DATE FOR VOTING:
2026-07-17 2026-10-09
SUPERSEDES DOCUMENTS:
25/845/RR
IEC TC 25 : QUANTITIES AND UNITS
SECRETARIAT: SECRETARY:
Italy Ms Daniela Zambelli
OF INTEREST TO THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEES: HORIZONTAL FUNCTION(S):
TC 1,TC 77,TC 85,TC 106,CIS/D,CIS/I
ASPECTS CONCERNED:
Electricity transmission and distribution,Electromagnetic Compatibility
SUBMITTED FOR CENELEC PARALLEL VOTING NOT SUBMITTED FOR CENELEC PARALLEL VOTING
Attention IEC-CENELEC parallel voting
The attention of IEC National Committees, members of
CENELEC, is drawn to the fact that this Committee Draft for Vote
(CDV) is submitted for parallel voting.
The CENELEC members are invited to vote through the
CENELEC online voting system.
This document is still under study and subject to change. It should not be used for reference purposes.
Recipients of this document are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which t hey are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.
Recipients of this document are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant “In Some Countries” clau ses to
be included should this proposal proceed. Recipients are reminded that the CDV stage is the final stage for submitting ISC c lauses.
(SEE AC/22/2007 OR NEW GUIDANCE DOC).

TITLE:
Quantities and units - Part 6: Electromagnetism

PROPOSED STABILITY DATE: 2030
NOTE FROM TC/SC OFFICERS:
file, to make a copy and to print out the content for the sole purpose of preparing National Committee positions. You may not copy
or "mirror" the file or printed version of the document, or any part of it, for any other purpose without permission in writing from
IEC.
Link to Committee Draft for Vote (CDV) online document:
Click here
How to access
This link leads you to the Online Standards Development (OSD) platform for National Mirror
Committee’s (NMC) comments. The project draft may be found further down this document.

Resource materials
We recommend NCs to review the available materials to better understand the member commenting
on the OSD platform. This includes the:
• OSD NC roles overview
• How to add and submit comments to the IEC

Contact
Should you require any assistance, please contact the IEC IT Helpdesk.

IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
CONTENTS
Contact . 3
CONTENTS . 1
FOREWORD . 2
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 8
2 Normative references . 8
3 Names, symbols, definitions, and units of quantities . 8
Annex A (informative) Units in the CGS system with special names . 28
Annex B (informative) Alphabetical index . 29
Bibliography . 34

Table 1 – Quantities and units in electromagnetism . 9
Table A.1 – Deprecated units with special names taken from the CGS system . 28

IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
Quantities and units -
Part 6: Electromagnetism
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 corres ponding 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) IEC draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve
the use of (a) patent(s). IEC takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability
of any claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document,
IEC [had/had not] received notice of (a) patent(s), which may be required to implement this
document. However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent the latest
IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at https://patents.iec.ch.
IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 80000-6 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 25: Quantities and units, and their
letter symbols in close cooperation with ISO/TC 12, Quantities and units. It is an International
Standard.
This third edition of IEC 80000-6 cancels and replaces the second edition published in 2022.
This edition constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
th
a) SI Brochure 9 edition is cited for the definitions of units.
b) Corrections to IEV entries
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
XX/XX/FDIS XX/XX/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/publications.
IEC 80000 consists of the following parts, under the general title Quantities and units:
c) Part 6: Electromagnetism
d) Part 13: Information science and technology
e) Part 15: Logarithmic and related quantities, and their units
f) Part 16: Printing and writing rules
g) Part 17: Time dependency
The following parts are published by ISO:
h) Part 1: General
i) Part 2: Mathematics
j) Part 3: Space and time
k) Part 4: Mechanics
l) Part 5: Thermodynamics
m) Part 7: Light
n) Part 8: Acoustics
o) Part 9: Physical chemistry and molecular physics
p) Part 10: Atomic and nuclear physics
q) Part 11: Characteristic numbers
r) Part 12: Condensed matter physics
IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
– reconfirmed,
– withdrawn, or
– revised.
IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
INTRODUCTION
0.1 Tables of quantities
The names in English of the most important quantities within the field of this document are given
together with their symbols and, in most cases, their definitions. The definitions are given for
identification of the quantities in the International System of Quantities (ISQ), listed in Table 1;
they are not intended to be complete.
The scalar, vectorial or tensorial character of quantities is pointed out, especially when this is
needed for the definitions.
In most cases, only one name and only one symbol for the quantity are given; where two or
more names or two or more symbols are given for one quantity and no special distinction is
made, they are on an equal footing. When two types of italic letters exist (for example as with
ϑ and θ; φ and Φ; a and a ;) only one of these is given. This does not mean that the other is not
equally acceptable. It is recommended that such variants should not be given different
meanings. A symbol within parenthesis implies that it is an alternative symbol, to be used when,
in a particular context, the main symbol is in use with a different meaning.
0.2 Units
0.2.1 General
The names of units for the corresponding quantities are given together with the international
symbols and the definitions. These unit names are language-dependent, but the symbols are
th
international and the same in all languages. For further information, see the SI Brochure (9
edition 2019) from BIPM and ISO 80000-1.
The units are arranged in the following way:
a) The base SI units are given first. The SI units have been adopted by the General Conference
on Weights and Measures (Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures, CGPM). The use
of base SI units, and their decimal multiples and submultiples formed with the SI prefixes
are recommended, although the decimal multiples and submultiples are not explicitly
mentioned. The order of the units is s, m, kg, A, K, mol, cd.
b) Some non-SI units are then given, being those accepted by the International Committee for
Weights and Measures (Comité International des Poids et Mesures, CIPM), or by the
International Organization of Legal Metrology (Organisation Internationale de Métrol ogie
Légale, OIML), or by ISO and IEC, for use with the SI.
c) Non-SI units that are not recommended are given only in annexes in some parts of ISO
80000 and IEC 80000. These annexes are informative, in the first place for the conversion
factors, and are not integral parts of the standard. These deprecated units are a rranged in
two groups:
1) units in the CGS system with special names, see Annex A;
2) units based on the foot, pound, and some other related units.
0.2.2 Remark on units for quantities of dimension one, or dimensionless quantities
The coherent unit for any quantity of dimension one, also called a dimensionless quantity, is
the number one, symbol 1. When the value of such a quantity is expressed, the unit symbol 1
is generally not written out explicitly.
EXAMPLE 1 Refractive index n = 1,53 × 1 = 1,53
Prefixes shall not be used to form multiples or submultiples of this unit. Instead of prefixes,
powers of 10 are recommended.
IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
EXAMPLE 2 Reynolds number Re = 1,32 × 10
Considering that plane angle is generally expressed as the ratio of two lengths and solid angle
as the ratio of two areas, in 1995 the CGPM specified that, in the SI, the radian, symbol rad,
and steradian, symbol sr, are dimensionless derived units. This implies that the quantities plane
angle and solid angle are considered as derived quantities of dimension one. The units radian
and steradian are thus equal to one; they may either be omitted, or they may be used in
expressions for derived units to facilitate distinction between quantities of different kinds, but
having the same dimension.
0.3 Numerical statements in this document
The sign = is used to denote "is exactly equal to" and the sign ≈ is used to denote "is
approximately equal to".
Numerical values of physical quantities that have been experimentally determined always have
an associated measurement uncertainty. This uncertainty should always be specified. In this
document, the magnitude of the uncertainty is represented as in the fol lowing example.
EXAMPLE l = 2,347 82(32) m
In this example, 𝑙 = 𝑎(𝑏) m, the numerical value of the uncertainty b indicated in parentheses is
assumed to apply to the last (and least significant) digits of the numerical value a of the length
l. This notation is used when b represents one standard uncertainty (estimated standard
deviation) in the last digits of a. The numerical example given above can be interpreted to mean
that the best estimate of the numerical value of the length l, when l is expressed in the unit
metre, is 2,347 82 and that the unknown value of l is believed to lie between (2,347 82 −0,000
32) m and (2,347 82 +0,000 32) m with a probability determined by the standard uncertainty
0,000 32 m and the probability distribution of the values of l.
0.4 Special remarks
0.4.1 General
The items given in IEC 80000-6 are generally in conformity with the International
Electrotechnical Vocabulary (IEV), especially IEC 60050-121:1998 [1] and IEC 60050-131:2002
[2]. For each quantity, the reference to the IEV is given in the form: "IEV XXX-xx-xxx".
The font used for text and units is sans serif; that used for quantities is serif.
0.4.2 System of quantities
For electromagnetism, several different systems of quantities have been developed and used
depending on the number and the choice of base quantities on which the system is based.
However, in electromagnetism and electrical engineering, only the Internation al System of
Quantities, ISQ, and the associated International System of Units, SI, are acknowledged and
are reflected in the standards of ISO and IEC. The SI has seven base units, among them are
the second (s), the kilogram (kg), the metre (m), and the ampere (A).
0.4.3 Sinusoidal quantities
For quantities that vary sinusoidally with time, and for their complex representations, the IEC
has standardized two ways to build symbols. Capital and lowercase letters are generally used
for electric current (item 6-1) and for voltage (item 6-11.3), and additional symbols for other
quantities. These are given in IEC 60027-1:1996 [3].
EXAMPLE 1 The sinusoidal variation with time of an electric current (item 6-1) can be expressed in real
representation as
IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
𝑖 = 2  𝐼 cos(𝜔𝑡 + 𝜑)
√
which is related to its complex representation (termed phasor) as
j(𝜔𝑡+𝜑) j𝜑 j𝜔𝑡 j𝜔𝑡
𝑖 = √2  Re(𝐼e ) = √2  Re(𝐼e e ) = √2   Re(𝐼e )
where i is the instantaneous value of the current, I is its root-mean-square (RMS) value (see 0.4.4), (𝜔𝑡 + 𝜑) is the
phase, φ is the initial phase, 𝐼 the complex-valued phasor and j is the imaginary unit j = -1, in mathematics often
denoted by i.
EXAMPLE 2 The sinusoidal variation with time of a magnetic flux (item 6-22.1) can be expressed in real
representation as
̂
𝛷 = 𝛷 cos(𝜔𝑡 + 𝜙) = 2𝛷    cos(𝜔𝑡 + 𝜙)
√
eff
̂
where 𝛷 is the instantaneous value of the flux, 𝛷 is its peak value and 𝛷 is its RMS value.
eff
NOTE The sinusoidal conditions is a state characterized by electrical currents and tensions all being sinusoidal
functions of time with a certain requency. See IEV 131-11-28.
0.4.4 Root-mean-square value, RMS value, effective value
For a time-depending quantity 𝑎(𝑡), the positive square root of the mean value of the square of
the quantity taken over a given time interval ΔT is called root-mean-square value a , i.e.
rms
1 𝑡 +Δ𝑇
𝑎 = √  (𝑎(𝑡))  d 𝑡
∫
rms
𝑡
Δ𝑇
The root-mean-square value of a periodic quantity is usually taken over an integration interval,
the range of which is the period multiplied by a natural number. For a sinusoidal quantity 𝑎(𝑡) =
Â cos(𝜔𝑡 + 𝜑), the root-mean-square value is Â/√2.
The root-mean-square value of a quantity may be denoted by adding one of the subscripts "eff"
or "rms" to the symbol of the quantity. In electrical technology, the root-mean-square values of
electric current i(t) and voltage u(t) are usually denoted I and U, respectively.
The following items were listed in the Bibliography but not cited in the text. Please find a suitable
place to cite it to justify their inclusion in the Bibliography:
IEC 60050-103:2009 [4], International electrotechnical vocabulary - Part 103: Mathematics -
Functions (available at www.electropedia.org)
IEC 60050-113:2011 [5], International electrotechnical vocabulary - Part 113: Physics for
electrotechnology (available at www.electropedia.org)
IEC 60050-151:2001 [6], International electrotechnical vocabulary - Part 151: Electrical and
magnetic devices (available at www.electropedia.org)
IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
1 Scope
This part of IEC 80000 gives names, symbols, and definitions for quantities and units of
electromagnetism. Where appropriate, conversion factors are also given.
This document is based on classical electromagnetism, i.e. mainly Maxwell’s equations. No
reference is made to quantum field theories.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Names, symbols, definitions, and units of quantities
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
– IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
– ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
The names, symbols, and definitions for quantities of electromagnetism are given in the tables
on the following pages. For definitions of units, the SI Brochure applies. For units in the CGS
system with special names, see Annex A.
NOTE 1 In general, these quantities can depend on time even when not explicitly noted. All surfaces are assumed
to be oriented surfaces (see IEV 102-04-37)
NOTE 2 The font in the formulas is different from the font of the main text.
IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
Table 1 – Quantities and units in electromagnetism
Item Quantity Unit Remarks
No.
Name Symbol Definition Symbol
6-1 electric current scalar quantity equal to the quotient of the net A Electric current is one of the base
I
quasi-infinitesimal (see IEV 121-11-06) electric quantities in the International System of
i
Quantities, ISQ, on which the
charge dQ (item 6-2.1) transferred through a
International System of Units, SI [7], is
surface during a quasi-infinitesimal time interval
based.
and the duration dt of that interval:
d𝑄
Electric current I through a surface S
𝐼 =
d𝑡
can also be written as
𝐼 = 𝑱 ⋅ 𝒆  d𝐴
∫
n
S
where J is the electric current density
(item 6-8) and where 𝒆  dA is the vector
n
surface element.
Electric current produces a magnetic
field.
For related definitions, see item 6-8 and
IEV 121-11-13.
6-2.1 electric charge additive scalar quantity attributed to any particle C
Q To denote a point charge, q is often
and, generally, any system of them, to
used, as is done in this document.
s A
q
characterize its electromagnetic interactions.
Electromagnetic interactions occur by
Coulomb-Lorentz forces, see IEV 121-
11-20.
The coherent SI unit of charge is
coulomb, C. Another frequently used unit
is the ampere-hour (A h) mentioned in
IEV 313-01-16, widely used for battery
characteristics.
See IEV 113-02-10.
6-2.2 elementary charge magnitude of the negative electric charge C
e In the SI the elementary charge, e, is
carried by a single electron, which has charge
one of the fundamental constants with an
A
−1 𝑒.
exact value
s A
−19
e = 1,602 176 634 × 10 C, see the SI
Brochure, see IEV 113-05-16.
IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
Item Quantity Unit Remarks
No.
Name Symbol Definition Symbol
Electric charge can be positive, negative
or zero. The sign convention is such that
the elementary electric charge, e, of the
proton, is positive. See IEV 113-02-10
and IEV 113-02-12.
6-3 electric charge density, ρ scalar quantity representing the spatial See IEV 121-11-07.
C/m
distribution of electric charge
−3
volumic electric charge,
m s A
d𝑄
𝜌 = 𝜌(𝒓) =
volumic charge d𝑉
where dQ is quasi-infinitesimal (see IEV 121-11-
06) electric charge (item 6-2.1) contained in a
quasi-infinitesimal 3D domain located at position
r and dV is quasi-infinitesimal volume (ISO
80000-3:2019 [8]) of this domain.
6-4 surface density of electric charge, scalar quantity representing the areal See IEV 121-11-08.
σ C/m
distribution of electric charge
−2
areic electric charge,
m s A
d𝑄
𝜎 = 𝜎(𝒓) =
areic charge d𝐴
where dQ is a quasi-infinitesimal (see IEV 121-
11-06) electric charge (item 6-2.1) contained in
a quasi-infinitesimal 2D domain located at
position r, and dA is a quasi-infinitesimal area
(ISO 80000-3:2019 [8]) of this domain.
6-5 linear density of electric charge, scalar quantity representing the linear C/m See IEV 121-11-09.
τ
distribution of electric charge
−1
lineic electric charge,
m s A
d𝑄
𝜏 = 𝜏(𝒓) =
lineic charge d𝑙
where dQ is a quasi-infinitesimal (see IEV 121-
11-06) electric charge (item 6-2.1) contained in
a quasi-infinitesimal domain located at position r
and dl is a quasi-infinitesimal length (ISO
80000-3:2019 [8]) of this domain.
6-6 electric dipole moment vector quantity given by C m The electric dipole moment of a
p
substance within a domain is the vector
𝒑 = 𝑞(𝒓 − 𝒓 ) m s A
+ −
sum of electric dipole moments of all
electric dipoles contained in the domain.
IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
Item Quantity Unit Remarks
No.
Name Symbol Definition Symbol
See IEV 121-11-35 and IEV 121-11-36.
where r and r are the position vectors (ISO
+ -
80000-3:2019 [8]) of the carriers of electric
charges q and −q (item 6-2), respectively.
6-7 electric polarization vector quantity representing the spatial See IEV 121-11-37.
P C/m
distribution of electric dipole moment
−2
m s A
d𝒑
𝑷(𝒓) =
d𝑉
where dp is quasi-infinitesimal (see IEV 121-11-
06) electric dipole moment (item 6-6) of a
substance in a quasi-infinitesimal domain at
position r and dV is quasi-infinitesimal volume
(ISO 80000-3:2019 [8]) of this domain.
6-8 electric current density vector quantity equal to the sum, for the charge Electric current density can also be
J A/m
carriers within a volume element of quasi-
expressed by 𝑱 = 𝑱(𝒓) = 𝜌𝒗 where ρ is the
−2
m A
infinitesimal volume V at position r, of the
net charge density and v is the net
products of their electric charge Q and their
velocity of charge carriers.
i
velocity v , divided by the volume V, given by
i There can be different charge carriers
with different velocities.
𝑛
( ) ∑
𝑱 = 𝑱 𝒓 = 𝑄 𝒗
𝑖 𝑖
𝑖=1
𝑉
Electric current I (item 6-1) through a
surface S is
where n is the number of charge carriers.
𝐼 = ∫ 𝑱 ⋅ 𝑒 d𝐴
n
S
where e dA is the vector surface
n
element.
See IEV 121-11-11.
6-9 linear electric current density vector quantity equal to the sum, for the charge A/m Linear electric current density can also
J
S
( )
carriers confined to a surface element of quasi- be expressed by 𝑱 𝒓   =    𝑱   =  𝜎𝒗, where σ
−1 𝑆 𝑆
m A
infinitesimal area S at position r, of the products is the net surface charge density and ν is
the net velocity of the charge carriers.
of their electric charge Q and their velocity v ,
i i
divided by the area S
See IEV 121-11-12.
𝑛
𝑱   =   𝑱 (𝒓) = ∑ 𝑄 𝒗
𝑆 𝑆 𝑖=1 𝑖 𝑖
𝑆
where n is the number of charge carriers.
IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
Item Quantity Unit Remarks
No.
Name Symbol Definition Symbol
6-10 electric field strength 𝑬 additive vector field quantity that exerts on any V/m See IEV 121-11-18.
charged particle at rest located at position r a
−3 −1
kg m s A
force F (ISO 80000-4:2019 [9]) equal to the
product of E and electric charge q (item 6-2.1)
of the particle, thus:
𝑭
𝑬(𝒓) =
𝑞
6-11.1 electric potential scalar quantity expressed by V The electric potential is not unique since
V
any constant scalar field quantity can be
2 −3 −1
𝜕𝑨
kg m s A
φ −grad 𝑉 = 𝑬 +
added to it without changing its gradient.
𝜕𝑡
The electric potential, the electric field,
where E is electric field strength (item 6-10), A
and the magnetic vector potential
is magnetic vector potential (item 6-32) and t is
depend on the position.
time (ISO 80000-3:2019 [8]).
See IEV 121-11-25.
𝒓 𝜕𝑨
b
6-11.2 electric potential difference scalar quantity given by V
V
𝑉 = ∫   (𝑬 + )   d𝒓
ab
ab
𝒓
a(C) 𝜕𝑡
2 −3 −1
𝑉 = 𝑉 − 𝑉
ab a b kg m s A
where E is electric field strength (item 6-
where V and V are the electric potentials (item
10), A is magnetic vector potential (item
a b
6-32), t is time (ISO 80000-3:2019 [8]),
6-11.1) at points a and b, respectively.
and r is the position vector (ISO 80000-
3:2019 [8]) along a given curve C, from
point a to point b.
See IEV 121-11-26.
6-11.3 voltage, for a conductor, scalar quantity given by the V The name "voltage", commonly used in
U
electric potential difference V (item 6-11.2) the English language, is given in the
2 −3 −1
ab
electric tension
kg m s A
U
IEV, but it is an exception to the
ab
between two points a and b, respectively.
principle that a quantity name should not
u
refer to any name of a unit.
See IEV 121-11-27.
6-11.4 induced voltage, negative of time derivative of protoflux (item 6- V If the integration path is closed, the loop
U
i
22.2): voltage is
2 −3 −1
induced electric tension
kg m s A
d𝜓 d d d𝛷
p
𝑈 = − = − 𝑨(𝒓)d𝐫 𝑈 = − ∮ 𝑨(𝑟)d𝒓 = −
∫ 𝑖
𝑖
C C
d𝑡 d𝑡 d𝑡 d𝑡
IEC CDV 80000-6 © IEC 2026
Item Quantity Unit Remarks
No.
Name Symbol Definition Symbol
where A is a magnetic vector potential (item
6.32) and dr is a line vector element of the path
C.
6-12 electric flux density vector quantity given by The electric flux density is related to
D C/m
electric charge density via div𝑫 = 𝜌
−2
𝑫 = 𝜀 𝑬 + 𝑷
m s A
where div denotes divergence.
where ε is electric constant (item 6-14.1), E is
The electric flux density, the electric field
strength, and the polarization depend on
electric field strength (item 6-10), and P is
the position.
electric polarization (item 6-7).
See IEV 121-11-40.
6-13 capacitance for a capacitive element, quotient of electric F The electric charge of a capacitive
C
charge Q and voltage U (item 6-11.3): element is given by the time integral of
−1 −2 4 2
kg m s A
the electric current.
𝑄
𝐶 =
𝑈
See IEV 131-12-13.
6-14.1 electric constant, permittivity of ε scalar quantity given by F/m This quantity is considered to be
vacuum constant in time.
−1 −3 4 2
kg m s A
𝜀 =
𝜇    𝑐
0 0
See IEV 121-11-03.
where μ is the magnetic constant (item 6-26.1)
and c is luminal speed (item 6-35.2).
6-14.2 permittivity ε for linear media, proportionality factor between F/m Permittivity ε is a property of a medium.
electric flux density D (item 6-12) and electric ‒1 ‒3 4 2 For an inhomogeneous medium,
kg m s A
field strength E (item 6-10): per
...