⚡ Needle-flame test of electrotechnical products, their sub-assemblies and electrical insulating materials — burner made of a tube with a 0,5 mm bore fed with propane or butane (purity ≥ 95 %), flame 12 mm ± 1 mm, burner at 45°, flame application time 5–120 s, layer of wood and tissue 200 mm below the specimen, criterion: no ignition or duration of burning below 30 s without ignition of the layer, PN-EN 60695-11-5

Electronics and EMC PN-EN 60695-11-5

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. Scope from the PKN catalogue card of PN-EN 60695-11-5:2017-08 (English version), in full (our translation of the Polish card text): “This part of IEC 60695 presents a needle-flame test intended to simulate the effects of small flames that may arise under fault conditions, and on the basis of this simulation to assess the effects of the fire hazard. The test applies to electrotechnical equipment, its sub-assemblies and components and to solid electrical insulating materials or other combustible materials. This safety publication is intended for use by technical committees in the preparation of standards in accordance with the principles laid down in IEC Guide 104 and ISO/IEC Guide 51. One of the responsibilities of technical committees is, where justified, to use basic safety publications in the preparation of their publications. The requirements, test methods or test conditions of this basic safety publication will not apply unless explicitly referred to or included in the relevant publications.” We read the text of the standard in the preview of IEC 60695-11-5:2016 from the cover to Clause 12 (information in the relevant specification, page 13); we do not have Clause 13 (test report), Figures 1–2 and A.1–A.3 or Annexes A (confirmatory test of the flame on a copper block), B (example of a product committee specification) and C (comparison of propane and butane).

ACCORDING TO THE TEXT OF IEC 60695-11-5:2016 (foreword, introduction, Clauses 1–12). The standard was prepared by IEC TC 89 “Fire hazard testing”; the second edition replaced the first of 2004 as a technical revision. Significant changes according to the foreword: the scope extended to simulation of small flames from outside the equipment; propane and butane of at least 95 % purity as fuel; the possibility to move the burner during the test so that dripping material does not fall onto the tube tip; the burner tube material according to a referenced document; a new reference for the copper block material (ISO 1337 withdrawn without replacement, now ASTM B187); Annex C and a bibliography added. It has the status of a basic safety publication (IEC Guide 104, ISO/IEC Guide 51) — its requirements apply only when a product standard refers to it. Introduction: parts of equipment may be exposed to excessive heating for electrical reasons; flames may arise e.g. from a fault current over a tracking path, overloading or bad connections; the standard describes properties of materials and products under laboratory conditions and is not intended to assess the hazard in a real fire. Scope (Clause 1): needle-flame test simulating a small flame under fault conditions; the results may be elements of a fire hazard assessment; it applies to electrotechnical equipment, its sub-assemblies and components and to solid electrical insulating materials and other combustible materials. Purpose (Clause 4): to verify that under defined conditions the flame does not ignite parts, or that ignited parts burn for a limited time or extent, without spreading fire by flames or falling burning or glowing particles; the application time and acceptance criteria are given by the product specification. Burner (5.1): a tube at least 35 mm long with a bore of 0,5 mm ± 0,1 mm and an outer diameter not exceeding 0,9 mm (note: tubing according to ISO 9626:2016, 0,8 mm normal or thin walled, meets these requirements). Gas (5.2): propane or butane of at least 95 % purity. Flame (5.3): with the burner vertical, total flame height 12 mm ± 1 mm viewed in subdued light against a dark background, flame symmetrical; at least 5 min for the burner conditions to reach equilibrium; no air admitted to the tube; the flame is confirmed with the apparatus and procedure of Annex A. A control valve (5.4) sets the gas flow. Chamber (5.5): inside volume at least 0,5 m³, a draught-free environment with normal thermal circulation, dark inner walls; in a dispute the light level below 20 lx (light meter facing the rear wall at the specimen position); an extraction device, if used, is switched off during the test and on after the timing measurements. Layer (5.6): specified — the material normally surrounding or lying below the specimen, at the distance of normal use; standardized — when the specimen is a sub-assembly tested separately: a smooth wooden board of about 10 mm covered with a single layer of wrapping tissue (grammage generally 12–30 g/m²) 200 mm ± 5 mm below the point of flame application; free-standing equipment is placed on the board extending at least 100 mm beyond its base, wall-mounted equipment is fixed 200 mm ± 5 mm above the board. Timing device (5.7): resolution not more than 0,5 s. Specimen (Clause 6): if possible a complete equipment, sub-assembly or component; when cutting, conditions must not differ from those in use, and the flame is not applied to an edge created by cutting. Application times (Clause 7): preferred 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 60, 120 s, tolerance for all values +0/−1 s (read from the image of page 12), chosen for the product. Conditioning (8.1): unless the specification states otherwise, specimens and the board with tissue at least 24 h at 15–35 °C and 45–75 % relative humidity, test within 1 h after removal; test conditions (8.2): 15–35 °C, relative humidity ≤ 75 %. Warning (Clause 9): protection against explosion and fire, inhalation of smoke and toxic products and toxic residues. Position of specimen (9.2): in the position of normal use in which ignition is most likely. Application of the flame (9.3): to the part of the surface most likely to be affected; the burner is set up away from the specimen, after 5 min rotated to an angle of 45° ± 5° from the vertical and kept so throughout the test; the tip of the flame touches the surface of the specimen; when the specimen is above the flame, spacing from the centre of the burner tip to the remaining portion of the specimen 8 mm ± 1 mm (ignoring strings of molten material), when beside — 5 mm ± 1 mm; after the application time the flame is removed; with several points on one specimen earlier damage must not affect the result. Number of specimens (9.4): three, unless the specification states otherwise. Observations (Clause 10): when the specimen, the layer or surrounding parts ignite, the duration of burning tb is measured — from removal of the flame until the last flames have extinguished and visible glowing has ceased; ignition of the layer is noted. Evaluation (Clause 11): the specimen has withstood the test if a) the layer did not ignite and after removal of the flame the specimen does not flame or glow, or b) flames or glowing of the specimen and surrounding parts extinguish within less than 30 s (tb < 30 s), surrounding parts have not burnt away completely and the layer did not ignite. The specification (Clause 12) gives, among others, conditioning, number of specimens, position, point of application, layer, application time, permissible duration and extent of burning; this is where the extract we read ends.

STATUS (cards as of 02.10.2026). The card of PN-EN 60695-11-5:2017-08 (English version) has no “Withdrawn” header — the standard is CURRENT: published 29-08-2017, 32 pages, price group P, Electrical Engineering Sector, KT 65, ICS 29.020 and 13.220.40, “Introduces: EN 60695-11-5:2017 [IDT], IEC 60695-11-5:2016 [IDT]”, “Replaces: PN-EN 60695-11-5:2007 – Polish version”. PN-EN 60695-11-5:2007 (Polish version, introduced IEC 60695-11-5:2004) — withdrawn 29-08-2017 and replaced by the 2017-08 edition. The PKN search (02.10.2026) also shows PN-EN 60695-11-5:2005 (English). There is no Polish version of the 2017 edition.

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database, data up to 17.09.2026, read 02.10.2026). The number 60695-11-5 appears in 10 records at 9 laboratories: AB 044 (2), AB 022, AB 024, AB 261, AB 910, AB 1280, AB 1501, AB 1552, AB 1690 (1 each). All records begin with “PN-EN 60695-11-5”; at AB 044, AB 1552 and AB 1690 the IEC form stands alongside, at AB 044 also the EN form. In the current scopes on the PCA website (read 02.10.2026, issues from 21.08.2025 to 08.09.2026) the number appears at all 9: with the year “2017-08” at AB 022, AB 261, AB 1552 and AB 1690; at AB 024 and AB 044 (solid insulating materials) the withdrawn PN-EN 60695-11-5:2007 still stands next to the 2017-08 edition (at AB 044 with EN 60695-11-5:2005 and IEC 60695-11-5:2004); without a year at AB 910, AB 1280 and AB 1501. No row is set in bold italics. The “Laboratories” tab searches entries BEGINNING WITH “PN-EN 60695-11-5” and shows all 9 laboratories and 10 positions — checked with the tab query on the labcoda.pl production server on 02.10.2026; under “IEC 60695-11-5” — 4 laboratories (AB 044, AB 1552, AB 1690 and the Czech 1018.3).

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (positions in PCA). Electrotechnical and electronic products (AB 022, AB 024, AB 261), lighting and wiring equipment and solid insulating materials (AB 044), terminal blocks and connectors (AB 1690, “verification of thermal characteristics”), electric toys and children’s products (AB 910, next to PN-EN 62115 and PN-EN IEC 60695-2-11), plastics and non-metallic materials — duration of flaming, of glowing, extent of flame (AB 1280, AB 1501, next to PN-EN 60695-11-10 and PN-EN 60695-11-20), non-metallic materials, cables and wires (AB 1552, next to the oxygen index PN-EN ISO 4589-2). At several laboratories the same position also lists the ball pressure test (PN-EN 60695-10-2) and the glow wire (PN-EN 60695-2-1x).

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. In the flame: 12 mm ± 1 mm is set with the burner VERTICAL, and the test is run with the burner tilted at 45° ± 5°; the flame must be confirmed on a copper block (Annex A) — the height alone is not enough. In the gas: since the 2016 edition propane or butane of purity ≥ 95 %. In the chamber: the extraction must be off during the test, and a dark background and light below 20 lx decide in a dispute about the visibility of flame and glowing. In the layer: without a layer (or with a distance other than 200 mm ± 5 mm for the standardized layer) spread by falling particles cannot be assessed — the criterion “without ignition of the layer” loses its meaning. In the evaluation: tb runs until visible glowing has ceased, not only the flames. In the reference: a scope with the withdrawn 2007 edition (AB 024, AB 044) means burner and fuel of the 2004 edition, which we have not read. In the criteria: the application time and permissible duration of burning are set by the product standard, not by this standard.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We do not have Annex A (copper block, thermocouple, heating times confirming the flame), Clause 13 or Annexes B and C — we therefore give no parameters of the flame confirmatory test, no content of the test report and no results of the propane–butane comparison.

Method principle

A 12 mm flame from a needle burner (0,5 mm tube, propane or butane ≥ 95 %) tilted at 45° is applied for a specified time to the most exposed surface of the specimen in a draught-free chamber with a layer below the specimen (specified, or a board with tissue 200 mm lower); after removal of the flame the duration of flaming and glowing tb is measured and ignition of the layer is observed — the specimen passes when it does not ignite or when tb < 30 s without ignition of the layer and without complete burning of surrounding parts.

Applications

• Electrotechnical and electronic products, lighting and wiring equipment, terminal blocks and connectors — when referred to by a product standard
• Solid electrical insulating materials, plastics and non-metallic materials, cables and wires — duration of flaming, glowing, extent of flame
• Electric toys and children’s products (next to PN-EN 62115)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN 60695-11-5:2017-08 (wersja angielska; EN 60695-11-5:2017 IDT, IEC 60695-11-5:2016 IDT)

Title (PL)

Badanie zagrożenia ogniowego — Część 11-5: Płomienie probiercze — Metoda badania płomieniem igłowym — Urządzenie, układ do próby sprawdzającej i wytyczne

Title (EN)

Fire hazard testing — Part 11-5: Test flames — Needle-flame test method — Apparatus, confirmatory test arrangement and guidance

Step-by-step procedure

1. Specimen and conditioning

   Complete equipment, sub-assembly or component (no flame application to a cut edge); ≥ 24 h at 15–35 °C and 45–75 % RH, test within 1 h. PN-EN 60695-11-5:2017-08 current (cards as of 02.10.2026).

2. Setting the flame

   Burner vertical, flame 12 mm ± 1 mm in subdued light against a dark background, ≥ 5 min stabilization; confirmation of the flame according to Annex A.

3. Setting the specimen and layer

   Specimen in the position of normal use most favourable to ignition; specified layer or board with tissue 200 mm ± 5 mm below; extraction off.

4. Application of the flame

   Burner at 45° ± 5°, flame tip on the surface; spacing 8 mm (above) or 5 mm (beside) ± 1 mm; application time according to the specification (5–120 s); three specimens.

5. Observation and evaluation

   Measurement of tb until flames and visible glowing have ceased, noting ignition of the layer; evaluation according to criterion a or b (tb < 30 s); test report (Clause 13) — NOT GIVEN.

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• The standard warns against explosion and fire, inhalation of smoke and toxic products and toxic residues (Clause 9); propane or butane cylinder; switch on extraction after the measurements
• TECHNICAL NOTE: this is a basic safety publication — the application time and permissible duration of burning are set by the product standard; a scope referring to the withdrawn 2007 edition relates to the burner and fuel of IEC 60695-11-5:2004

Frequently asked questions