💡 Luminaires — safety tests according to the general part: marking, construction and mechanical strength, wiring, earthing, protection against electric shock, IP code and humidity, insulation and touch current, creepage distances and clearances, endurance and thermal tests, resistance to heat, fire and tracking, terminals, PN-EN IEC 60598-1

Electronics and EMC PN-EN IEC 60598-1

Overview

WHAT THIS STANDARD COVERS. Scope of the 2025-04 edition according to the PKN catalogue card (read on 30.09.2026): the standard specifies general safety requirements for luminaires incorporating electric light sources for operation from supply voltages up to 1000 V; semi-luminaires are also covered. For explosion-proof luminaires covered by the IEC 60079 series, the requirements of the IEC 60598 series — with the appropriate Part 2 — apply in addition, and in case of conflict the IEC 60079 requirements take precedence. The standard does not deal with the performance of luminaires — this is covered by the IEC 62722 series. The scope of the 2021-07 edition on its card says more about how the standard is used: the requirements and the corresponding tests cover classification, marking, mechanical and electrical construction and photobiological safety; Part 1 is not a complete specification for any type of luminaire — the parts of IEC 60598-2 specify which of its sections apply to a given type of luminaire, to what extent, and in which order the tests are carried out, and the numbering order of the sections of Part 1 has no significance for that order. The phrase “the requirements of section … of Part 1 apply” in a Part 2 means all requirements of that section except those expressly excluded for the given type of luminaire. These sentences are not on the card of the 2025-04 edition; the 2024 edition has an introduction before Clause 1 whose content we do not know.

STRUCTURE OF THE 2024 EDITION (table of contents from the sample extracts of IEC 60598-1:2024 and SIST EN IEC 60598-1:2025). Clauses 1–3 — scope, normative references, terms; 4 — general requirements (4.2 general test requirements and verification, 4.3 components of luminaires); 5 — classification according to the type of protection against electric shock, the degree of protection against dust, solid objects and moisture, the material of the mounting surface and the circumstances of use; 6 — marking, with the test of marking (6.5); 7 — construction, 36 subclauses, including 7.13 mechanical strength, 7.14 suspensions, fixings and means of adjustment, 7.20 rough service luminaires, 7.24 photobiological hazards (actinic UV for skin and eye 200–400 nm, UV-A for the eye lens 315–400 nm, retinal blue light, retinal thermal 380–1400 nm, infrared for the eye 780–3000 nm, thermal for the skin 380–3000 nm), 7.26 short-circuit protection, 7.31 insulation between circuits (SELV, PELV, FELV), 7.32 overvoltage protection external to the controlgear — SPD devices and SPC components, 7.33 power supply via information technology communication cabling, 7.34 electromagnetic fields, 7.35 protection against moving fan blades, 7.36 track-mounted luminaires; 8 — external and internal wiring (8.4 test for conductors with a reduced cross-sectional area); 9 — earthing; 10 — protection against electric shock; 11 — resistance to dust, solid objects and moisture: tests for the first IP numeral from 2 to 6 and the second from 1 to 9, including IPX9 in two variants — water at 80 °C (11.2.12) and cold water at 15 °C (11.2.13) — and the humidity test (11.3); 12 — insulation resistance and electric strength, touch current, protective conductor current and electric burn; 13 — creepage distances and clearances; 14 — endurance test and thermal tests: normal operation (14.4), abnormal operation (14.5), failed windings in controlgear (14.6) and fault conditions in controlgear or electronic devices in thermoplastic luminaires (14.7); 15 — resistance to heat (15.2), to flame and ignition (15.3) and to tracking (15.4); 16 — screw terminals; 17 — screwless terminals and electrical connections. Normative annexes: A — whether a conductive part can cause an electric shock (touch voltage and touch current limits); B — test lamps (filament lamps, halogen lamps, fluorescent and other discharge lamps, LED modules according to IEC 62031); C — abnormal circuit conditions; D — thermal testing (draught-proof enclosure, mounting surface); E — winding temperature rise by the increase-in-resistance method; F — resistance of copper and copper alloys to stress corrosion (cabinet, solution, test piece, procedure); G — measurement of touch current and protective conductor current; K — determination of creepage distances and clearances; M — absorption of radiation by the protective shield of luminaires for metal halide lamps with a high UV emission (procedures A and B); O — schedule of amended subclauses with more serious or critical requirements that call for products to be retested; P — family or range of luminaires for type testing; R — terminal blocks with an integrated screwless protective earthing contact; S — alternative thermal test for thermoplastic luminaires; T — insulation between live parts of circuits and accessible conductive parts; W — luminaires powered from batteries and EDLC capacitors. Informative: H — explanation of the IP code, I — temperature measurements, J — good design practice, L — marking of luminaires not suitable for mounting on normally flammable surfaces and for covering with insulating material, N — conformity testing during manufacture, Q — higher availability (overvoltage category III), U — power sourcing equipment supplying class III luminaires via information technology communication cabling, V — cross-references to the previous edition.

WHAT THE 2024 EDITION CHANGED. According to the IEC website (read on 30.09.2026), IEC 60598-1:2024 is the tenth edition, published on 6 November 2024; it cancels and replaces the ninth edition of 2020 and is a technical revision. List of significant changes: a) new structure complying with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 — hence the new numbering; b) new Annex V with a comparison with the previous edition; c) revision of 7.32 for SPDs and SPCs; d) the terms “live part” and “active part” aligned with the definitions of live part and hazardous live part in IEC 60050-195; e) revision of 7.14.2 — mechanical stress on conductors; f) revision of 14.5.2 item 4 — inclusion of controlgear; g) revision of 9.2.1 (earthing) — deletion of the word “permanently”; h) revision of Annex N — earth continuity test time; i) revision of 7.11.4, 7.14.1 and Table 22 (14.4.3) — requirements for suspension by magnets; j) new Annex W — luminaires using batteries; k) clarification of Clause 6 — marking of the nature of supply; l) new 7.31.5 — luminaires using controllable controlgear providing SELV outputs; m) revision of 6.4.16 — information for luminaires with a protective conductor current above 10 mA; n) revision of 6.3.23, 6.4.18, 6.4.24, 7.30 and 10.2.1 — serviceable, non-user serviceable and non-serviceable components; o) revision of Annex D — draught-proof enclosure; p) revision of 8.2.1 and 13.2.1 — inconsistencies in including the limits of voltage ranges; q) revision of 9.2.10 — looping-in; r) revision of Clause 2 and 7.8 — new references to IEC 61058-1-1, IEC 61058-1-2 and IEC 61058-2-1 and new temperature limits in Table 21 (14.4.3) for luminaires with switches according to IEC 60669-1 or IEC 60669-2-1; s) revision of 6.3.22 and 7.24 — photobiological safety; t) new 6.3.27 — marking of the mains socket-outlet, moved from the information requirements.

AMENDMENT A11:2024 (PN-EN IEC 60598-1:2025-04/A11:2025-08). PKN card: Clauses 8 and 14 and the Bibliography modified, Annexes ZB, ZC, ZA and ZZ added. According to the sample extract (foreword and text up to the beginning of Annex ZA): CENELEC approved the amendment on 16 September 2024; in 8.2.2 the IEC 60227 and IEC 60245 series are replaced by the EN 50525 series and Table 11 — supply cords — is replaced (parameters in the field below); in 14.4.3 c), after “90 °C”, a reference to footnote c of Table 22 on unsleeved fixed wiring is added, and in that footnote — the standards HD 60364, HD 384 and EN 50525. Annex ZB gives special national conditions of Denmark, Cyprus, Finland and the United Kingdom (plugs, socket-outlets, a warning tag on the supply cord of class I luminaires in Denmark), and ZC gives A-deviations: in France, socket-outlets 10/16 A for supplying other appliances, except those supplied from an isolating transformer, shall be shuttered, and in high-rise buildings the external parts of luminaires shall pass the glow-wire test at 850 °C in staircases and common horizontal circulation areas and at 650 °C in rooms (the deviation does not give the number of the test standard; the test for end products is described in a separate Knowledge Base entry — PN-EN IEC 60695-2-11); in the United Kingdom — fire protection requirements for thermoplastic diffusers. Annex ZZ relates the standard to the safety objectives of Directive 2014/35/EU — the European foreword of EN IEC 60598-1:2024 refers to it as part of amendment A11.

STATUS AND EDITIONS (PKN catalogue cards, read on 30.09.2026). PN-EN 60598-1:2011 (Polish version; implements EN 60598-1:2008 with A11:2009) — withdrawn on 17-04-2015 and replaced by PN-EN 60598-1:2015-04 (English version of 17-04-2015, Polish version of 18-01-2017; implements EN 60598-1:2015, IEC 60598-1:2014 MOD; amendment A1:2018-04, with the English version also corrigendum AC:2016-02) — withdrawn on 29-07-2021 and replaced by PN-EN IEC 60598-1:2021-07 (English version only; EN IEC 60598-1:2021, IEC 60598-1:2020; amendment A11:2022-12) — withdrawn on 24-04-2025 and replaced by PN-EN IEC 60598-1:2025-04 (English version only, 260 pages, no withdrawal note) with amendment A11:2025-08. The last Polish language version is therefore PN-EN 60598-1:2015-04. The card of the 2021-07 edition (not the card of its amendment A11) has the field “Aktualna w ocenie zgodności: 31-12-2027 — Patrz Komunikat Prezesa PKN” (current for conformity assessment — see the Communication of the President of PKN) and the field “Dyrektywa: 2014/35/EU”; the card of the 2025-04 edition has no “Dyrektywa” (directive) field. The date 31-12-2027 is also the date of withdrawal of conflicting standards (dow) from the European foreword of EN IEC 60598-1:2024; the date of implementation at national level (dop) is 31-12-2025, and amendment A11 has the same dates.

WHAT THE LEGISLATION SAYS. Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2723 of 6 December 2023 on harmonised standards for electrical equipment drafted in support of Directive 2014/35/EU — consolidated text of 30.04.2026, the latest in the repository of the EU Publications Office on the day of reading (30.09.2026; the decision was amended by acts 2024/1198, 2024/2764, 2025/1457 and 2025/1488): Annex I, item 263, lists EN IEC 60598-1:2021 “Luminaires – Part 1: General requirements and tests” with EN IEC 60598-1:2021/A11:2022; Annex III, item 35 — EN 60598-1:2015 with corrigenda AC:2015, AC:2016 and AC:2017-05 and amendment A1:2018, with the date of withdrawal of the reference 11.7.2024. EN IEC 60598-1:2024 does not appear in that text. According to this text, the presumption of conformity with the safety objectives of the Low Voltage Directive is therefore given by the 2021 edition with A11:2022 — withdrawn in PKN, but current for conformity assessment until 31-12-2027.

IN ACCREDITATION SCOPES. Copy of the accreditation scopes database (data loaded up to 17.09.2026, read on 30.09.2026): Part 1 — the number 60598-1 in any notation — appears in 27 records of 9 laboratories: AB 003, AB 022, AB 024, AB 044, AB 207, AB 261, AB 665, AB 1552 and AB 1741; in 24 records in the reference documents field, in 3 (AB 024) only in the test description “Cechy i właściwości wg normy przedmiotowej na oprawy oświetleniowe” (characteristics and properties according to the product standard for luminaires). The current PCA documents (downloaded on 30.09.2026) have 28 entries with this number, none suspended: AB 024 — 15, AB 261 — 3, AB 022, AB 207 and AB 1552 — 2 each, AB 003, AB 044, AB 665 and AB 1741 — 1 each. The 2025-04 edition is cited by AB 003, AB 044, AB 207 and AB 261 (amendment A11:2025-08 — by the last three); the 2021-07 edition — by AB 003 (notation “PN-EN IEC 60598-1:2021”), AB 022, AB 024, AB 044, AB 207, AB 1552 and AB 1741, of which AB 022, AB 1552 and AB 1741 cite no other edition, and AB 024 only 2015-04 alongside 2021-07; the 2015-04 edition — AB 024, AB 044 and AB 207; the 2011 edition — AB 207, with an older edition of the standard on luminaires for emergency lighting; AB 665 writes the number without a year, in a flexible scope of accreditation (marking E). AB 003 excludes from the 2025-04 edition the Annex W items W.2, W.4.5, W.4.6.1, W.4.7, W.6.3 and W.6.4, and AB 044 — the whole Annex W.

Compared with the PCA documents, the copy has at least two losses. For AB 024 (issue No. 35 of 21.08.2025) the PCA document has “Dział 4 z wyłączeniem p. 4.20, 4.24” (section 4 except items 4.20, 4.24), whereas both elements of the record in the copy have only “p. 4.20”. For AB 1552 (issue No. 20 of 01.09.2026) the description “Cechy i właściwości wg normy przedmiotowej na oprawy oświetleniowe:” ends in the copy at the colon, whereas in the PCA document it is followed by PN-EN IEC 60598-1:2021-07 and its amendment A11:2022-12, next to the Part 2 standards for the individual types of luminaire — in the copy this entry has no Part 1 number. The “Laboratories” tab of this entry searches for notations beginning with “PN-EN IEC 60598-1” and shows 7 laboratories: AB 003, AB 022, AB 044, AB 207, AB 261, AB 1552 and AB 1741 (query on labcoda.pl, 30.09.2026). It does not include AB 024, whose notations begin with “PN-EN 60598-1:2015-04”, nor AB 665 with the bare “PN-EN 60598-1”; a query for “PN-EN 60598-1” gives 3 laboratories: AB 024, AB 044 and AB 665.

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. First, numbering. In the 2024 edition the former sections were shifted (table of contents with the changes marked): former section 1 is Clause 3, 2 — 5, 3 — 6, 4 — 7, 5 — 8, 7 — 9, 8 — 10, 9 — 11, 10 — 12, 11 — 13, 12 — 14, 13 — 15, 14 — 16, 15 — 17; section 6 was void, and the heading of former section 0 stands struck out above Clauses 1–2. The same number therefore means something else: “13.2” in the 2021-07 edition is resistance to heat — this is how AB 1741 records the ball pressure test, next to PN-EN 60695-10-2 — while in the 2024 edition it is the requirements of the clause on creepage distances and clearances (resistance to heat is 15.2); “9.2.10 and 9.2.11” in IEC 60598-1:2020 are the IPX9 tests — this is how AB 044 excludes them — while in the 2024 edition they are items of the earthing clause (9.2.10 — looping-in), and IPX9 is 11.2.12 and 11.2.13. Changing the edition in a scope or in a test report without converting the item numbers directs the test to a different requirement, while the record looks correct. The new numbering with the 2025-04 edition is used by AB 261 (it assigns 7.13.1 to the spring hammer test Ehb, 7.13.4 to repeated drops Ec, 7.20.1 to vibration Fc), the old numbering with the 2021-07 edition by AB 024 (item 3 to section 15, except 4.20 — vibration and 4.24 — UV radiation), AB 1552 (without 4.13.6, 4.20 and 4.24) and AB 1741; Annex V of the 2024 edition gives item-by-item cross-references. Second, Part 1 without Part 2: the scope and order of tests of a specific luminaire are determined by the appropriate Part 2 (scope of the 2021-07 edition), so a characteristic tested according to Part 1 alone may be modified or excluded for the given type of luminaire. Third, the edition and the legislation: the presumption of conformity with Directive 2014/35/EU is given by a standard from the list, and in the consolidated text of 30.04.2026 this is the 2021 edition with A11:2022, not 2024 — the test report should state which edition was applied.

NEXT TO THIS STANDARD. The whole 60598 series (including the notation “PN-IEC 598-2-N”) is held in the database copy by 10 laboratories in 98 records, with 22 sheets of Part 2 — from 2-1 to 2-25; the most frequent, with 6 laboratories each, are 2-4 (portable general purpose luminaires) and 2-22 (luminaires for emergency lighting). Six of the nine laboratories with Part 1 also have Part 2 sheets in their scopes: AB 003, AB 022, AB 024, AB 044, AB 207 and AB 1552; AB 1714 has only Part 2 sheets (2-4 and 2-5) for photometric measurements — luminous flux, luminance, luminous intensity — without Part 1. In the same records as Part 1 there are (full list from the copy): at AB 003 — PN-EN 62493:2015-11 with amendment A1:2023 and the EN and IEC counterparts (assessment of lighting equipment related to human exposure to electromagnetic fields); at AB 024 — PN-EN 60570:2007 with amendments A1:2018-07 and A2:2020-09 (electrical supply track systems for luminaires); at AB 1741 — PN-EN 60695-10-2:2014-10 (ball pressure test); at AB 261 — PN-EN 60068-2-75:2015-01 (hammer tests, a separate Knowledge Base entry), PN-EN 60068-2-31 p. 5.3 (test Ec — rough handling shocks; notation without a year, the current edition is PN-EN 60068-2-31:2010), PN-EN 60068-2-6:2008 (sinusoidal vibration, a separate entry), PN-EN 60255-21-1:1999 (vibration tests on measuring relays and protection equipment), PN-G-50006:1997 (mining automation and telecommunication equipment) and PN-EN IEC 60335-1:2024-04 p. 21.1 with amendment A11:2024-10 (household electrical appliances — general requirements). According to the PKN cards (read on 30.09.2026), PN-G-50006:1997 was withdrawn on 08-11-2023 and the card has no “Zastąpiona przez” (replaced by) field; the other cards carry no withdrawal note. The IP code and its general tests are described in a separate entry, PN-EN 60529.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We did not have the content of Clauses 1–17 and the annexes: the IEC 60598-1:2024 extract ends in the foreword (with the table of contents in the old and new numbering), the SIST EN IEC 60598-1:2025 extract — within the table of contents, at the list of figures (Figure 24), and the extract of amendment A11 — at the beginning of Annex ZA. We therefore do not give the test conditions and values: test voltages, times, temperature limits (Tables 21 and 22), impact forces and energies, parameters of the IP and humidity tests, the number of samples, the composition of the solution for the stress corrosion test, the touch voltage and touch current limits of Annex A, or the cross-reference table of Annex V. The numerical ranges from accreditation scopes describe the laboratories’ equipment, not the requirements of the standard; numbers from the standard itself come in this entry only from the scope (1000 V), from titles in the table of contents (spectral ranges in 7.24, water temperatures in the IPX9 tests), from the IEC list of changes (10 mA) and from amendment A11:2024 (Table 11, 90 °C in 14.4.3 c), the temperatures of the French deviation).

Method principle

The luminaire or semi-luminaire is first assigned to classes (Clause 5: type of protection against electric shock, IP code, material of the mounting surface, circumstances of use), and then checked by inspection, measurements and tests for compliance with the general requirements of Part 1 to the extent and in the order that the appropriate Part 2 specifies for the given type of luminaire (principle from the scope of the 2021-07 edition). The tests include, among others, durability of marking, mechanical strength, photobiological hazards, earthing, access to live parts, IP code and humidity tests, insulation resistance and electric strength, touch current and protective conductor current, creepage distances and clearances, endurance and thermal tests in normal and abnormal operation, and resistance to heat, flame and tracking; the result is a statement of compliance with each requirement, not a single number. Structure and names — according to the table of contents of the 2024 edition; test conditions and values are NOT GIVEN, because the sample extracts end at the table of contents.

Applications

• Safety assessment of luminaires and semi-luminaires for supply voltages up to 1000 V — in the scopes of 9 laboratories (27 records of the database copy); six of them also have Part 2 standards for individual types of luminaire in their scopes
• Tests of individual characteristics according to items of Part 1 — spring hammer, drop and vibration tests (AB 261), ball pressure test (AB 1741), IP degree of protection in a flexible scope of accreditation (AB 665)
• Tests of luminaires for emergency lighting according to the Part 2-22 standard using Part 1 (AB 207) and of battery-powered luminaires according to the new Annex W of the 2024 edition (AB 003 excluding six items, AB 044 without this annex)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN IEC 60598-1:2025-04 (wersja angielska; EN IEC 60598-1:2024, IEC 60598-1:2024 IDT) ze zmianą PN-EN IEC 60598-1:2025-04/A11:2025-08 (EN IEC 60598-1:2024/A11:2024)

Title (PL)

Oprawy oświetleniowe — Część 1: Wymagania ogólne i badania

Title (EN)

Luminaires — Part 1: General requirements and tests

Step-by-step procedure

1. Part 2 and edition

   For the type of luminaire, the appropriate part of IEC 60598-2 is identified — it determines the scope and order of the tests (principle from the scope of the 2021-07 edition); the order of the steps below is the order of the clauses, not of the tests. The edition of Part 1 is established: the list of harmonised standards contains 2021 with A11:2022, current in PKN is 2025-04 with A11:2025-08 — the numbering of items in the test report depends on the edition

2. Classification and marking

   Clause 5 — class of protection against electric shock, IP code, material of the mounting surface, circumstances of use; Clause 6 — marking and additional information, test of marking (6.5); amendment A11:2024 adds special national conditions (Annex ZB)

3. Construction

   Clause 7: among others mechanical strength (7.13), suspensions and fixings, including by magnets (7.14), rough service luminaires (7.20), photobiological hazards (7.24), short-circuit protection (7.26), insulation between circuits (7.31), SPD and SPC (7.32), electromagnetic fields (7.34); battery-powered luminaires — Annex W

4. Wiring, earthing, electric shock

   Clause 8 — external and internal wiring (types of supply cords according to Table 11 as worded by A11:2024), test for conductors with a reduced cross-sectional area (8.4); Clause 9 — earthing; Clause 10 — protection against electric shock, with the test of Annex A

5. IP code and humidity

   Clause 11: tests for the declared IP numerals (first from 2 to 6, second from 1 to 9), followed by the humidity test (11.3); explanation of the IP code — Annex H

6. Insulation, currents and distances

   Clause 12 — insulation resistance (12.2.2), electric strength (12.2.3), touch current, protective conductor current and electric burn (12.3; measurement — Annex G); Clause 13 — creepage distances and clearances (determination — Annex K)

7. Endurance and thermal tests

   Clause 14: selection of lamps and controlgear (14.2, test lamps — Annex B), endurance test (14.3), thermal tests in normal (14.4) and abnormal operation (14.5; abnormal conditions — Annex C), with failed windings (14.6) and with faults in thermoplastic luminaires (14.7, alternatively Annex S); draught-proof enclosure — Annex D

8. Heat, fire, tracking, terminals

   Clause 15 — resistance to heat (15.2), flame and ignition (15.3), tracking (15.4); Clauses 16–17 — screw and screwless terminals; in the test report, compliance with each item, with the edition next to the number. Test values and durations are NOT GIVEN

Required equipment and apparatus

Reagents, media and consumables

Health and safety (OHS)

• Electrical tests (in the scope of AB 003, electric strength of insulation up to 6 kV) and tests in abnormal operation carry a risk of electric shock and overheating of the luminaire — a separated station with guards and an emergency stop; the text of the standard we have read contains no health and safety warnings
• Photobiological hazards of operating luminaires (UV, blue light, infrared) — the standard has subclause 7.24 on them and a warning sign “do not stare at the operating light source” (Figure 22); during tests — eye protection
• SUBSTANTIVE NOTE: item numbers in the 2024 edition differ from those in the 2015 and 2021 editions (e.g. 13.2 and 9.2.10 mean different things) — in the scope and in the test report, the edition is stated with each item

Frequently asked questions