⚡ Test Ec — resistance of products, primarily equipment-type, to rough handling shocks: dropping onto a face and onto an edge or corner from a height of 25, 50 or 100 mm (or an angle of 30°), toppling, free fall (procedure 1, heights from 25 to 1500 mm depending on mass) and repeated free fall in a tumbling barrel (procedure 2, 50–1000 falls from 500 or 1000 mm), PN-EN 60068-2-31

Electronics and EMC PN-EN 60068-2-31

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. Scope from the PKN catalogue card of PN-EN 60068-2-31:2010 (Polish version), in full (our translation of the Polish card text): “A test procedure simulating the effects of shocks caused by rough handling of products, primarily equipment-type, exposed to the effects of knocks, jolts and falls which may occur during repair work or rough handling in operational use, is described”. We read the text of the standard in the preview of IEC 60068-2-31:2008 from the cover to Clause 6 (final measurements, page 10); we do not have Clauses 7 (information in the relevant specification) and 8 (test report) or Annex A (apparatus for procedure 2 with a rotating barrel).

ACCORDING TO THE TEXT OF IEC 60068-2-31:2008 (foreword, Clauses 1–6). The second edition replaced the first of 1969; the major change is the introduction, where appropriate, of tests in soft packaging; the edition incorporates the second edition of IEC 60068-2-32 (1975), which was to be withdrawn once this standard was issued. It has the status of a basic safety publication according to IEC Guide 104. Scope (Clause 1): a procedure for simulating the effects of rough handling shocks, primarily on equipment-type specimens — knocks, jolts and falls during repair work or in operational use; it does not simulate impacts in transport as loose cargo (for that test Ee: bounce) or shocks applied to installed equipment (test Ea: shock). The test should be specified only for products likely to receive such handling (small to medium, frequently handled and serviced, e.g. field equipment and unit spares) and only for the faces and corners at risk; products forming part of a permanent installation would not normally need to be tested; a product standing on one face only is generally tested only on that face. Drop and topple, free fall and repeated free fall are performed with the specimen free. General description (Clause 3): a) drop and topple — effects of knocks and jolts during repair work on a table or bench; b) free fall, procedure 1 — effects of falls, also to demonstrate robustness; c) free fall, procedure 2 — additionally repetitive shocks, e.g. of connectors in service. Drop and topple includes three procedures: dropping onto a face (5.1.3.1), onto an edge or corner (5.1.3.2) and toppling (5.1.3.3); a tolerance of ±10 % is allowed on heights and angles. The topple test need not be applied to stable specimens: when the ratio of the height of the centre of gravity to the smaller base dimension is small (e.g. below 0,25) or the ratio of the specimen height to the smaller base dimension is small (e.g. below 0,5), the writer of the specification considers whether the test is applicable. Initial measurements (Clause 4): visual examination and electrical and mechanical check according to the relevant specification. Drop and topple (5.1): the specification states the procedure, whether covers and cables are in position and whether the specimen is operating during the test; the specimen must not topple onto another face or continue rolling; with more than four bottom edges — at most four drops or topples on edges prescribed in the specification. Test facility (5.1.2): surface smooth, hard, rigid, unyielding and horizontal, e.g. a steel plate wet-floated in concrete or bonded to concrete; seismic reaction mass at least 20 times the mass of the specimen; plate at least 25 mm thick, with a specimen above 500 kg at least 40 mm, level within 2°, Brinell hardness 90–300. Dropping onto a face (5.1.3.1): the specimen in its normal position of use is tilted about a bottom edge until the opposite edge is 25, 50 or 100 mm above the surface or the angle is 30° — whichever is less severe — and allowed to fall freely; one drop about each of the four bottom edges. Dropping onto an edge or corner (5.1.3.2): the specimen is supported on wooden studs of 10 mm and 20 mm under the two corners of one bottom edge, lifted by rotating about that edge until the other corner adjacent to the 10 mm stud is raised 25, 50 or 100 mm or to an angle of 30° — whichever is less severe — and released; one drop on each of the four bottom corners. Topple (5.1.3.3): the specimen is tilted about a bottom edge to a position of instability and allowed to fall over onto an adjacent face; one topple about each of the four bottom edges. Free fall — procedure 1 (5.2): the specimen falls freely in the attitudes of transport or use prescribed in the specification, normally twice from each attitude, onto a facility as in 5.1.2; height from Table 1 depending on mass: mass < 50 kg — 25 mm; mass < 10 kg — 50, 100, 250, 500 mm; mass < 1 kg — 750, 1000, 1500 mm; preferred values (bold): 25, 100, 500 and 1000 mm; for specimens in a transit case or packed — heights according to ISO 4180-2; the height is measured from the part of the specimen nearest to the surface in the suspended position, and the release shall allow free fall with minimum disturbance; the specification may prescribe other impact surfaces and angles. Repeated free fall — procedure 2 (5.3): a specimen attached to a cable keeps a 100 mm free length of cable; it falls onto a smooth, hard, rigid surface — unless the specification states otherwise, 3 mm steel backed by 10–19 mm hardwood; number of falls from the series 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, height 500 mm or 1000 mm (related to the intended use); the tumbling barrel (Annex A) may not be appropriate for heavy specimens or shapes preventing repeated free fall; the effect is assessed from changes in mechanical and electrical parameters. Final measurements (Clause 6): visual examination and electrical and mechanical check according to the criteria of the specification. This is where the extract we read ends.

STATUS (cards as of 02.10.2026). The card of PN-EN 60068-2-31:2010 (Polish version) has no “Withdrawn” header — the standard is CURRENT: published 12-05-2010, 17 pages, price group J, Electrical Engineering Sector, KT 65 Environmental Testing of Electrical Products, ICS 19.040, “Introduces: EN 60068-2-31:2008 [IDT], IEC 60068-2-31:2008 [IDT]”, “Replaces: PN-EN 60068-2-31:2008 – English version”. PN-EN 60068-2-31:2008 (English version) — withdrawn 12-05-2010 and replaced by the Polish version; it had replaced PN-EN 60068-2-31:2002 and PN-EN 60068-2-32:2002 (both in the English version). The PKN search for “PN-EN 60068-2-31” (02.10.2026) shows only these three cards.

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 60068-2-31 appears in 9 records at 9 laboratories: AB 041, AB 044, AB 082, AB 128, AB 261, AB 1132, AB 1690, AB 1776, AB 1974. In 7 records the entry “PN-EN 60068-2-31” stands (AB 041, AB 044, AB 082, AB 128, AB 261, AB 1132, AB 1690), in three “IEC 60068-2-31:2008” — in the AB 1690 record both entries, in the AB 1776 and AB 1974 records only IEC. In the current scopes on the PCA website (read 02.10.2026, issues from 12.12.2025 to 18.08.2026) the number appears at all 9; no row is set in bold italics. The “Laboratories” tab searches entries BEGINNING WITH the entered text: under “PN-EN 60068-2-31” it shows 7 laboratories and 7 positions, under “IEC 60068-2-31” — 4 laboratories (AB 1690, AB 1776, AB 1974 and the Czech 1719) — checked with tab queries on the labcoda.pl production server on 02.10.2026; AB 1776 and AB 1974 are visible only under the IEC form.

WHAT THE LABORATORIES TEST (positions in PCA). Free fall (procedure 1) — AB 082 (“resistance to free fall, clause 5.2 — check of operation of the complete equipment after a fall”), AB 044 (“impact resistance, free falls (Test Ed)” — next to EN 60068-2-31:2008 and IEC 60068-2-32), AB 128 (“Test Ec, clauses 5.1 and 5.2”, machine parts and transport packages with contents, drop test). Repeated free fall (procedure 2, clause 5.3) — AB 261 (next to PN-EN IEC 60598-1:2025-04, luminaires) and AB 1690 (“tumble barrel test”, terminal blocks and plug connectors, next to IEC 60998-1). Drops and topples — AB 1132 (military equipment, next to NO-06-A107). AB 041 — effect of shocks on the metrological properties of gas meters (next to PN-EN 12405-1). AB 1776 and AB 1974 — resistance to mechanical damage, drop test in automotive applications (next to VW 75174, VW 80332, SAE/USCAR-21).

WHERE A SEEMINGLY CORRECT RESULT IS EASY TO GET. In dropping: height 25/50/100 mm OR an angle of 30° — the LESS SEVERE condition applies; for a corner the height refers to the corner next to the 10 mm stud. In the facility: a plate thinner than 25 mm (40 mm above 500 kg) or a reaction mass smaller than 20 times changes the impact conditions, while the result looks the same. In free fall: the height is measured from the LOWEST part of the suspended specimen; packed products fall from heights according to ISO 4180-2, not from Table 1. In procedure 2: 100 mm of free cable and a surface of 3 mm steel on 10–19 mm wood — another backing gives another impact. In the name: test Ed (the former free fall of IEC 60068-2-32) has been part of this standard since 2008 — “Test Ed” in a scope corresponds to the free fall procedures. In the assessment: acceptance criteria (Clauses 4 and 6) are set by the product specification, not by this standard.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. We do not have Clauses 7 and 8 or Annex A (dimensions of the tumbling barrel, rotation speed) — we therefore give no list of information the specification must contain, no content of the test report and no barrel design.

Method principle

The free specimen is subjected to shocks reproducing rough handling: dropping onto a face or a corner from 25, 50 or 100 mm (or from an angle of 30°, whichever is less severe) and toppling — once about each of the four bottom edges, on a hard steel plate; free fall from a height depending on mass (procedure 1) or repeated falls from 500 or 1000 mm, e.g. in a tumbling barrel (procedure 2); the effect is assessed by visual examination and electrical and mechanical checks before and after the test according to the product specification.

Applications

• Equipment-type products frequently handled and serviced — field equipment, spare parts, instruments (e.g. effect of shocks on gas meters, AB 041)
• Connectors, terminal blocks, luminaires — repeated free fall in a barrel, procedure 2 (AB 1690, AB 261)
• Military equipment and transport packages with contents — drops, topples, falls (AB 1132, AB 128)
• Automotive components — drop test next to company standards (AB 1776, AB 1974)

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN 60068-2-31:2010 (wersja polska; EN 60068-2-31:2008 IDT, IEC 60068-2-31:2008 IDT)

Title (PL)

Badania środowiskowe — Część 2-31: Próby — Próba Ec: Udary spowodowane nieostrożnym obchodzeniem się z wyrobami, głównie typu urządzenie

Title (EN)

Environmental testing — Part 2-31: Tests — Test Ec: Rough handling shocks, primarily for equipment-type specimens

Step-by-step procedure

1. Specification and initial measurements

   Establishing the procedure, attitudes, heights, number of falls, presence of covers and cables and whether the specimen is operating; visual examination and electrical and mechanical check. PN-EN 60068-2-31:2010 current (cards as of 02.10.2026).

2. Drop and topple

   Dropping onto a face and onto a corner (25/50/100 mm or 30°, less severe condition) and toppling — once about each of the four bottom edges; the specimen must not topple onto another face or keep rolling.

3. Free fall — procedure 1

   Two falls from each attitude from the height of Table 1 (depending on mass) onto a plate as in 5.1.2; packed products — heights according to ISO 4180-2.

4. Repeated free fall — procedure 2

   The prescribed number of falls (50–1000) from 500 or 1000 mm onto 3 mm steel on wood, with 100 mm of free cable; e.g. in a tumbling barrel according to Annex A.

5. Final measurements

   Visual examination and electrical and mechanical check according to the criteria of the specification (Clause 6); content of the test report (Clause 8) — NOT GIVEN.

Required equipment and apparatus

Health and safety (OHS)

• Falling and toppling products (up to several hundred kilograms) — zone free of people, protection against rebound and rolling; with products energized during the test — protection against electric shock; the extract of the standard we read contains no safety warnings
• TECHNICAL NOTE: the test does not simulate transport as loose cargo (test Ee) or shocks on installed equipment (test Ea); the result depends on the facility (plate thickness, reaction mass) and on choosing the less severe of the two conditions when dropping

Frequently asked questions