If you’ve ever experienced a power surge at home or in your workplace, you may have noticed that some electronic devices become damaged or stop working altogether.

Power surges happen when a sudden, unexpected increase in voltage occurs within your home or workplace’s power system. They often occur when power lines are disturbed, or occasionally during lightning strikes. 

IEC 61000-4-5 is a standard within the IEC 61000 series. It’s designed to make sure electronic devices are designed with adequate immunity against power surges, stopping them from being damaged when a surge occurs.

Below, we’ve explained what IEC 61000-4-5 is, as well as the steps you can take to make sure your device is compliant with this standard.

For more information about IEC 61000-4-5, other electrical compliance standards, or to talk to our engineers, contact us online or call us at 866-540-5287.

What is IEC 61000-4-5?

IEC 61000-4-5 is part of the broader IEC 61000 standards, which cover the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of electrical devices. 

EMC ensures that electronic devices can function together within a shared space without the emissions produced from each device affecting others. It’s important for both home products, such as televisions or PCs, and commercial/industrial equipment to have EMC protection. 

As part of the IEC 61000 series of standards, IEC 61000-4-5 focuses specifically on devices’ surge immunity — their ability to continue functioning, without damage, following an electrical surge.

When electronic devices are exposed to a sudden power surge without adequate protection, they can become damaged. In some cases, the device may function normally, but gradually deteriorate and have a shorter lifespan than an unaffected device. 

The IEC 61000-4-5 standard provides manufacturers with clear guidelines on how products should be designed to resist electrical surges, as well as clear, objective criteria for ensuring compliance. 

Why is IEC 61000-4-5 Important?

For electronic device manufacturers, achieving compliance with IEC 61000-4-5 is important for several reasons.

IEC 61000-4-5 Improves Safety

First, complying with IEC 61000-4-5 ensures that your device is safe. Power surges can cause electronic devices to malfunction, which may cause safety issues for operators and consumers who use them.

For example, medical equipment that’s damaged as the result of a power surge may not work correctly, or may provide unreliable, inaccurate readings that could affect a person’s health. 

In severe cases, a malfunctioning product that has been damaged by a power surge could put people’s lives at risk.

Preventing Surges Improves Reliability

Complying with IEC 61000-4-5 ensures that your product has greater protection against power surges, improving its durability and reliability. This can improve your brand image and may also provide financial benefits, such as reducing warranty claims. 

Many Markets Require IEC 61000-4-5 for Access

Many countries and industries require that products achieve IEC 61000-4-5 compliance in order to go onto the market. 

For example, the European Union’s EMC Directive closely aligns with IEC standards. Australia, New Zealand, Japan and other markets also have regulatory standards that often align with IEC standards for EMC and surge immunity. 

Complying with these standards can help you enter these markets and expand the audience for your device. 

How to Achieve Compliance With IEC 61000-4-5

Understand the IEC 61000-4-5 Standard

Before designing your device , it’s important to understand the IEC 61000-4-5 standard and the effect it may have on your choice of components and product design.

As specialists in IEC 61000-4-5 compliance, we can assist you early in your design process to ensure you have a full understanding of IEC 61000-4-5 and design your product to achieve full compliance with this and other relevant standards. 

Design Your Product for Compliance

During the design phase for your product, consider the IEC 61000-4-5 requirements. This may mean selecting components that are designed for surge immunity, designing circuits to prevent surge damage, or adding surge protectors to your device.

The earlier you can consider IEC 61000-4-5 and other standards in your device design process, the easier it typically is to achieve compliance. 

Conduct Formal IEC 61000-4-5 Testing

The last step in achieving IEC 61000-4-5 compliance is testing your product in a lab. Testing for IEC 61000-4-5 compliance involves multiple steps, including exposing your device to surges in a lab environment and operational checks to ensure it functions correctly after exposure.

During the testing process, documentation is maintained, which is used to achieve certification for IEC 61000-4-5 for your product.

As specialists in compliance testing, we can help you carry out IEC 61000-4-5 testing for your product and achieve certification. Contact us online or call us at 866-540-5287 to request a free quote or talk to our engineering team about conducting testing for your product. 

Who Else is Affected by IEC 61000-4-5?

The primary audience affected by IEC 61000-4-5 is electronic device manufacturers. However, other parties may also be affected by these standards, either directly or indirectly: 

• Component suppliers. Many manufacturers may require that component suppliers provide components that comply with the IEC 61000-4-5 requirements.
  
• Distributors. In some markets, distributors and retailers who sell electronic products may need to ensure that their products are compliant with relevant quality standards, regulations and other requirements.
  
• End users. Although end users don’t need to comply with IEC standards, electronic device users benefit from safe, compliant and properly tested devices. 

Contact Our Team to Discuss IEC 61000-4-5 Testing & Compliance

IEC 61000-4-5 is both a technical standard and an important commitment to quality, reliability and safety for your device. Achieving compliance with IEC 61000-4-5 shows that your device can resist power surges and demonstrates its quality to potential customers.

Compliance is also an important part of achieving market access in many countries, including the EU, Australia, and through similar FCC regulations, the United States.

As specialists in electronics testing and compliance, our team can help you comply with IEC 61000-4-5 and other regulatory requirements to bring your product to market.

For more information, to request a quote for testing your device, or to ask our expert team a question, contact us online or call us at 866-540-5287.