International Electrotechnical Commission
Glossary

EN class II equipment  
equipment in which protection against electric shock does not rely on basic insulation only, but in which additional safety precautions such as double insulation or reinforced insulation are provided, there being no provision for protective earthing or reliance upon installation conditions.

Note 1 to entry: Such equipment may be one of the following types:

  • equipment having durable and substantially continuous enclosures of insulating material which envelops all metal parts, with the exception of small parts, such as nameplates, screws and rivets, which are isolated from live parts by insulation at least equivalent to reinforced insulation. Such equipment is called insulation-encased Class II equipment;
  • equipment having a substantially continuous metal enclosure, in which double insulation is used throughout, except for those parts where reinforced insulation is used, because the application of double insulation is manifestly impracticable. Such equipment is called metal-encased Class II equipment;
  • equipment that is a combination of the types described in the two preceding items.

Note 2 to entry: The enclosure of insulation-encased Class II equipment may form part of the whole of the supplementary insulation or of the reinforced insulation.

Note 3 to entry: If the equipment with double insulation or reinforced insulation throughout has an earthing terminal or earthing contact, it is considered to be of Class I construction.

Note 4 to entry: Class II equipment may be provided with means for maintaining the continuity of protective circuits, insulated from accessible conductive parts by double insulation or reinforced insulation.

Note 5 to entry: Class II equipment may have parts operating at SELV.


TC/SC:82Terms     Info     Publications
Published in:IEC 62257-1, ed. 3.0 (2015-10) Terms     Info
Reference number:A.15

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