IEC 60079-0:2026 specifies the general requirements for construction, testing and marking of Ex Equipment and Ex Components intended for use in or associated with explosive atmospheres.
The standard atmospheric conditions (relating to the explosion characteristics of the atmosphere) for Ex Equipment are:
temperature −20 °C to +60 °C;
pressure 80 kPa (0,8 bar) to 110 kPa (1,1 bar); and
air with normal oxygen content, typically a volume fraction of 21 %.
This IEC 60079-0:2026 and other documents supplementing this document specify additional test requirements for Ex Equipment operating outside the standard temperature range, but in some cases, further additional consideration and additional testing is required for Ex Equipment operating outside the standard atmospheric pressure range and standard oxygen content. Such additional testing is particularly relevant with respect to Types of Protection that depend on quenching of a flame such as 'flameproof enclosures "d"' (IEC 60079-1) or limitation of energy, 'intrinsic safety "i"' (IEC 60079-11).
This eighth edition cancels and replaces the seventh edition, published in 2017. This edition constitutes a technical revision. Refer to the Foreword of the document for a complete listing of the technical changes between edition 8.0 and the previous edition of the document.
