Getting an IECEx Equipment Certificate of Conformity (IECEx CoC)

Based on the Zone system of classification, IECEx Certification is one part of the IEC system available to manufacturers requiring global certification. The objective of the IECEx System is to facilitate international trade in electrical equipment for use in explosive atmospheres. (Ex).  IECEx certificates are not valid for European countries or North America.

In order to provide an IECEx Certificate of Conformity for electrical equipment, an accredited Certifying Body (ExCB) conducts two main steps:

1. Technical Evaluation -A sample of the ex product is tested to ensure that it complies with all the requirements of relevant IEC or ISO Standards (60079-xx series) for hazardous locations. General safety (“ordinary location”) requirements maybe self-declared; they are not included in the IECEx Scheme.  An IECEx Technical Evaluation Report (ExTR) records the evidences.
2.  Quality Assessment – AlI locations where the certified product is manufactured are audited to confirm that they are capable of manufacturing products identical in design and performance to the tested sample. The Quality System is evaluated to ISO/IEC 80079-34 standards. An IECEx Quality Assessment report (QAR) records the evidences.

Successful ExTR and QAR reports result in an IECEx Certificate of Conformity being issued by the ExCB and the provision of a unique IECEx Certificate of Conformity number to be placed on the product nameplate and literature to demonstrate compliance. The number may have a suffix – an X or a U which appears at the end of the number.  If the certificate number ends in an ‘X’, it means there are conditions for installation and use related to the product that are written in the certificate. A suffix ‘U’ indicates that the product is a component (not a stand-alone device), which can be incorporated into an item of certified equipment. The status of a product claiming IECEx certification may always be verified by checking the master list of Certificate numbers on the IECEx website.

Manufacturers needing EU or North American certification may take additional steps to convert their IECEx certificates. An IECEx certificate can be converted to an ATEX certificate by complying with the EU national deviation and ATEX Directive 20104/34/EU. The assessment and compliance must be conducted by an accredited notified body in Europe.

An IECEx certificate can also be converted for use in the Zone or Division marking system used in North America. An agency accredited by SCC (For Canada) and OSHA (For the USA) must ensure the following additional compliance:

1) General safety (ordinary location) standards

2) North American national deviations CSA/UL 60079 series

3) Installation restrictions (CEC & NEC)

4) Quarterly (four time per year) factory inspection

The following information can be found on the IECEx website at www.iecex.com:

• List of Approved IECEx Certification Bodies
• List of Publications
• Certificate status (view original certificates of products and their status)