In the wave of global trade, does a qualified household refrigerator need to meet China's GB standards, the EU's EN standards, and North America's UL standards simultaneously? The answer is NO. IEC 60335-1:Safety of Household and Similar Electrical Appliances - Part 1: General Requirements, developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), has become a "common language" that crosses technical barriers in more than 30 countries by establishing a unified safety benchmark.

Evolution and Scope of Application of IEC 60335-1

As a fundamental standard in the field of home appliance safety, the development history of IEC 60335-1 profoundly reflects the iterative trajectory of global home appliance technology. Led by IEC Technical Committee 61, the latest version (6th edition) of this standard was officially released in 2020, fully replacing the 5th edition (released in 2010) and subsequent amendments. This version is not merely a simple technical update, but a systematic response to safety demands in the era of smart home appliances, marking an important transformation of home appliance safety standards from traditional mechanical protection to digital risk prevention and control.

The standard clearly defines its scope of application as "household and similar electrical appliances with a rated voltage not exceeding 250V for single-phase and 480V for other types", which covers more than 95% of civil electrical products. The applicable categories include not only traditional home appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners, but also "equipment that is not for household use but may pose risks to the public", such as display freezers for stores and small cleaning equipment for light industry.

As the core of the IEC 60335 standard series, IEC 60335-1 forms a two-tier system of "general + specific" together with subsequent product-specific standards. For instance, IEC 60335-2-24 (specific requirements for washing machines) and IEC 60335-2-80 (regulating fan products). When there are differences between specific standards and general standards, the principle of "specific standards first" shall be followed. This framework not only ensures the uniformity of safety requirements but also addresses the specific risks of different products. Currently, the series covers more than 100 types of home appliances, building the most comprehensive home appliance safety standard system in the world.

Core Safety System and Technical Requirements of IEC 60335-1

IEC 60335-1 has established a comprehensive "three-dimensional defense system", which builds a safety network covering the entire life cycle of products from three dimensions: electrical safety, mechanical protection, and special risk prevention and control in the smart era. The core philosophy of this system is "prevention first, multiple protections", and potential risks are controlled within an acceptable range through progressive technical requirements.

Among them, the electrical safety defense forms the fundamental framework of the standard, with strict regulations formulated for two core risks: electric shock and fire; the mechanical and material safety requirements reflect the standard's all-round prevention and control of physical harm; the environmental adaptability requirements ensure the safety consistency of products in different usage scenarios. For the IEC 60335-1 standard, PEGO Electronics provides a comprehensive testing solution, with the detailed test list as follows: