IEC 60335 Appliance Safety: What It Covers and When It Applies
IEC 60335 is the safety standard for household electrical appliances: what it covers, how it differs from IEC 62368, and its role in Saudi SASO conformity.
IEC 60335 is the international safety standard for household and similar electrical appliances. It is split into Part 1 (general requirements) and many Part 2 sections covering specific appliance types. For electronics sourced from China, an accredited IEC 60335 test report is the safety evidence that underpins CE marking in the EU and — for the Saudi market — SASO conformity registered on SABER.
What IEC 60335 covers
The standard addresses the safety hazards of mains-powered appliances:
- Protection against electric shock (insulation, earthing, creepage and clearance distances)
- Protection against fire and overheating (temperature rise limits, abnormal operation)
- Mechanical hazards (moving parts, stability)
- Endurance and abnormal-operation testing
Part 2 sections tailor these to product families — for example IEC 60335-2-x for specific appliance categories. A test lab selects the applicable Part 2 alongside Part 1.
IEC 60335 vs IEC 62368-1
The two standards cover different equipment, and using the wrong one is a common error:
| Standard | Equipment type | Typical products |
|---|---|---|
| IEC 60335 | Household electrical appliances | Smart plugs, locks, switches, motors, heaters, kitchen appliances |
| IEC 62368-1 | Audio/video, IT and communication equipment | Gateways, cameras, routers, chargers, AV devices |
A smart home product line can straddle both: a smart wall switch falls under IEC 60335, while a multi-mode gateway or IP camera falls under IEC 62368-1. Confirm which standard the lab applied per model.
Why it matters for Saudi conformity
SASO adopts IEC safety standards as the technical basis for conformity. To register a household appliance on SABER, the Saudi importer needs an accredited IEC 60335 test report from the factory — and it must come from an ILAC-accredited laboratory. An internal factory report is rejected by the conformity assessment body. Verify the report’s accreditation and that the model number matches the production unit before paying the balance.
For the end-to-end Saudi certification process, see the SASO and SABER certification guide; for a category walkthrough, see sourcing smart home devices for Saudi Arabia.