What products does IEC 60335 apply to?

IEC 60335 covers household and similar electrical appliances, from air fryers and robot vacuums to smart plugs, locks, switches, motors, and heaters. The standard has two layers: IEC 60335-1 sets general requirements, while IEC 60335-2-x sections add product-specific rules. Always confirm the applicable Part 2 for your exact model before starting testing.

How is IEC 60335 different from IEC 62368-1?

IEC 60335 applies to household electrical appliances such as smart wall switches, heaters, and kitchen appliances, while IEC 62368-1 applies to audio/video, IT, and communication equipment such as gateways, routers, cameras, and chargers. A smart home product line can span both standards, so verify which standard the lab applied per model.

What IEC 60335 evidence is required for Saudi SABER registration?

Saudi SABER registration for household appliances requires one accredited IEC 60335 test report per model from an ILAC-accredited laboratory. Internal factory reports are rejected by the conformity assessment body. Check the report's accreditation and that the model number matches the production unit before paying the balance.

Which safety hazards does IEC 60335 test?

IEC 60335 addresses four main hazard groups: electric shock (insulation, earthing, creepage and clearance), fire and overheating (temperature rise limits, abnormal operation), mechanical hazards (moving parts, stability), and endurance/abnormal-operation testing. List the applicable IEC 60335-1 and IEC 60335-2-x tests in the purchase agreement so the lab scope is locked before production.

IEC 60335 Appliance Safety: Scope & Application

Q: How much does IEC 60335 testing cost in China and how long does it take?

For a single appliance model at an ILAC-accredited lab in Shenzhen or Guangzhou, IEC 60335-1 plus one Part 2 typically costs $2,000–$5,000 and takes 4–8 weeks. Multi-function products that need several Part 2 sections, or products that fail retest, can push the budget toward $6,000–$10,000 and add 2–4 weeks. Lock the test plan before tooling to avoid retest costs.

IEC 60335 is the international safety standard for household and similar electrical appliances — covering everything from air fryers to robot vacuums. In our sourcing work for smart-home and small-appliance buyers, it is one of the most frequently requested standards because a single missing or wrong report can block an entire shipment at EU customs or fail SABER registration in Saudi Arabia. The standard is split into IEC 60335-1, which sets 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). Basic insulation must withstand 1,000 V AC for 1 minute, and accessible metal parts must be earthed with a resistance usually <0.1 Ω.
Protection against fire and overheating (temperature rise limits, abnormal operation). Motor windings and capacitors are limited to manufacturer-rated temperatures; cord surfaces typically cannot exceed 60 K above ambient during normal use.
Mechanical hazards (moving parts, stability, enclosure strength). A blade or fan must stop within a defined time after the guard opens, and enclosures must resist the IEC ball-impact test.
Endurance and abnormal-operation testing, including locked-rotor, shorted components, and thermal-cutout failure simulations.

Part 2 sections tailor these to product families — for example IEC 60335-2-40 for heat pumps, IEC 60335-2-80 for fans, IEC 60335-2-15 for liquid-heating appliances such as an electric kettle, or IEC 60335-2-98 for humidifiers. A test lab selects the applicable Part 2 alongside Part 1. Buyers often assume Part 1 is enough; it is not. If the factory quotes “IEC 60335” without naming the Part 2, ask for the test plan in writing.

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. For buyers building out a smart home device range, this split routinely catches multi-function SKUs. We have seen buyers ship a “smart heater” with a built-in Wi-Fi module using only an IEC 62368-1 report; the customs broker refused clearance because the heating function needed IEC 60335-2-30. Confirm which standard the lab applied per model, and list both standards in the purchase order when the product has mixed functions.

Common factory mistakes we see

Wrong edition or Part 2. Factories sometimes test to an outdated edition of IEC 60335-1 or choose a Part 2 that does not match the product. For Saudi Arabia, SASO currently expects recent harmonized editions; an older report can be rejected.
Model numbers that do not match. A report for “Model X-01” cannot cover “Model X-01 Pro” or a different color with a different heater rating. Model variants need their own reports or a properly documented series justification.
Untraceable reports. Some suppliers present a report with a lab logo that is not ILAC-accredited, or a PDF with no test data pages. Always check the accreditation mark and cross-check the lab on the ILAC MRA signatory list.
Ignoring cords and plugs. IEC 60335 tests the appliance with the supplied cord and plug. If you later switch to a cheaper cord or a different plug type for Saudi Arabia, the report may no longer be valid.
Battery-powered subsystems treated as an afterthought. Appliances with rechargeable lithium cells also need IEC 62133 or UN38.3 evidence; IEC 60335 alone does not cover cell safety.

Buyer verification checklist

Before you pay the final tooling or shipment balance, check:

The report lists both IEC 60335-1 and the correct IEC 60335-2-x section.
The test lab is ILAC-accredited or has the relevant CB scheme NCB accreditation.
The model name, rating label, and photos match the production unit — a pre-shipment inspection should photograph the actual unit against the report.
The report covers the destination voltage and frequency (for Saudi Arabia: 220 V / 60 Hz).
Critical components — cord, plug, motor, thermal fuse, switch — match the bill of materials and are listed in the report.
There is a documented plan for firmware-controlled safeguards if the product relies on software for thermal protection.

When to engage a lab and what it costs

For a single appliance model at an ILAC-accredited lab in Shenzhen or Guangzhou, IEC 60335-1 plus one Part 2 typically costs $2,000–$5,000 and takes 4–8 weeks. Multi-function products that need several Part 2 sections, or products that fail retest, can push the budget toward $6,000–$10,000 and add 2–4 weeks. We recommend locking the test plan before tooling so the mechanical design and component choices are made around the standard, not retrofitted afterward. If you are targeting both the EU and Saudi Arabia, ask for a CB report that can support both CE marking and SASO SABER registration, rather than paying for two separate reports.

How IEC 60335 fits into sourcing

The compliance conversation should start at supplier selection, not after production. During our factory audits and quality control visits, we check whether the supplier has in-house safety testing capability and whether their previous IEC 60335 reports are consistent. A factory that can explain its component derating and thermal design is usually a safer bet than one that simply promises a report later. If you are planning multi-market launches, the multi-market certification guide maps how IEC 60335 interacts with UL requirements for North America.

Key takeaways

IEC 60335 applies to household appliances, not IT or AV equipment; confirm the right Part 2 per model.
EU CE marking and Saudi SABER registration both rely on an accredited IEC 60335 test report, but the report must match the production unit exactly.
Lock the test plan, lab accreditation, and component list before tooling to avoid retests.
Budget $2,000–$5,000 and 4–8 weeks for a straightforward single-model test; complex or multi-function products cost more.
For the full Saudi certification process, see the SASO and SABER certification guide; for a category walkthrough, see sourcing smart home devices for Saudi Arabia.