---
title: "IEC 60079"
description: "IEC 60079 is the International Electrotechnical Commission's standard series for equipment used in explosive atmospheres. It is the technical foundation for both ATEX certification (EU) and IECEx certification (international), defining the test methods, protection concepts (Ex d, Ex e, Ex i, Ex p, etc.) and marking requirements."
canonical_url: "https://sylio.co/glossary/iec-60079"
last_updated: "2026-06-28T02:29:38.924Z"
---

**IEC 60079** is the International Electrotechnical Commission's standard series for equipment used in explosive atmospheres. It is the technical foundation for both [ATEX](/glossary/atex-directive) certification (EU) and [IECEx](/glossary/iecex) certification (international), defining the test methods, protection concepts (Ex d, Ex e, Ex i, Ex p, etc.) and marking requirements.

## Key parts of the series

<table>
<thead>
  <tr>
    <th>
      Part
    </th>
    
    <th>
      Subject
    </th>
  </tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>
      60079-0
    </td>
    
    <td>
      General requirements
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      60079-1
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Flameproof enclosures (Ex d)
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      60079-7
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Increased safety (Ex e)
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      60079-11
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Intrinsic safety (Ex i)
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      60079-14
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Electrical installation in hazardous areas
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      60079-29
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Gas detectors
    </td>
  </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Industrial sonic horns typically reference 60079-0 (general) plus the specific protection-concept part used for the horn's construction.

## Related terms

- [ATEX directive](/glossary/atex-directive)
- [IECEx](/glossary/iecex)
- [Class I Div 1 / Div 2 (NEC)](/glossary/class-i-div-1-div-2-nec)