ATEX and IECEx: equipment for explosive atmospheres

Hugues Orgitello updated 7 Oct 2026 16 min read

Equipment intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres falls in Europe under Directive 2014/34/EU (the ATEX "product" directive, applicable since 20 April 2016) and, internationally, under the IECEx Certified Equipment Scheme run under the IEC conformity assessment system. Both rest on the IEC 60079 family of standards, but they do not cite the same editions, they do not issue the same documents, and an IECEx certificate does not replace an EU procedure. This page sets out what Article 13 of the directive actually requires per category, which EN 60079 editions the Official Journal cites as of October 2026, how the CE marking, the Ex hexagon and the IEC Ex marking fit together, how IECEx certificates are built (ExTR, QAR, CoC), and what changed for Great Britain.

Key dates (as of 7 October 2026)

Date	Event	Source
1 July 2003	Directive 94/9/EC becomes applicable	ATEX Guidelines, 6th edition, point 1
26 February 2014	Directive 2014/34/EU adopted	Directive, signature
20 April 2016	2014/34/EU applies; 94/9/EC repealed. Certificates issued under 94/9/EC remain valid under the new directive	Articles 41(2), 42, 43
28 September 2022	Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1668 publishes the current list of ATEX harmonised standards (repealing Decision (EU) 2019/1202)	Decision 2022/1668, Articles 1 and 2
1 October 2024	Great Britain: the Product Safety and Metrology etc. (Amendment) Regulations 2024 enter into force, recognising the CE marking indefinitely alongside UKCA	GOV.UK statutory guidance
28 March 2025, 11 September 2025, 13 January 2026, 4 May 2026	Decisions (EU) 2025/597, 2025/1810, 2026/82 and 2026/989 amend the list (none of them touches the EN 60079 parts)	Consolidated Decision 2022/1668, version of 5 May 2026
January 2026	6th edition of the Commission ATEX 2014/34/EU Guidelines	Guidelines, cover page
25 March 2026	IECEx 02 Edition 9.0 (Certified Equipment Scheme rules of procedure) posted	iecex.com, Rules
16 June 2026	IEC 60079-0:2026 (Edition 8.0) published, replacing the 2017 edition	IEC catalogue

Two ATEX directives, do not confuse them

The word "ATEX" covers two distinct directives.

Text	Audience	Subject	For spilma
Directive 2014/34/EU	Manufacturers, importers, distributors	Placing on the market of equipment, protective systems, devices and components for potentially explosive atmospheres	In scope
Directive 1999/92/EC	Employers / site operators	Health and safety of workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres, including the classification of hazardous areas into zones	Out of scope

spilma covers Directive 2014/34/EU, the product text. Manufacturers read 1999/92/EC for context only: it is the operator who classifies zones, and the manufacturer declares an equipment group and category.

Scope of Directive 2014/34/EU

Article 1(1) brings four kinds of "products" into scope:

• equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres;
• safety, controlling and regulating devices intended for use outside potentially explosive atmospheres but required for or contributing to the safe functioning of equipment and protective systems with respect to the risks of explosion;
• components intended to be incorporated into equipment and protective systems.

The Article 2 definitions are narrower than the everyday words:

Term	Article 2 definition (summarised)
Equipment (2(1))	Machines, apparatus, fixed or mobile devices, control components and instrumentation, detection or prevention systems intended for the generation, transfer, storage, measurement, control and conversion of energy or the processing of material, and capable of causing an explosion through their own potential sources of ignition
Protective systems (2(2))	Devices, other than components of equipment, intended to halt incipient explosions immediately or limit their effective range, made available separately as autonomous systems
Components (2(3))	Items essential to the safe functioning of equipment and protective systems but with no autonomous function
Explosive atmosphere (2(4))	A mixture with air, under atmospheric conditions, of flammable gases, vapours, mists or dusts in which, after ignition, combustion spreads to the entire unburned mixture
Potentially explosive atmosphere (2(5))	An atmosphere which could become explosive due to local and operational conditions

Article 1(2) excludes, among others: medical devices for use in a medical environment; equipment where the hazard comes only from explosive or unstable chemical substances; equipment for domestic and non-commercial environments where an explosive atmosphere may only rarely arise, solely from accidental fuel gas leakage; personal protective equipment; seagoing vessels and mobile offshore units with their equipment on board; means of transport (vehicles intended for use in a potentially explosive atmosphere are not excluded); and equipment covered by Article 346(1)(b) TFEU.

Zones (operator side) and categories (manufacturer side)

The zones come from Directive 1999/92/EC. The ATEX Guidelines restate the "normal" correspondence with the categories of Annex I of 2014/34/EU.

Atmosphere present	Gas, vapour, mist	Dust	Category normally used
Continuously, for long periods or frequently	Zone 0	Zone 20	1G / 1D
Likely to occur occasionally in normal operation	Zone 1	Zone 21	2G / 2D (or 1)
Unlikely in normal operation, and if so only for a short period	Zone 2	Zone 22	3G / 3D (or 1, 2)

Annex I defines the categories by the level of protection, not by the zone:

Group / category	Level of protection	Annex I criterion
I, M1 (mines)	Very high	Remains functional with an explosive atmosphere present, even in the event of rare incidents: either an independent second means of protection, or protection assured with two independent faults
I, M2 (mines)	High	Intended to be de-energised in the event of an explosive atmosphere; protection assured in normal operation and under more severe conditions (rough handling, changing environment)
II, 1	Very high	Protection assured even in the event of rare incidents; same "two means or two faults" rule as M1
II, 2	High	Protection assured even in the event of frequently occurring disturbances or equipment faults which normally have to be taken into account
II, 3	Normal	Protection assured during normal operation

Group I covers underground parts of mines (and related surface installations) endangered by firedamp and/or combustible dust. Group II covers all other places. For group II, Annex II point 1.0.5 requires the letter G (gases, vapours, mists) and/or D (dust).

Conformity assessment: Article 13, procedure by procedure

This is the table most summaries get wrong. Article 13 does not offer the full menu of Decision 768/2008/EC, and it has no module H.

Article 13	Products	Procedure (Annex, module)	Notified body role
13(1)(a)	Equipment groups I and II, categories M1 and 1	EU-type examination (Annex III, module B) plus either production quality assurance (Annex IV, module D) or product verification (Annex V, module F)	Design and production phases; NB number after the CE marking
13(1)(b)(i)	Categories M2 and 2: internal combustion engines and electrical equipment	Module B plus either internal production control with supervised product testing (Annex VI, module C1) or product quality assurance (Annex VII, module E)	Design and production phases
13(1)(b)(ii)	Categories M2 and 2: other equipment (typically non-electrical)	Internal production control (Annex VIII, module A), and the technical documentation is communicated to a notified body, which acknowledges receipt and retains it	Custody of the file only; no type examination
13(1)(c)	Group II, category 3	Internal production control (Annex VIII, module A)	None
13(1)(d)	Groups I and II, any category	Unit verification (Annex IX, module G), as an alternative to (a) to (c)	Examination of each unit
13(2)	Protective systems	Procedure (a) or (d)	As above
13(3)	Components	Same procedures as equipment, but no CE marking and no EU declaration of conformity: the manufacturer issues a written attestation of conformity stating how the component must be incorporated	As for the corresponding equipment
13(4)	Safety aspects of Annex II point 1.2.7	Annex VIII may also be followed	None
13(5)	Duly justified individual cases	A competent authority may authorise placing on the market in its territory without these procedures, where use is in the interests of protection	None

Two other points the ATEX Guidelines settle:

• Validity of EU-type examination certificates. There is no obligation to set a validity period: certificates remain valid indefinitely or until any expiry date written on them, but a modification of the approved type can affect validity (Guidelines, § 186; Annex III point 7 requires the manufacturer to inform the NB of modifications).
• Voluntary certificates for category 3. A certification body may issue a voluntary certificate for products not permitted on an EU-type examination certificate, but it must not present itself as a notified body, must not show its NB number and must not affix the CE marking to the certificate (Guidelines, § 109). Such certificates may sit in the technical file but should not be quoted on the declaration of conformity.

To find an ATEX notified body (NB), use the Commission NANDO database; see Notified Body selection and NANDO.

Harmonised standards cited in the Official Journal

Only references published in the OJ give presumption of conformity. As of the consolidated version of Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1668 dated 5 May 2026, the main electrical parts are cited at these editions:

Protection concept	Code	EN reference cited (row in Annex I)	IEC text it implements
General requirements	–	EN IEC 60079-0:2018 (69), read with AC:2020-02 per Notice 1	IEC 60079-0:2017
Flameproof enclosure	d	EN 60079-1:2014 (70)	IEC 60079-1:2014
Pressurized enclosure	p	EN 60079-2:2014 + AC:2015 (71)	IEC 60079-2:2014
Powder filling	q	EN 60079-5:2015 (72)	IEC 60079-5:2015
Liquid immersion	o	EN 60079-6:2015 (73)	IEC 60079-6:2015
Increased safety	e	EN 60079-7:2015 + A1:2018 (74)	IEC 60079-7:2015
Intrinsic safety	i	EN 60079-11:2012 (75)	IEC 60079-11:2011
Type of protection "n"	n	EN 60079-15:2010 (76)	IEC 60079-15:2010
Encapsulation	m	EN 60079-18:2015 + A1:2017 (77)	IEC 60079-18:2014
Equipment with EPL Ga	–	EN 60079-26:2015 (80)	IEC 60079-26:2014
Optical radiation	op	EN 60079-28:2015 (81)	IEC 60079-28:2015
Dust protection by enclosure	t	EN 60079-31:2014 (85)	IEC 60079-31:2013
Quality systems for Ex manufacture	–	EN ISO/IEC 80079-34:2011 (88)	ISO/IEC 80079-34:2011
Non-electrical equipment, basic method	–	EN ISO 80079-36:2016 (89), read with AC:2019 per Notice 2	ISO 80079-36:2016

Newer IEC editions already exist for several of these parts and are not cited: IEC 60079-0:2026 (Edition 8.0, published 16 June 2026), IEC 60079-11:2023, IEC 60079-15:2017, IEC 60079-18:2025, IEC 60079-28:2025 and IEC 60079-31:2022. The Guidelines are explicit: harmonised standards remain voluntary, other standards may be used together with additional controls covering the essential requirements, and a manufacturer may keep using a cited standard until a new harmonised one supersedes it at the end of its transition period (Guidelines, § 86).

What changes for a design team: an IECEx certificate to IEC 60079-11:2023 does not by itself demonstrate presumption of conformity in the EU, where EN 60079-11:2012 is still the cited text. The notified body has to assess the gap, or the manufacturer has to document how the essential health and safety requirements of Annex II are met.

Protection concepts

A product reaches its category by applying one or more protection concepts from the EN 60079 series.

Code	Concept	Part	Principle
d	Flameproof enclosure	EN 60079-1	Enclosure withstands an internal explosion and prevents its transmission to the surrounding atmosphere
e	Increased safety	EN 60079-7	Additional measures against excessive temperatures and against arcs and sparks
i	Intrinsic safety	EN 60079-11	Circuit energy limited so that it cannot ignite the atmosphere
p	Pressurized enclosure	EN 60079-2	Protective gas kept at overpressure to keep the atmosphere out
n	Type of protection "n"	EN 60079-15	Measures for equipment intended for zone 2
m	Encapsulation	EN 60079-18	Ignition sources embedded in a compound
o	Liquid immersion	EN 60079-6	Ignition sources immersed in a protective liquid
q	Powder filling	EN 60079-5	Enclosure filled with powder that prevents ignition of the outside atmosphere
t	Dust protection by enclosure	EN 60079-31	Dust ingress and surface temperature limited

For type "n", the editions diverge. In IEC 60079-15:2017 the former non-sparking type "nA" has been transferred to IEC 60079-7 as level "ec", and part 15 keeps "nC" and "nR". The EU still cites EN 60079-15:2010, which predates that transfer.

Levels of protection inside a concept

Most concepts carry a level letter that maps to the equipment protection level (EPL). For intrinsic safety:

Level	EPL normally targeted	Fault tolerance
ia	Ga (zone 0)	Safe with two countable faults applied
ib	Gb (zone 1)	Safe with one countable fault applied
ic	Gc (zone 2)	Safe in normal operation

The exact levels each concept offers (for example "ec" for increased safety) are defined in its own part of the series.

Reading the marking

A complete marking combines three layers from three different sources:

CE [NB no.]  [Ex hexagon]  II 2 G  Ex db IIB T4 Gb

Element	Meaning	Defined by
CE	CE marking	Directive Article 16(1), Regulation (EC) No 765/2008
[NB no.]	Identification number of the notified body involved in the production control phase (absent for category 3, and for category 2 non-electrical equipment under Article 13(1)(b)(ii), where no NB controls production)	Article 16(3)
Ex hexagon	Specific marking of explosion protection	Article 16(4), Annex II point 1.0.5
II 2 G	Equipment group, category, atmosphere letter	Article 16(4), Annex II point 1.0.5
Ex db	Protection concept and level	IEC/EN 60079-0 and the relevant part
IIB	Gas subgroup	IEC/EN 60079-0
T4	Temperature class	IEC/EN 60079-0
Gb	Equipment protection level	IEC/EN 60079-0

Annex II point 1.0.5 also requires the manufacturer name and address, the series or type designation, the batch or serial number (if any) and the year of construction. The ATEX Guidelines (footnote 43) warn that the Ex hexagon is not the same thing as the standards-based "Ex" marking, nor as the "Ex" warning sign of Directive 1999/92/EC. For assemblies, the Guidelines give worked examples: a pump marked II 2 G T6 driven by a motor marked II 2 G IIB T4 is marked II 2 G IIB T4 as a whole, because the motor is the part meeting the lower requirements.

The IECEx 2018 conference material gives these reference values (secondary source; the normative tables are in IEC 60079-0):

Temperature class	Maximum surface temperature
T1	450 °C
T2	300 °C
T3	200 °C
T4	135 °C
T5	100 °C
T6	85 °C

Subgroup	Gas examples / dust type
IIA	Propane, petrol, ethanol, acetone
IIB	Ethene (ethylene), dimethyl ether
IIC	Hydrogen, acetylene, carbon disulphide
IIIA	Combustible fibres and flying particles
IIIB	Non-conductive dust
IIIC	Conductive dust

The compatibility rule runs one way: IIC equipment can be used in IIB and IIA atmospheres, not the reverse. Likewise, a T6 product is acceptable where T4 is required, not the reverse. The same material notes that, when the marking states no ambient range, the default is -20 °C to +40 °C.

The IECEx Certified Equipment Scheme

IECEx is governed by the IEC Conformity Assessment Systems Basic Rules (IEC CA 01, edition 5.0 of 13 October 2025) with the IECEx supplement IECEx 01-S (17 June 2025), and, for equipment, by IECEx 02, whose Edition 9.0 was posted on 25 March 2026. The IECEx site lists separate schemes for certified equipment, the conformity mark licensing scheme (IECEx 04), certified service facilities and certification of personnel competencies.

Document	Issued by	What it is (IECEx 02, clause 3)
ExTR, IECEx Test Report	Prepared by an ExTL, endorsed by the associated ExCB	Record of test and assessment results showing that the examined product type conforms to the specified standards
QAR, Quality Assessment Report	ExCB	Results of an assessment of the quality management system of a manufacturer or manufacturing location, against ISO/IEC 80079-34
CoC, Certificate of Conformity	ExCB	Attests that the design conforms to the IEC or ISO standards and that the product is manufactured under a QMS meeting the scheme requirements, under ExCB surveillance

The CoC is issued by the ExCB once it has endorsed the ExTR and reviewed the QAR summary on the IECEx website (clause 9). It is published in the IECEx On-Line Certificate System, and the scheme states that equipment not listed there is not IECEx certified. Changes to certified equipment go back to the ExCB that issued the CoC, which decides between a new issue of the certificate and a new CoC.

ExCBs in countries that cannot yet accept IECEx CoCs, or whose national standards are not identical to the IEC standards, must accept ExTR and QAR documents for review when issuing national certification (IECEx 02, clause 5). The IECEx site states acceptance by more than 30 member countries.

ATEX and IECEx together

• Both rely on the IEC 60079 family, but the EU presumption follows the OJ list, which lags the IEC editions (see the table above).
• An ExTR is a test report, not an EU-type examination certificate. A notified body can consider test reports supplied in the technical documentation (Guidelines, § 111), but the EU-type examination remains its own act under Annex III.
• On the quality side, both ATEX modules D and E and the IECEx QAR rest on ISO/IEC 80079-34 (EN ISO/IEC 80079-34:2011 is the cited edition).
• IECEx OD 008 covers reciprocal arrangements on information exchange and meeting participation between ExNB (the group of ATEX notified bodies) and IECEx.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland

In Great Britain, the directive was transposed by the Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2016 (SI 2016/1107), retained and amended after Brexit. The GOV.UK statutory guidance (updated 24 March 2025) states that the Product Safety and Metrology etc. (Amendment) Regulations 2024, in force since 1 October 2024, recognise the CE marking indefinitely: businesses may use either CE or UKCA for the GB market. UKCA third-party procedures go through UK approved bodies, which keep their 4-digit numbers. In Northern Ireland the EU rules apply under the Windsor Framework: CE marking, or CE plus UKNI where a UK body performed the mandatory third-party assessment. See UKCA marking.

How CE marking and Ex marking fit together

Directive 2014/34/EU is one of the texts feeding a single CE marking, alongside, where applicable, EMC (2014/30/EU), LVD (2014/35/EU) or the RED. The EU declaration of conformity (DoC) follows the model of Annex X and lists the harmonised standards applied. Components under Article 13(3) carry no CE marking and come with an attestation of conformity instead. On the technical file, see the technical file and the CE procedure.

Claims the texts contradict

Common claim (including on earlier versions of this page)	What the text says
Category 2: module B plus C1, D, E or F, or module H	Article 13(1)(b): B plus C1 or E, and only for internal combustion engines and electrical equipment. Other category 2 equipment uses Annex VIII plus lodging of the file with a notified body. Module H is not in the directive
Category 1: B plus D or F, "with heavy NB involvement"	Correct for B plus D or F, but Article 13(1)(d) always allows unit verification (module G) instead
Category 3: module A with the technical file lodged with a notified body	Article 13(1)(c): internal production control only. Lodging the file applies to non-electrical category 2 equipment (Article 13(1)(b)(ii))
Components carry the CE marking	Article 13(3): no CE marking and no EU declaration of conformity; a written attestation of conformity instead
The IECEx QAN is issued against IECEx OD 005	IECEx issues a QAR, against ISO/IEC 80079-34. OD 005-3 is listed as discontinued, "not to be used after 31 August 2020". QAN is the ATEX term for the notified body decision under Annexes IV and VII (Guidelines, § 115)
The manufacturer issues the IECEx CoC	The ExCB issues the CoC (IECEx 02, clauses 3 and 9)
EN 60079 equals IEC 60079	The EU cites specific EN editions, several older than the current IEC ones (for example EN 60079-11:2012 against IEC 60079-11:2023)
"Ex n" is non-sparking (non-incendive) protection	Since IEC 60079-15:2017, non-sparking "nA" is "ec" in IEC 60079-7; part 15 keeps nC and nR. The EU still cites the 2010 edition
Equipment covers "components and protective systems"	Article 2 defines three separate notions; equipment must be capable of causing an explosion through its own potential ignition sources
An EU-type examination certificate expires after a fixed period	No validity period is required (Guidelines, § 186)
Category 1 = zone 0 is set by the product directive	Zones come from Directive 1999/92/EC; the Guidelines describe the category to zone correspondence as the "normal" one

Common pitfalls on the manufacturer side

Pitfall	Consequence
Confusing 2014/34/EU (products) with 1999/92/EC (workplaces)	Wrong framing of obligations from the start
Treating a non-electrical category 2 product as needing an EU-type examination, or an electrical one as needing only file lodging	Wrong procedure under Article 13(1)(b)
Designing only to the latest IEC editions	No presumption of conformity in the EU until those editions are cited in the OJ
Modifying an approved type without informing the notified body	Annex III point 7 requires an addition to the EU-type examination certificate for modifications that may affect conformity
Changing IECEx-certified equipment without going back to the ExCB	IECEx 02 clause 9: changes need a new issue of the CoC or a new CoC
Assuming ATEX plus IECEx covers every market	Several jurisdictions run their own schemes, for example the EAEU technical regulation TR CU 012/2011 (see EAC)

Further reading

• CE procedure: conformity assessment modules and placing on the market
• Scope of CE directives: how to identify applicable directives
• CE technical file: general structure, also applicable to ATEX
• Self-declaration vs Notified Body: decision grid on modules
• Decision 768/2008 modules: the module palette ATEX draws from
• Certification costs: orders of magnitude for NBs and labs
• Certification timeline: typical phases and durations
• Glossary: definitions for ATEX, IECEx, protection type, EPL

See also

• IEC 62368-1: safety of AV, IT and communications gear
• IEC 61010: safety of laboratory and measurement equipment
• EN 60335: safety of household electrical appliances
• EN 60598: safety of LED and conventional luminaires
• UKCA marking
• Notified Body selection and NANDO

Working on ATEX or IECEx scoping for an electronic product for a real product? AESTECHNO can audit your design and certification plan. Get in touch

A 30-minute audit with AESTECHNO engineers.

AESTECHNO is the electronics design house that edits spilma. We help product teams scope their certification effort and avoid the common mistakes.

Book a free audit

Sources & references

1. Directive 2014/34/EU (ATEX, equipment), EUR-Lex eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2014/34/oj
2. ATEX 2014/34/EU Guidelines, 6th edition, January 2026, European Commission single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/document/download/19a141ea-322c-4807-8116-99e9bfce3186_en?filename=ATEX%202014-34-EU%20Guidelines%20-%206th%20Edition%20January%202026b.pdf
3. Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1668 on ATEX harmonised standards, consolidated version of 5 May 2026, EUR-Lex eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02022D1668-20260505
4. European Commission page, equipment for potentially explosive atmospheres (ATEX), European Commission single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/mechanical-engineering/equipment-potentially-explosive-atmospheres-atex_en
5. IECEx Certified Equipment Scheme, Rules (IEC CA 01, IECEx 01-S, IECEx 02 Ed. 9.0), IECEx www.iecex.com/certified-equipment-scheme/rules/
6. IECEx 02 Ed. 9.0, Certified Equipment Scheme, Rules of procedure (March 2026), IECEx www.iecex.com/assets/dmsdocuments/1482/IECEx_02Ed9.0_RLV.pdf
7. IECEx Operational Documents for the Certified Equipment Scheme, IECEx www.iecex.com/certified-equipment-scheme/operational-documents-ods/
8. IEC 60079-0:2026, Edition 8.0 (catalogue entry), IEC webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/71519
9. IEC 60079-15:2017, Edition 5.0 (catalogue entry), IEC webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/33074
10. Overview of explosion protection techniques, IECEx 2018 conference (secondary source, manufacturer slides), IECEx www.iecex.com/assets/Uploads/D2S2-Ex-Protection-Techniques-BARTEC.pdf
11. Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2016: Great Britain (statutory guidance), GOV.UK www.gov.uk/government/publications/equipment-and-protective-systems-intended-for-use-in-potentially-explosive-atmospheres-regulations-2016/equipment-and-protective-systems-intended-for-use-in-potentially-explosive-atmospheres-regulations-2016-great-britain
12. UK SI 2016/1107, Equipment and Protective Systems Intended for Use in Potentially Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2016, legislation.gov.uk www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/1107/contents
13. Decision 768/2008/EC, conformity assessment modules, EUR-Lex eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008D0768