What is the difference between Directive 2014/34/EU and Directive 1999/92/EC?

They are two separate ATEX texts. 2014/34/EU is the equipment directive, addressed to manufacturers of equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, and it feeds the CE marking of the product. 1999/92/EC is the workplace directive, addressed to site operators and employers, covering occupational health and safety (zone classification by the operator, training, explosion protection plan). Manufacturers work under 2014/34/EU.

Should you pursue ATEX and IECEx in parallel, or pick one?

For a strictly EU market, 2014/34/EU is enough. But many industrial buyers demand an IECEx certificate, which opens recognition in many non-EU countries (Australia, India, South Africa, several Middle East states, and others). In practice most manufacturers aim for both, because the technical baseline is the EN 60079 series (aligned with IEC 60079) and the marginal effort for the second certificate is limited when the dossier is already assembled.

Which conformity assessment modules apply under ATEX?

Directive 2014/34/EU draws combinations of modules from Decision 768/2008/EC, varying by group and category. For higher-risk categories (Group II categories 1 and 2, Group I category M1), EU-type examination (module B) is mandatory and combined with a production module (D, E, F or H). For Group II category 3, internal production control (module A) is enough, with exceptions. See [self-declaration vs Notified Body](/en/guides/self-declaration-vs-notified-body/) for the general module mechanics.

Does the CE marking include the Ex marking?

Yes. An ATEX product carries the standard CE mark (followed, where applicable, by the 4-digit number of the Notified Body intervening on the production phase), then the ATEX-specific marking (hexagonal Ex logo, group, category, atmosphere type G or D), and finally the complementary Ex marking (protection type, gas group, temperature class). CE certifies overall conformity, the Ex marking carries the technical information.

What is a Quality Assurance Notification (QAN)?

Under the IECEx scheme, the QAN is the attestation issued by a Certification Body (ExCB) after auditing the manufacturer's production quality system against IECEx OD 005. It is the functional equivalent of an ATEX module D or E, required for serial production of equipment intended for hazardous zones. Without a valid QAN, a manufacturer cannot issue an IECEx Certificate of Conformity (CoC) for serial products.

How do you read a full Ex marking?

A marking like "Ex db IIB T4 Gb" reads, left to right, as follows. "Ex" signals conformity to a protection concept. "db" is the protection type (here flameproof, sub-level "b" for zone 1). "IIB" is the gas sub-group the equipment is qualified for. "T4" is the maximum surface temperature class (135 degrees C). "Gb" is the Equipment Protection Level (EPL), suitable for zone 1. The specific values (135 degrees C for T4, etc.) come from EN 60079-0.

What exactly does Directive 2014/34/EU cover?

The directive covers equipment (appliances) and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres, plus safety, controlling and regulating devices intended for use outside the potentially explosive atmosphere but required for or contributing to the safe functioning of equipment and protective systems. Excluded, among others, are medical devices used in a medical environment, certain marine equipment, means of transport (except vehicles intended for use in an explosive atmosphere), and military equipment.

ATEX and IECEx: equipment for explosive atmospheres

Author Hugues Orgitello Last updated 26 May 2026

Guide · ATEX / IECEx

Equipment intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres falls in Europe under Directive 2014/34/EU (often called ATEX equipment) and, internationally, under the IECEx scheme operated by IEC. Both regimes share the same technical baseline, the EN 60079 standards series (aligned with IEC 60079), but differ in legal framing, certification procedure and geographic recognition. This page covers the scope of both regimes, the zone and category classification system, the protection types codified by EN 60079, how to read the Ex marking on a product, and how it interacts with the general CE marking.

Two ATEX directives, do not confuse them

The word "ATEX" covers two distinct directives, often confused in common usage.

Text	Audience	Subject	For spilma
Directive 2014/34/EU	Manufacturers	Placing on the market of equipment and protective systems intended for explosive atmospheres	In scope
Directive 1999/92/EC	Employers / site operators	Health and safety at work in areas at risk of explosive atmospheres (zone classification by the operator, protection plans)	Out of scope

spilma covers Directive 2014/34/EU, the product text. 1999/92/EC concerns site organisation (who performs the effective zone classification, draws up the Explosion Protection Document, and trains operators). Manufacturers consult it for context, but their conformity obligation runs under 2014/34/EU.

Scope of Directive 2014/34/EU

The directive covers:

equipment, that is machines, materials, fixed or mobile devices, components and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres;
protective systems, which are not themselves equipment but are intended to halt incipient explosions immediately (explosion vents, flame arresters, and similar devices);
certain safety, controlling and regulating devices intended for use outside the potentially explosive atmosphere but required for or contributing to the safe functioning of equipment and protective systems.

A potentially explosive atmosphere is defined as a mixture with air, under atmospheric conditions, of flammable substances in the form of gases, vapours, mists or dusts in which, after ignition, combustion spreads to the entire unburned mixture.

Zone classification

Zone classification is carried out by the site operator (Directive 1999/92/EC) and dictates which equipment is admissible. Manufacturers need to know it because the ATEX category of their product determines the zones it can equip.

Gases, vapours, mists

Zone	Presence of explosive atmosphere	Admissible ATEX category
Zone 0	Continuously, for long periods or frequently	Category 1G
Zone 1	Likely to occur occasionally in normal operation	Category 1G or 2G
Zone 2	Not likely to occur in normal operation, or only briefly	Category 1G, 2G or 3G

Combustible dusts

Zone	Presence of explosive atmosphere	Admissible ATEX category
Zone 20	Continuously, for long periods or frequently	Category 1D
Zone 21	Likely to occur occasionally in normal operation	Category 1D or 2D
Zone 22	Not likely to occur in normal operation, or only briefly	Category 1D, 2D or 3D

The downward inclusion logic matters. Equipment in category 1 (fit for zone 0) is also fit for all lower zones (1, 2). Equipment in category 3 is fit only for zone 2 (gas) or zone 22 (dust).

Equipment groups and categories

The directive distinguishes two equipment groups by intended environment.

Group I, extractive industries susceptible to firedamp (mines)

Category	Safety level	Use case
M1	Very high, equipment remains safe even when the explosive atmosphere is present, with two independent faults	Equipment that cannot be de-energised on gas detection
M2	High, equipment is de-energised upon gas detection	Equipment that can be shut down on detection

Group II, other places potentially exposed (non-mining industry)

Category	Safety level	Compatible zone(s)
1G / 1D	Very high, safety maintained even under rare faults	Zone 0 (G) / Zone 20 (D)
2G / 2D	High, safety maintained under disturbances or faults expected to occur frequently	Zone 1 (G) / Zone 21 (D)
3G / 3D	Normal, safety maintained in normal operation	Zone 2 (G) / Zone 22 (D)

The G suffix signals gas atmospheres, the D suffix signals dust atmospheres. A product may be certified for one, the other, or both (for example 2G + 2D if it is fit for zones 1 and 21).

Protection types (types of construction)

A product reaches its ATEX category by integrating one or several normalised protection types from the EN 60079 series. Each is identified by an Ex letter, codified in a specific part of the series, and matched to certain risk levels.

Type	Designation	Standard	Principle	Typical application
Ex d	Flameproof enclosure	EN 60079-1	Enclosure able to withstand an internal explosion and prevent its propagation outside	Junction boxes, motors, luminaires for zone 1
Ex e	Increased safety	EN 60079-7	Constructional measures against excessive temperatures, arcs and sparks; no arcs in normal operation	Terminals, luminaires, asynchronous motors for zone 1
Ex i	Intrinsic safety	EN 60079-11	Limitation of available circuit energy below the ignition threshold	Instrumentation, sensors, transmitters (ia, ib, ic)
Ex p	Pressurised enclosure	EN 60079-2	Enclosure held under positive pressure with a protective gas, preventing the explosive atmosphere from entering	Automation cabinets, analysers
Ex n	Non-incendive (zone 2)	EN 60079-15	Lighter constructional measures, reserved for atmospheres unlikely to occur	Zone 2 equipment, standard industrial gear
Ex m	Encapsulation	EN 60079-18	Components embedded in a sealed resin, physical separation from the atmosphere	Power electronics, sensors
Ex o	Oil immersion	EN 60079-6	Live parts immersed in a protective liquid	Transformers, distribution gear
Ex q	Powder filling	EN 60079-5	Internal volumes filled with sand or powder, preventing the propagation of a spark	Small electrical components
Ex t	Enclosure protection (dust)	EN 60079-31	Enclosure limiting dust ingress and surface temperature	Equipment for zones 20, 21 or 22

Sub-levels of one protection type

Several protection types come in sub-levels matching the zones. For intrinsic safety (Ex i), three levels coexist.

Sub-level	Admissible zone	Principle
ia	Zone 0 (and below)	Safety maintained with two counted independent faults
ib	Zone 1 (and zone 2)	Safety maintained with one counted fault
ic	Zone 2 only	Safety in normal operation, no counted fault

Similar logic applies to Ex d (db, dc), Ex e (eb, ec), Ex p (pxb, pyb, pzc) and Ex t (ta, tb, tc).

Ex marking on the product

An ATEX product carries a normalised marking string. To understand the information it carries, consider a typical example for a sensor intended for a zone 1 gas environment:

CE 0344  [hexagonal Ex logo]  II 2 G  Ex db IIB T4 Gb

Breakdown:

Element	Meaning
CE	Standard CE marking
0344	4-digit number of the Notified Body acting on the production phase (here DEKRA, as an example)
hexagonal Ex logo	ATEX-specific marking, indicates conformity to 2014/34/EU
II	Equipment group (II = non-mining industry)
2	Category (2 = zone 1)
G	Atmosphere type (G = gas, D = dust)
Ex db	Protection type (here flameproof, sub-level for zone 1)
IIB	Gas sub-group (chemical category of gases covered)
T4	Maximum surface temperature class
Gb	Equipment Protection Level

The temperature classes (T1 to T6) cap the equipment's maximum surface temperature, compared against the auto-ignition temperature of the gases present. The higher the class number (T6 being the most demanding), the greater the safety margin. Precise values are listed in EN 60079-0.

The gas sub-groups (IIA, IIB, IIC) qualify how easily the gases ignite. IIC covers the most demanding gases (hydrogen, acetylene); IIA covers the easier ones (methane, propane). Equipment certified IIC is fit for IIA and IIB atmospheres; the reverse is not true.

ATEX certification procedure

Directive 2014/34/EU pulls module combinations from Decision 768/2008/EC, the choice depending on group and category. The general logic: the more demanding the category, the heavier the Notified Body involvement.

Category	Typical modules	Notified Body mandatory
Group I M1 / Group II 1G or 1D	Module B (EU-type examination) + module D (production QA) or F (product verification)	Yes, on both phases
Group I M2 / Group II 2G or 2D	Module B + module C1, D, E or F; or module H (full QA)	Yes
Group II 3G or 3D	Module A (internal production control), with the technical file lodged with a Notified Body for safekeeping	No, with exceptions

Module B (EU-type examination) is the examination, by a Notified Body, of a representative sample and the technical file, ending in the issue of an EU-type examination certificate. This certificate is the reference document the production modules then build on.

Module D covers the audit of the production quality system (similar to ISO 9001, but with an ATEX focus). It results in a quality approval notification by the Notified Body.

To identify a Notified Body for ATEX, the European Commission's NANDO database lists NBs by directive and notification scope. See also self-declaration vs Notified Body for the general mechanics of the modules.

The IECEx scheme, the international counterpart

The IECEx scheme is an international scheme operated by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission). It uses the same technical baseline as ATEX (the IEC 60079 series, of which the EN 60079 series is the European transposition) but operates outside the EU directive framework.

Three operational schemes coexist within IECEx:

Scheme	Subject	For manufacturers?
IECEx Certified Equipment Scheme	Certification of Ex equipment	Yes
IECEx Service Facility Scheme	Certification of repair and overhaul workshops for Ex equipment	Yes (if operating a workshop)
IECEx Certified Personnel Competence Scheme (CoPC)	Certification of individual competencies (designers, installers, inspectors)	Yes (for in-house training)

For equipment, two key documents are issued by an IECEx Certification Body (ExCB):

the IECEx Test Report (ExTR), the test report from a recognised laboratory (ExTL, ExTesting Laboratory);
the IECEx Certificate of Conformity (CoC), the final attestation published in the public IECEx database.

For serial equipment, the CoC is conditional on a Quality Assurance Notification (QAN), an attestation issued after audit of the production quality system against IECEx OD 005. The QAN plays the role that an ATEX module D or E plays on the European side.

ATEX and IECEx together

Most manufacturers pursue both certifications in parallel:

the technical baseline is identical (EN 60079 = IEC 60079, save for rare national differences);
ExTR test reports can be reused in support of an ATEX certificate, with adjustments for directive-specific requirements;
many ATEX Notified Bodies are also IECEx-accredited ExCBs / ExTLs, which simplifies dossier management;
the IECEx CoC opens recognition in a range of countries (Australia, India, Singapore, several Gulf states) where ATEX alone is not enough.

The marginal cost of the second regime is limited when the technical file is built once and used twice. See certification costs for orders of magnitude.

How CE marking and Ex marking fit together

A frequent point of confusion. Directive 2014/34/EU is one of the directives feeding into the CE marking, alongside the EMC directive, the LVD, the RED, and others. An ATEX product therefore carries:

The CE marking (CE logo), affixed once for all applicable directives. The product may also be subject to EMC (2014/30/EU), LVD (2014/35/EU) and other texts;
The 4-digit number of the Notified Body acting on the production phase (modules D, E, F, H), placed next to the CE;
The Ex marking itself, carrying the technical information (group, category, protection type, gas, temperature).

The product's EU Declaration of Conformity (DoC) lists every directive applied with its harmonised standards. On the structure of the technical file more generally, see the technical file and the CE procedure.

Timelines and milestones

Without committing to a precise schedule (each NB applies its own), typical orders of magnitude for a complete ATEX + IECEx certification are as follows.

Phase	Typical duration
Manufacturer's technical file build-up	4 to 12 weeks
Laboratory tests (depending on number of protection types)	6 to 16 weeks
EU-type examination by the NB / IECEx ExTR	4 to 10 weeks after receipt of the test dossier
Production QA audit (ATEX module D / IECEx QAN)	8 to 16 weeks (on-site audit + action plan)
Realistic total, first Ex product of a range	9 to 15 months

See certification timeline for the breakdown of phases on other product types.

Common pitfalls on the manufacturer side

Pitfall	Consequence
Confusing 2014/34/EU (equipment) with 1999/92/EC (employer)	Wrong product framing from day one
Choosing a protection type that does not match the target zone	Category obtained falls short, commercial retreat on a segment
Underestimating the temperature class required by the target market	Rejection on sites where present gases have a low auto-ignition temperature
Modifying a certified sub-assembly without re-running the type examination	Ex marking invalidated, exposure to a recall
Failing to secure a QAN before serial IECEx production	No CoC can be issued, international market blocked
Mixing EN 60079 series versions without revising the dossier	Presumption of conformity invalid, dossier weak under market surveillance
Ignoring market-specific standards (INMETRO Brazil, EAC Russia, and others)	Import rejection outside the EU even with ATEX + IECEx