IEC 60947-5-3:2026 – Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear

IEC 60947-5-3:2026 defines requirements for proximity devices with defined behaviour under fault conditions (PDDB) within the low-voltage switchgear and controlgear family. This overview summarises its scope, product coverage, testing context and series placement for engineers and quality managers.

Standard Information

This part of the IEC 60947 series addresses the fault performance of proximity devices whose failure behaviour is specified, known as PDDB. It builds on the requirements of related control circuit device standards and links product behaviour to functional safety frameworks used in machinery and industrial control. The record facts are as follows. - Designation: IEC 60947-5-3:2026
- Full title: Low-voltage switchgear and controlgear - Part 5-3: Control circuit devices and switching elements - Requirements for proximity devices with defined behaviour under fault conditions (PDDB)
- Status: Current
- Publication date: 2026-08-19
- ICS classification: 29, 29.130, 29.130.20
- Technical committee: TC 121/SC 121A

Scope and Application

The standard gives additional requirements to those in IEC 60947-5-2 and IEC 60947-5-1:2024, Annex D, which covers reed contact magnetic switches. Its subject is the fault performance of proximity devices with defined behaviour under fault conditions. It does not address other characteristics that specific applications may require. Certain exclusions define the boundary of the document. It does not apply to protective equipment that directly detects the presence of persons; such equipment falls under the IEC 61496 series or IEC TS 62998 series. A PDDB may, however, detect a person indirectly, for example by sensing the position of a platform on which an operator stands, as on garbage trucks. Requirements for analogue outputs, acoustic noise, software updates with self-evolving behaviour, and explosive atmospheres are likewise outside its scope. Application context is functional safety. A PDDB is intended for use as the sensing subsystem of a safety related control system according to IEC 62061 or ISO 13849-1. Depending on construction principles and complexity, the document rests on product development aligned with the IEC 61508 series to meet the product specific requirements of one or more of the IEC 61508 series, IEC 62061 and the ISO 13849 series. It also covers PDDB used as part of an interlocking device according to ISO 14119.

Products and Materials Covered

The products in scope are proximity devices with defined behaviour under fault conditions, a category of control circuit devices and switching elements for low-voltage switchgear and controlgear. The ICS classifications 29.130 and 29.130.20 place these devices within low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies and components. Constructions referenced through the parent requirements include reed contact magnetic switches, since the document supplements IEC 60947-5-1:2024, Annex D. Products may take the form of sensing subsystems integrated into safety related controls, or of sensing elements within interlocking devices according to ISO 14119. Binary interface types, operating modes such as target present and target absent, and the concept of switching distance all describe how such devices behave in service, as set out in the technical content of this edition.

Testing and Compliance Considerations

Laboratories typically treat this type of standard as a type testing document. A representative production sample is subjected to the verification sequences defined in the standard, covering electrical performance, environmental behaviour and fault related characteristics. The updated test sequences of this edition reflect the specific behaviour of a PDDB. Acceptance verification is central to EMC work: this edition references acceptance criteria A, B and C, with Table 17 giving requirements for acceptance criterion DS. Measurement uncertainty practice for switching distance verification follows ISO/IEC Guide 98-3:2008 (GUM) and IEC TR 63649, so laboratories must document measurement context and uncertainty evaluation. Compliance documentation normally includes the test report, ratings, interface type, operating mode, interlocking device type, coding level and safety response time data. Retesting is triggered by design changes affecting fault behaviour, EMC construction or switching distance performance, and by revisions of the referenced standards. Procurement teams should confirm that reports reference the 2026 edition when it is contractually specified.

Related Standards and Series Context

The designation follows the established IEC structure. The root number 60947 identifies the low-voltage switchgear and controlgear series, the part number 5-3 places the document within Part 5 on control circuit devices and switching elements, and the suffix 2026 marks the edition year. Readers seeking the authoritative text should obtain it from official IEC distribution channels; this page is an interpretive overview only. Within the series hierarchy, a part numbered 5-3 is a subdivision of Part 5, narrower in subject than the parent part. Such subdivisions let a technical committee, here TC 121/SC 121A, maintain focused requirements for a specific device family while the parent parts carry the general rules. This structure explains why the document states additional requirements rather than standalone rules.