| Full title | Safety of machinery. Electrical equipment of machines. Part 1: General requirements |
| Publisher | IEC (TC 44); adopted as EN 60204-1 by CENELEC and as BS EN 60204-1 by BSI |
| Current IEC edition | IEC 60204-1:2016 (edition 6.0, 13 October 2016) with Amendment 1:2021; consolidated edition 6.1 published 15 September 2021. Stability date 2027 |
| UK version | BS EN 60204-1:2018+A1:2025, current, published 30 April 2025. BS EN 60204-1:2018 is due for withdrawal on 30 April 2028 |
| European version | EN 60204-1:2018 (IEC 60204-1:2016, modified) with A1:2025. A revision, prEN IEC 60204-1, is in development. IEC 60204-1 edition 7.0 is at committee draft stage (forecast 2028) |
| Related standards | IEC 60364 series, IEC 60204-11, IEC 60204-31, -32, -33, IEC 60445 |
What it covers
IEC 60204-1 applies to electrical, electronic and programmable electronic equipment and systems on machines not portable by hand while working. This includes a group of machines working together in a co-ordinated manner.
It starts at the point of connection of the supply to the electrical equipment of the machine. The supply installation itself is covered by the IEC 60364 series (in the UK, BS 7671).
It applies to equipment with nominal supply voltages up to 1 000 V AC or 1 500 V DC, and nominal supply frequencies up to 200 Hz. Information on higher voltages is in IEC 60204-11.
It does not cover additional requirements for machines used in open air, in explosive or flammable atmospheres, in mines, or for sewing machines (IEC 60204-31), hoisting machines (IEC 60204-32) or semiconductor fabrication equipment (IEC 60204-33). Power circuits where electrical energy is used directly as a working tool are excluded.
Wiring and cable clauses
Clauses 12 and 13 deal with conductors, cables and wiring practice.
| Clause | Subject |
|---|---|
| 12.2 | Conductors |
| 12.3 | Insulation |
| 12.4 | Current-carrying capacity in normal service. Table 5 gives minimum cross-sectional areas of copper conductors; Table 6 gives examples of current-carrying capacity |
| 12.5 | Conductor and cable voltage drop |
| 12.6 | Flexible cables: mechanical rating, and current-carrying capacity of cables wound on drums (Table 7 derating factors) |
| 12.7 | Conductor wires, conductor bars and slip-ring assemblies |
| 13.1 | Connections and routing, including 13.1.3 conductors of different circuits |
| 13.2 | Identification of conductors |
| 13.3 | Wiring inside enclosures |
| 13.4 | Wiring outside enclosures, including 13.4.3 connection to moving elements of the machine (Table 8 minimum bending radii for forced guiding of flexible cables) and 13.4.5 plug/socket combinations |
| 13.5 | Ducts, connection boxes and other boxes, including conduit and cable trunking systems |
Table 1 gives the minimum cross-sectional area of copper protective conductors. It is in 5.2 (terminal for connection of the external protective conductor), not in Clause 12.
Identification of conductors
| Clause | Conductor | Identification, where by colour |
|---|---|---|
| 13.2.2 | Protective conductor and protective bonding conductor | Bicolour combination GREEN-AND-YELLOW |
| 13.2.3 | Neutral conductor | BLUE |
The standard lists special national conditions for the USA and Canada. There, GREEN (with or without yellow stripes) is used as equivalent to GREEN-AND-YELLOW, and WHITE or GREY is used for earthed neutral conductors instead of BLUE.
The 2016 edition and Amendment 1
The sixth edition (2016) replaced the 2005 fifth edition. The main changes listed by IEC are:
- requirements for applications involving power drive systems (PDS)
- revised electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements
- clarified overcurrent protection requirements
- requirements for determining the short circuit current rating of the electrical equipment
- revised protective bonding requirements and terminology
- a reorganised Clause 9, including safe torque off of PDS, emergency stop and control circuit protection
- revised symbols for actuators of control devices and revised technical documentation requirements
Amendment 1 was published in 2021. The European amendment EN 60204-1:2018/A1:2025 adopts it.
Status under machinery law
- EN 60204-1:2018 is listed in Annex I of Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/1586 (as amended), item 96, as a harmonised standard under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. It was first cited under Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/436, which 2023/1586 repealed. The reference to EN 60204-1:2006 and its amendment was withdrawn on 2 October 2021.
- EN 60204-1:2018 is also listed in Annex I of Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/2723 (item 136) under the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU.
- The Machinery Directive is being replaced by the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, which entered into force on 19 July 2023. It applies from 14 January 2027 (with some articles applying earlier). Check the harmonised standards list for the Regulation separately.
What it means in practice
- Machine builders and panel builders use it to design and verify the wiring of the machine from the supply terminals onwards.
- Cables to moving parts of the machine should be chosen for flexing duty and, where forced guiding is used, not bent below the minimum radii in Table 8.
- Where conductors are identified by colour, 13.2.2 uses GREEN-AND-YELLOW for the protective conductor and 13.2.3 uses BLUE for the neutral. Colours for other conductors are in 13.2.4, Identification by colour.
- When a specification quotes EN 60204-1, check whether it means the 2018 edition or the 2018+A1:2025 version.
Related reading: Industrial connectivity: M12 connectors, assemblies and cable.