| Full title | Industrial communication networks. Installation of communication networks in industrial premises |
| Publisher | IEC (TC 65/SC 65C, Industrial networks); adopted in Europe as EN IEC 61918 |
| Current edition | IEC 61918:2018 (edition 4.0) with Amendment 1:2022 and Amendment 2:2024. Consolidated edition 4.2 published 15 March 2024 |
| European version | EN IEC 61918:2018 with A1:2022, A2:2024, A11:2019, A12:2023 and AC:2019-03. A revision, prEN IEC 61918, is in development |
| Related standards | IEC 61784-5 series, ISO/IEC 11801-3, ISO/IEC 14763-2, ISO/IEC 14763-4 |
What it covers
IEC 61918 sets basic requirements for installing communication network media in industrial premises. It applies within and between the automation islands of an industrial site.
It covers balanced copper cabling and optical fibre cabling. It also covers the cabling infrastructure for wireless systems, but not the wireless media themselves. Other media are dealt with in the IEC 61784-5 series.
It deals with the roles of planner, installer, verifier, acceptance test personnel, and administration and maintenance personnel. It sets out their responsibilities or gives guidance.
Structure
The main clauses follow the life cycle of an installation:
| Clause | Stage | Main topics |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Installation planning | Planning requirements, network capabilities, selection of cabling components, planning documentation and its verification |
| 5 | Installation implementation | Cable, connector, terminator and device installation; coding and labelling; earthing and bonding of equipment, devices and shields; as-implemented documentation |
| 6 | Verification and acceptance test | Installation verification and installation acceptance test |
| 7 | Administration | Working procedures, device location labelling, component labelling, documentation |
| 8 | Maintenance and troubleshooting | Maintenance and troubleshooting procedures |
Annexes
| Annex | Subject |
|---|---|
| A | Overview of generic cabling for industrial premises |
| B | MICE description methodology |
| C | Network topologies |
| D | Connector tables |
| E | Power networks and electromagnetic interference: TN-C and TN-S approaches |
| F | Conductor sizes in electrical cables |
| G | Installed cabling verification checklists |
| H | Cord sets (normative) |
| I | Guidance for terminating cable ends |
| J | Bulkhead connection performance, and channels with more than 4 connections |
| K | Fieldbus data transfer testing |
| L | Communication network installation work responsibility |
| M | Trade names of communication profiles |
| N | Validation measurements |
| O | End-to-end link |
| P | Temperature rise of cabling with remote powering (normative) |
Relationship with IEC 61784-5
IEC 61918 is written to be used with the IEC 61784-5 series. The fieldbuses defined as communication profiles (CPs) in IEC 61784 are grouped into communication profile families (CPFs). The installation profiles for each family are in their own IEC 61784-5-n part. For example, IEC 61784-5-3 holds the installation profiles for CPF 3.
An installation profile does not stand alone. It states which requirements of IEC 61918 fully apply, and where needed it supplements, modifies or replaces the others. Its annexes are read together with IEC 61918.
So for a given network technology, the installer needs both documents: IEC 61918 for the common rules, and the matching IEC 61784-5-n part for the profile-specific ones, such as cable and connector choices.
Relationship with generic cabling standards
- ISO/IEC 11801-3 specifies the design of generic cabling in industrial premises. It specifies only the raw bandwidth capability of a channel. IEC 61918 deals with installation, including the cabling inside automation islands that ISO/IEC 11801-3 excludes.
- ISO/IEC 14763-2 covers installation of generic cabling outside the automation islands, and references IEC 61918.
- ISO/IEC 14763-4 is referenced in Annex O for end-to-end link measurement.
Changes in the fourth edition
The 2018 edition replaced the 2013 third edition as a technical revision. Listed changes include:
- The reference to ISO/IEC 24702 replaced by ISO/IEC 11801-3 (Table 2).
- Updates to subclauses 4.1.2, 4.4.2.5, 4.4.3.4.1 and 5.7, and to Table 7.
- Annexes D and M extended to more communication profile families.
- Annex H extended to cover the M12-8 X-coding connector.
- Annex O revised to reference the new ISO/IEC 11801 series, ISO/IEC TR 11801-9902 and ISO/IEC 14763-4.
- New Annex P.
What it means in practice
- Identify the communication profile family first, then obtain the matching IEC 61784-5-n part alongside IEC 61918.
- Use Annex G checklists to record installation verification before the acceptance test.
- Assess the environment with the MICE method in Annex B when choosing cable and connectors.
- Earthing and bonding of shields is covered in subclause 5.7.
Related reading: Industrial Ethernet protocols explained.