prEN IEC 63640:2026

prEN IEC 63640:2026 is a CLC/IEC draft standard for the safety of LED modules used in horticultural lighting. It specifies electrical, thermal, mechanical and photobiological safety requirements for built-in LED modules operated on DC supplies up to 1 500 V or AC supplies up to 1 000 V, for manufacturers, test laboratories, certification bodies and specifiers checking product safety.

What does prEN IEC 63640:2026 specify?

prEN IEC 63640:2026 specifies safety requirements for LED modules for horticultural lighting purposes. It focuses on safety, not on lighting performance, so it is the document to use when the question is whether a module is electrically and physically safe for its intended use.

The scope excludes LED packages, LED lamps and OLED light sources. In this document, the term LED module means a built-in LED module for horticultural lighting purposes, and independent LED modules are treated as luminaires with LED module(s) as an integral component.

The document is organized into clauses on scope, normative references, terms and definitions, classification, general requirements, general conditions for tests, marking, electrical safety, thermal safety, mechanical safety, photobiological safety, fault conditions and abnormal conditions.

What are the key requirements of prEN IEC 63640:2026?

prEN IEC 63640:2026 builds on IEC 62031 and then adds horticultural-lighting-specific classification, marking and photobiological safety provisions. In practice, that means most core safety requirements are taken from the LED module base standard, while this document adds how horticultural modules are identified and assessed.

Classification and intended use

Clause 4 applies the IEC 62031 classification and adds a further split by intended use: without restriction for use and industrial or professional use. The practical effect is that suppliers must declare how the module is meant to be used, because the safety assessment and marking can depend on that choice.

Modules classified for industrial or professional use are intended to be supervised by instructed or skilled persons and are normally not user-replaceable. That matters for installation, maintenance planning and who is allowed to handle the module.

General safety, testing and marking

Clauses 5 and 6 refer to IEC 62031 for general requirements and test conditions, and clause 7 does the same for marking. This keeps the basic safety evaluation aligned with the general LED module rules.

Clause 7 adds photobiological hazard-related marking rules when the limits in IEC 62031 clause 11 are exceeded. It also requires corresponding information in the technical literature, so users and integrators can see when special precautions are needed.

Electrical, thermal and mechanical safety

Clauses 8, 9 and 10 apply IEC 62031 for electrical safety, thermal safety and mechanical safety. For a manufacturer or buyer, this means the horticultural use case does not replace the standard LED module safety checks for insulation, temperature and mechanical robustness.

Photobiological safety

Clause 11 is the most distinctive part of the document. Photobiological hazards are assessed according to IEC 62031 clause 11, but for industrial or professional use the document adds special rules if the module does not already comply.

Controls intended to interrupt emission, such as motion sensors or presence detectors, must be bypassed or disabled during photobiological assessment so the module runs continuously. That makes the hazard evaluation representative of worst-case emission.

If an industrial or professional module does not comply with IEC 62031 clause 11, it is assessed under IEC 62471 with all photobiological risks considered, and it is classified into risk groups. The assessment distance is 200 mm, which is important for setting up the test correctly.

Fault and abnormal conditions

Clauses 12 and 13 apply IEC 62031 for fault conditions and abnormal conditions. In practice, the module must remain acceptably safe when something goes wrong or when it operates outside normal conditions.

What terms does prEN IEC 63640:2026 define?

• LED module - In this document, this means a built-in LED module for horticultural lighting purposes.
• Independent LED module - A module of this type is treated as part of a luminaire rather than as a standalone replaceable light source.
• Without restriction for use - This classification is for modules intended for general use without the additional supervision expected for industrial or professional use.
• Industrial or professional use - This is for modules intended to be supervised by instructed or skilled persons and usually not user-replaceable.
• Photobiological hazard - This is the risk from optical radiation to eyes or skin that must be assessed for horticultural LED modules.
• Risk group - Under IEC 62471, this is the hazard class used when a module is assessed for photobiological risk.

Who uses prEN IEC 63640:2026?

prEN IEC 63640:2026 is used by manufacturers of horticultural LED modules, lighting design teams, test laboratories and certification bodies. It is also relevant to quality managers, compliance teams and buyers who need to confirm that a module is the right safety standard for horticultural use.

Installers and integrators use it when selecting modules for systems intended for industrial or professional supervision. For them, the intended-use classification and photobiological marking are especially important.

What changed in prEN IEC 63640:2026 from the previous edition?

prEN IEC 63640:2026 supersedes 34/1306/RVN and 34/1404/CD.

Which standards are used with prEN IEC 63640:2026?

• IEC 62471:2006 - Provides the photobiological safety assessment method and risk group classification used when IEC 62031 clause 11 is not sufficient.
• IEC 62031:202x - Provides the base safety requirements, terms and definitions, classification, general test conditions, marking, electrical safety, thermal safety, mechanical safety, fault conditions and abnormal conditions.
• IEC 63545:202x - Provides the horticultural lighting luminaire safety reference used for marking and technical literature when photobiological limits are exceeded.

What does the prEN IEC 63640:2026 document contain?

The document contains clauses for classification, general requirements, test conditions, marking and the main safety domains for LED modules: electrical, thermal, mechanical and photobiological safety. It also includes fault condition and abnormal condition requirements, so the safety review covers both normal operation and foreseeable misuse or failure.

Clause 11 is the most specialized part because it distinguishes between modules without restriction for use and those for industrial or professional use. The document relies on IEC 62031 for the underlying test framework and on IEC 62471 where a fuller photobiological assessment is needed.