EN IEC 60974-4:2025
(Main)Arc welding equipment - Part 4: Periodic inspection and testing
Arc welding equipment - Part 4: Periodic inspection and testing
IEC 60974-4:2025 specifies test procedures for periodic inspection and, after repair, to ensure electrical safety. These test procedures are also applicable for maintenance. This document is applicable to power sources for arc welding and allied processes designed in accordance with IEC 60974-1 or IEC 60974-6. Stand-alone ancillary equipment designed in accordance with other parts of IEC 60974 can be tested in accordance with relevant requirements of this part of IEC 60974. This document includes requirements for battery-powered arc welding power sources, which are given in Annex D. NOTE 1 The welding power source can be tested with any ancillary equipment fitted that can affect the test results. This document is not applicable to testing of new power sources or engine-driven power sources. NOTE 2 For a power source not built in accordance with IEC 60974-1, see Annex C. This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition published in 2016. This edition constitutes a technical revision. This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous edition: - examples for the measurements in respect of EN 50699, - consideration of measuring equipment in respect of IEC 61557 series, - more determinations of no-load voltage for welding equipment built according to IEC 60974-1:1998 and IEC 60974-1:1998/AMD1:2000 or earlier, - new Annex D providing additional information to be considered when testing battery-powered welding power sources and connected chargers.
Lichtbogenschweißeinrichtungen - Teil 4: Wiederkehrende Inspektion und Prüfung
Matériel de soudage à l'arc - Partie 4: Inspection et essais périodiques
L'IEC 60974-4:2025 spécifie les procédures d'essai pour l'inspection périodique, afin d'assurer la sécurité électrique après réparation. Ces procédures d'essai s'appliquent également à la maintenance. Le présent document s'applique aux sources de courant pour le soudage à l'arc et les techniques connexes conçues conformément à l'IEC 60974-1 ou l'IEC 60974-6. Les équipements auxiliaires indépendants conçus conformément à d'autres parties de l'IEC 60974 peuvent être soumis à l'essai conformément aux exigences correspondantes de la présente partie de l'IEC 60974. Le présent document inclut des exigences concernant les sources de courant de soudage à l'arc sur batterie, qui figurent à l'Annexe D. NOTE 1 La source de courant de soudage peut être soumise à l'essai avec tout équipement auxiliaire monté qui peut influencer les résultats d'essai. Le présent document ne s'applique pas aux essais des nouvelles sources de courant ou aux groupes électrogènes. NOTE 2 Pour une source de courant qui n'est pas conçue conformément à l'IEC 60974-1, voir Annexe C. Cette quatrième édition annule et remplace la troisième édition parue en 2016. Elle constitue une révision technique. Cette édition inclut les modifications techniques majeures suivantes par rapport à l'édition précédente: - exemple de mesurages en référence à l'EN 50699, - prise en compte de l'équipement de mesure en référence à la série IEC 61557, - autres déterminations de la tension à vide pour le matériel de soudage construit conformément à l'IEC 60974-1:1998 et l'IEC 60974-1:1998/AMD1:2000 ou une édition antérieure; - nouvelle Annexe D contenant des informations supplémentaires à prendre en compte lors des essais des sources de courant de soudage sur batterie et des chargeurs connectés.
Oprema za obločno varjenje - 4. del: Perodični pregledi in preskušanje (IEC 60974-4:2025)
General Information
Relations
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2025
Oprema za obločno varjenje - 4. del: Perodični pregledi in preskušanje (IEC 60974-
4:2025)
Arc welding equipment - Part 4: Periodic inspection and testing (IEC 60974-4:2025)
Lichtbogenschweißeinrichtungen - Teil 4: Wiederkehrende Inspektion und Prüfung (IEC
60974-4:2025)
Matériel de soudage à l'arc - Partie 4: Inspection et essais périodiques (IEC 60974-
4:2025)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN IEC 60974-4:2025
ICS:
25.160.30 Varilna oprema Welding equipment
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
EUROPEAN STANDARD EN IEC 60974-4
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM August 2025
ICS 25.160 Supersedes EN 60974-4:2016
English Version
Arc welding equipment - Part 4: Periodic inspection and testing
(IEC 60974-4:2025)
Matériel de soudage à l'arc - Partie 4: Inspection et essais Lichtbogenschweißeinrichtungen - Teil 4: Wiederkehrende
périodiques Inspektion und Prüfung
(IEC 60974-4:2025) (IEC 60974-4:2025)
This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2025-07-08. CENELEC members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC
Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.
Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre or to any CENELEC member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the
same status as the official versions.
CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Türkiye and the United Kingdom.
European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization
Comité Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique
Europäisches Komitee für Elektrotechnische Normung
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.
Ref. No. EN IEC 60974-4:2025 E
European foreword
The text of document 26/769/FDIS, future edition 4 of IEC 60974-4, prepared by TC 26 "Electric
welding" was submitted to the IEC-CENELEC parallel vote and approved by CENELEC as
The following dates are fixed:
• latest date by which the document has to be implemented at national (dop) 2026-08-31
level by publication of an identical national standard or by endorsement
• latest date by which the national standards conflicting with the (dow) 2028-08-31
document have to be withdrawn
This document supersedes EN 60974-4:2016 and all of its amendments and corrigenda (if any).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CENELEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national committee. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CENELEC website.
Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 60974-4:2025 was approved by CENELEC as a European
Standard without any modification.
In the official version, for Bibliography, the following note has to be added for the standard indicated:
IEC 60038:2009 NOTE Approved as EN 60038:2011
Annex ZA
(normative)
Normative references to international publications
with their corresponding European publications
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments)
applies.
NOTE 1 Where an International Publication has been modified by common modifications, indicated by (mod),
the relevant EN/HD applies.
NOTE 2 Up-to-date information on the latest versions of the European Standards listed in this annex is available
here: www.cencenelec.eu.
Publication Year Title EN/HD Year
IEC 60050-151 - International Electrotechnical Vocabulary (IEV) - - -
Part 151: Electrical and magnetic devices
IEC 60974-1 2021 Arc welding equipment - Part 1: Welding power EN IEC 60974-1 2022
sources
+ A11 2022
- - + A12 2023
- - + A13 2025
IEC 60974-6 2015 Arc welding equipment - Part 6: Limited duty EN 60974-6 2016
equipment
IEC 61140 - Protection against electric shock - Common EN 61140 -
aspects for installation and equipment
IEC 61557-2 2019 Electrical safety in low voltage distribution EN IEC 61557-2 2021
systems up to 1 000 V AC and 1 500 V DC -
Equipment for testing, measuring or monitoring
of protective measures - Part 2: Insulation
resistance
IEC 61557-4 2019 Electrical safety in low voltage distribution EN IEC 61557-4 2021
systems up to 1 000 V AC and 1 500 V DC -
Equipment for testing, measuring or monitoring
of protective measures - Part 4: Resistance of
earth connection and equipotential bonding
IEC 61557-16 2023 Electrical safety in low voltage distribution EN IEC 61557-16 2024
systems up to 1 000 V AC and 1 500 V DC -
Equipment for testing, measuring or monitoring
of protective measures - Part 16: Equipment for
testing the effectiveness of the protective
measures of electrical equipment and/or medical
electrical equipment
IEC 60974-4 ®
Edition 4.0 2025-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Arc welding equipment –
Part 4: Periodic inspection and testing
Matériel de soudage à l'arc –
Partie 4: Inspection et essais périodiques
ICS 25.160 ISBN 978-2-8327-0462-2
IEC 60974-4:2025-06(en-fr)
– 2 – IEC 60974-4:2025 © IEC 2025
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 General requirements . 9
4.1 Qualification of personnel . 9
4.2 Test conditions . 9
4.3 Measuring instruments . 9
4.4 PERIODIC INSPECTION and testing. 9
4.5 MAINTENANCE . 9
4.6 Test after REPAIR . 10
4.7 Test sequence . 10
5 Protection against electrical shock . 10
5.1 VISUAL INSPECTION . 10
5.2 Continuity of the protective circuit . 11
5.3 Insulation resistance . 11
5.4 WELDING CIRCUIT TOUCH CURRENT . 12
5.5 TOUCH CURRENT in normal condition . 13
5.6 Protective conductor current . 14
5.7 NO-LOAD VOLTAGE (U ) . 15
6 Functional test . 17
6.1 General . 17
6.2 Supply-circuit on/off switching device . 17
6.3 Voltage-reducing device. 17
6.4 Magnetic gas valve . 17
6.5 Signal and control lamps . 17
7 Documentation . 18
7.1 Test report . 18
7.2 Labelling . 18
Annex A (informative) Checklist for the VISUAL INSPECTION . 19
Annex B (informative) Example of a test report after REPAIR . 20
Annex C (informative) Equipment not built in accordance with current IEC 60974-1 . 21
C.1 Welding equipment not built in accordance with IEC 60974-1 . 21
C.2 Determination of NO-LOAD VOLTAGE for welding equipment built according to
IEC 60974-1:1998 and IEC 60974-1:1998/AMD1:2000 or earlier . 21
Annex D (normative) Battery-powered WELDING POWER SOURCES . 22
D.1 General . 22
D.2 Protection against electrical shock . 22
D.2.1 VISUAL INSPECTION . 22
D.2.2 Continuity of the protective circuit . 23
D.2.3 Insulation resistance . 23
D.2.4 WELDING CIRCUIT TOUCH CURRENT. 23
D.2.5 TOUCH CURRENT in normal condition . 23
D.2.6 Protective conductor current . 23
D.2.7 NO-LOAD VOLTAGE (U ) . 23
IEC 60974-4:2025 © IEC 2025 – 3 –
D.3 Functional tests . 23
Bibliography . 24
Figure 1 – Example for the measurement of insulation resistance . 12
Figure 2 – Example for the measurement of WELDING CIRCUIT TOUCH CURRENT . 13
Figure 3 – Example for the measurement of TOUCH CURRENT in normal condition . 13
Figure 4 – Principles of protective conductor current measurement for single phase
equipment . 15
Figure 5 – Measurement of RMS values. 16
Figure 6 – Measurement of peak values . 16
Table 1 – Test sequence on used arc welding equipment . 10
Table 2 – Insulation resistance . 11
Table 3 – Allowable NO-LOAD VOLTAGEs depending on the environment . 15
– 4 – IEC 60974-4:2025 © IEC 2025
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
ARC WELDING EQUIPMENT –
Part 4: Periodic inspection and testing
FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international
co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To this end and
in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications, Technical Reports,
Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as "IEC Publication(s)"). Their
preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested in the subject dealt with
may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-governmental organizations liaising
with the IEC also participate in this preparation. IEC collabora
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