EN IEC 60068-2-38:2021

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-julij-2021
Nadomešča:
SIST EN 60068-2-38:2010
Okoljsko preskušanje - 2-38. del: Preskusi - Preskus Z/AD: Sestavljeni ciklični
preskus s temperaturo in vlago (IEC 60068-2-38:2021)
Environmental testing - Part 2-38: Tests - Test Z/AD: Composite temperature/humidity
cyclic test (IEC 60068-2-38:2021)
Umgebungseinflüsse - Teil 2-38: Prüfverfahren - Prüfung Z/AD: Zusammengesetzte
Prüfung, Temperatur/Feuchte, zyklisch (IEC 60068-2-38:2021)
Essais d'environnement - Partie 2-38: Essais - Essai Z/AD: Essai cyclique composite de
température et d'humidité (IEC 60068-2-38:2021)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN IEC 60068-2-38:2021
ICS:
19.040 Preskušanje v zvezi z Environmental testing
okoljem
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD EN IEC 60068-2-38

NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
April 2021
ICS 19.040 Supersedes EN 60068-2-38:2009 and all of its
amendments and corrigenda (if any)
English Version
Environmental testing - Part 2-38: Tests - Test Z/AD: Composite
temperature/humidity cyclic test
(IEC 60068-2-38:2021)
Essais d'environnement - Partie 2-38: Essais - Essai Z/AD: Umgebungseinflüsse - Teil 2-38: Prüfverfahren - Prüfung
Essai cyclique composite de température et d'humidité Z/AD: Zusammengesetzte Prüfung, Temperatur/Feuchte,
(IEC 60068-2-38:2021) zyklisch
(IEC 60068-2-38:2021)
This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 2021-04-29. 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,
Turkey 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
© 2021 CENELEC All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved worldwide for CENELEC Members.
Ref. No. EN IEC 60068-2-38:2021 E

European foreword
The text of document 104/891/FDIS, future edition 3 of IEC 60068-2-38, prepared by IEC/TC 104
"Environmental conditions, classification and methods of test" was submitted to the IEC-CENELEC
parallel vote and approved by CENELEC as EN IEC 60068-2-38:2021.
The following dates are fixed:
• latest date by which the document has to be implemented at national (dop) 2022-01-29
level by publication of an identical national standard or by endorsement
• latest date by which the national standards conflicting with the (dow) 2024-04-29
document have to be withdrawn
This document supersedes EN 60068-2-38:2009 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.

Endorsement notice
The text of the International Standard IEC 60068-2-38:2021 was approved by CENELEC as a
European Standard without any modification.
In the official version, for Bibliography, the following notes have to be added for the standards
indicated:
IEC 60068-2-30 NOTE Harmonized as EN 60068-2-30
IEC 60068-2-78 NOTE Harmonized as EN 60068-2-78
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.cenelec.eu.
Publication Year Title EN/HD Year
IEC 60068-1 - Environmental testing - Part 1: General and EN 60068-1 -
guidance
IEC 60068-2-67 - Environmental testing - Part 2-67: Tests - EN 60068-2-67 -
Test Cy: Damp heat, steady state,
accelerated test primarily intended for
components
IEC 60068-2-38 ®
Edition 3.0 2021-03
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Environmental testing –
Part 2-38: Tests – Test Z/AD: Composite temperature/humidity cyclic test

Essais d'environnement –
Partie 2-38: Essais – Essai Z/AD: Essai cyclique composite de température

et d'humidité
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 19.040 ISBN 978-2-8322-9586-1

– 2 – IEC 60068-2-38:2021 © IEC 2021
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 General . 6
4.1 Description of the test . 6
4.2 Application of the test . 7
5 Description of test chamber . 8
5.1 General . 8
5.2 Chamber for exposure to moisture . 8
5.3 Chamber for exposure to cold . 8
6 Severities . 9
7 Testing procedure . 9
7.1 Preconditioning . 9
7.2 Initial measurements . 10
7.3 Conditioning . 10
7.4 Test cycle . 13
7.4.1 Description of temperature/humidity subcycle . 13
7.4.2 Description of cold subcycle . 14
7.4.3 Description of 24 h cycles with no exposure to cold . 15
7.4.4 Description of final cycle . 15
7.4.5 Intermediate measurements. 15
7.5 Final measurements . 17
7.5.1 Introductory remarks . 17
7.5.2 At high humidity . 18
7.5.3 Immediately upon removal from the chamber . 18
7.5.4 After final drying . 18
8 Information to be given in the relevant specification . 18
9 Information to be given in the test report. 19
Annex A (informative) Supporting documentation for test sequence . 20
A.1 General . 20
A.2 Preconditioning . 20
A.3 Exposure to humidity followed by exposure to cold . 21
A.4 Exposure to humidity not followed by exposure to cold. 22
Bibliography . 23

Figure 1 – Preconditioning . 10
Figure 2 – Exposure to humidity followed by exposure to cold. 12
Figure 3 – Exposure to humidity not followed by exposure to cold . 13
Figure 4 – Test times for intermediate operation of specimen – Exposure to humidity
followed by exposure to cold . 16
Figure 5 – Test times for intermediate operation of specimen – Exposure to humidity
not followed by exposure to cold . 17

IEC 60068-2-38:2021 © IEC 2021 – 3 –
Table A.1 – Relative humidity tolerances . 20
Table A.2 – Temperature tolerances . 20
Table A.3 – Tolerances of relative humidity and temperature during exposure to
humidity followed by exposure to cold . 21
Table A.4 – Tolerances of relative humidity and temperature during exposure to

humidity not followed by exposure to cold . 22

– 4 – IEC 60068-2-38:2021 © IEC 2021
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING –
Part 2-38: Tests –
Test Z/AD: Composite temperature/humidity cyclic test

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 collaborates closely with the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
Committees in that sense. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure that the technical content of IEC
Publications is accurate, IEC cannot be held responsible for the way in which they are used or for any
misinterpretation by any end user.
4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
transparently to the maximum extent possible in their national and regional publications. Any divergence between
any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or reg
...