IEC 61300-2-33:2026

IEC 61300-2-33 ®
Edition 4.0 2026-04
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
COMMENTED VERSION
Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components - Basic test and
measurement procedures -
Part 2-33: Tests - Assembly and disassembly of fibre optic mechanical splices,
fibre management systems, protective housings and hardened connectors
ICS 33.180.20 ISBN 978-2-8327-1197-2
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CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 2
1 Scope . 4
2 Normative references . 4
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 General description . 5
5 Procedure . 6
5.1 Preparation of the specimen DUT . 6
5.2 Procedure A: Re-installation of an optical mechanical splice after
disassembly . 6
5.3 Procedure B: Optical stability during product reconfiguration of fibre
management systems and protective housings . 6
5.4 Procedure C: Sealing performance after frequent opening and closing of the

enclosures protective housing . 7
5.5 Procedure D: Verification of the sealing performance after frequent mating
and demating of a hardened connector . 7
5.6 Ageing procedure . 7
6 Severity . 9
7 Details to be specified and reported. 9
Annex A (informative) Installation and intervention procedure for closure protective
housing – Optical stability . 11
Bibliography .
List of comments . 13

Table 1 – Ageing procedure between two cycles of assembly and disassembly of fibre

optic mechanical splices and closures, protective housings and hardened connectors . 8
Table 2 – Number of assembly-disassembly cycles for different operating
environments . 9

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components -
Basic test and measurement procedures -
Part 2-33: Tests - Assembly and disassembly of fibre optic
mechanical splices, fibre management systems and closures, protective
housings and hardened connectors

FOREWORD
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This commented version (CMV) of the official standard IEC 61300-2-33:2026 edition 4.0 allows
the user to identify the changes made to the previous IEC 61300-2-33:2012 edition 3.0.
Furthermore, comments from IEC TC SC 86B experts are provided to explain the reasons of
the most relevant changes, or to clarify any part of the content.
A vertical bar appears in the margin wherever a change has been made. Additions are in green
text, deletions are in strikethrough red text. Experts' comments are identified by a blue-
background number. Mouse over a number to display a pop-up note with the comment.
This publication contains the CMV and the official standard. The full list of comments is available
at the end of the CMV.
IEC 61300-2-33 has been prepared by subcommittee 86B: Fibre optic interconnecting devices
and passive components, of IEC technical committee 86: Fibre optics. It is an International
Standard.
This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition published in 2012. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) update of the terms and definitions according to IEC 61753-1:2018 and IEC 61756-1:2019;
b) update of the test severities according to the new edition of IEC 61753-1:2018;
c) addition of procedure D to verify the sealing performance after frequent mating and
demating of a hardened connector.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
86B/5175/FDIS 86B/5201/RVD
Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
The list of all parts of IEC 61300 series, published under the general title, Fibre optic
interconnecting devices and passive components - Basic test and measurement procedures,
can be found on the IEC website.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement, available
at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by IEC are
described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
– reconfirmed,
– withdrawn, or
– revised.
1 Scope
This part of IEC 61300, evaluates the assembly and reassembly behaviour of a fibre optic
mechanical splice, a fibre management system, or a closure for a protective housing 1 or a
hardened connector 2 after being subjected to a specified number of times assembly and
disassembly operations.
The test procedures described in this document simulate the following conditions which may be
encountered during the component's service lifetime that the component can encounter during
its service lifetime to check the following performance characteristics:
– the abilitycapability of an optical mechanical splice to be reinstalled after being
disassembled;
– the abilitycapability to re-enter reintroduce fibre management systems and closures
protective housings, accessing fibres and optical components and making reconfigurations
without disturbing transmission in adjacent fibre circuits;
– verification of the sealing performance after frequent opening and closing of enclosures.
– sealing performance of the protective housing after frequent opening and closing operations;
– sealing performance of the hardened connector after frequent mating and demating
operations. 3
2 Normative references
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.
IEC 61300-1, Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components - Basic test and
measurement procedures - Part 1: General and guidance
IEC 61300-2-22, Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components - Basic test and
measurement procedures - Part 2-22: Tests - Change of temperature
IEC 61300-3-28, Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components - Basic test and
measurement procedures - Part 3-28: Examinations and measurements - Transient loss
IEC 61753 (all parts), Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components -
Performance standard
IEC 61753-1, Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components - Performance
standard - Part 1: General and guidance for performance standards
IEC 61753-131 (all parts), Fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components -
Performance standard: Single-mode mechanical fibre splice
IEC 62005 (all parts), Reliability of fibre optic interconnecting devices and passive components
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions found in IEC 61753-1
and IEC 61756-1 apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
– IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
– ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
closure
all external housings except outdoor cabinets
3.2
fibre management system
system to control fibre routing from the incoming to the outgoing fibres
3.3
re-entry
access to the fibre management system after initial installation
3.4
mechanical splice
a fibre splice accomplished by fixtures or materials, rather than by thermal fusion
Note 1 to entry: Index matching material may be applied between the two fibre ends.
4 General description
ThreeFour test procedures are described. Procedure A tests the capability of an optical
mechanical splice to be reinstalled after being disassembled. Procedure B tests the capability
to reintroduce fibre management systems and closures protective housings, accessing fibres
and optical components and making reconfigurations without disturbing transmission in
adjacent fibre circuits. Procedure C verifies the sealing performance of the protective housing
after frequent opening and closing of enclosures operations. Procedure D verifies the sealing
performance of a hardened connector after frequent mating and demating operations. 4
The mechanical splice, fibre management system, protective housing or (en)closure hardened
connector shall be assembled and reassembled following the manufacturer's instructions a
specified number of times, including any specified cleaning or recovery procedure.
The test shall be performed according to requirements referenced in IEC 61753-1 the relevant
IEC 61753 series performance standards or IEC 62005 series reliability documents. Assembly
and disassembly of the mechanical splice, fibre management system or closure shall be carried
out at room temperature, unless otherwise specified, protective housing or hardened connector
shall be carried out at standard atmospheric conditions according to IEC 61300-1.
5 Procedure
5.1 Preparation of the specimen DUT
Assembly tools and consumable materials, as specified by the manufacturer, shall be used.
5.2 Procedure A: Re-installation of an optical mechanical splice after disassembly
General description of the steps for procedure A.
a) Assemble the mechanical splice according to the manufacturer's installation instructions
using the specified fibre or cable.
a) Perform any required examination and measurements as specified in the relevant
IEC 61753-131 series performance standards or IEC 62005 series reliability documents.
b) Perform the temperature ageing cycle as specified in the relevant performance standard.
When not specified the ageing cycle as defined in Table 1 shall be used. After the ageing
cycle is completed, allow the specimen DUT to recover at ambient temperature standard
atmospheric conditions for at least 2 hours.
c) Disassemble the mechanical splice to the specified extent or to the point that all internal
fibres and devices can be accessed or removed.
d) Perform any specified cleaning and fibre preparation operations specified in the relevant
IEC 61753-131 series performance standards or IEC 62005 series reliability documents.
e) Reinstall the mechanical splice according to the manufacturer's instructions.
f) Perform any required examinations and measurements as specified in the relevant
specification IEC 61753-131 series performance standard.
g) Repeat steps c) through g) for the number of cycles specified in Table 2.
5.3 Procedure B: Optical stability during product reconfiguration of fibre
management systems and protective housings
General description of the steps for procedure B.
a) Assemble the (en)closure protective housing or fibre management system according to the
manufacturer's instructions using the specified fibre or cable. Build an optical circuit as
specified in the relevant IEC 61753 series performance standards or IEC 62005 series
reliability documents.
b) Perform any required examination and measurements as specified in the relevant
IEC 61753 series performance standards or IEC 62005 series reliability documents. The
change in attenuationin the optical circuit shall be measured with the transient loss
procedure, IEC 61300-3-28, when performing steps 3, 4 and 5. The transient loss in the
optical circuit shall be measured according to IEC 61300-3-28 when performing the steps c)
and d).
c) The handling operations installation and intervention procedures shall be performed as
specified in the relevant IEC 61753 series performance standards or IEC 62005 series
reliability documents (see Annex A for a typical example). The (en)closure shall be
disassembled to the specified extent or to the point that the internal fibres and devices can
be accessed or removed.
d) Perform the specified reconfiguration operations.
d) Close and secure the fibre management system and or reassemble the (en)closure
protective housing according to the manufacturer's instructions.
5.4 Procedure C: Sealing performance after frequent opening and closing of the
enclosures protective housing
General description of the steps for procedure C.
a) Assemble the (en)closure protective housing according to the manufacturer's installation
instructions using the specified fibre or cable.
b) Perform any required examination and check sealing performance as specified in the
relevant IEC 61753 series performance standards.
c) When specified in the performance standard, perform the specified temperature ageing
cycle. After the ageing cycle is completed, allow the (en)closure protective housing to
recover at ambient temperature standard atmospheric conditions for at least 4 h.
d) Disassemble the (en)closure protective housing to the specified extent or to the point that
all internal fibres and devices can be accessed or removed.
e) Reinstall the (en)closure protective housing according to the manufacturer's installation
instructions.
f) Perform any required examinations and check sealing performance as specified in the
relevant specification IEC 61753 series performance standards.
g) Repeat steps c) through f) for the number of cycles specified in Table 2.
5.5 Procedure D: Verification of the sealing performance after frequent mating and
demating of a hardened connector
General description of the steps for procedure D.
a) Mate the hardened fibre optic plug connector to the socket or adapter connector according
to the manufacturer's installation instructions using the specified connector or test fixture.
b) Perform any required examination and check sealing performance as specified in the
relevant IEC 61753 series performance standards.
c) When specified in the performance standard, perform the specified temperature ageing
cycle. After the ageing cycle allow the hardened connector to recover at standard
atmospheric conditions for at least 4 h.
d) Demate the hardened fibre optic plug connector from the socket or adapter connector.
e) Remate the hardened fibre optic plug connector to the socket or adapter connector
according to the manufacturer's installation instructions.
f) Perform any required examinations and check sealing performance as specified in the
relevant IEC 61753 series performance standards.
g) Repeat steps c) through f) for the number of cycles specified in Table 2.
5.6 Ageing procedure
If specified in the relevant IEC 61753 series performance standards or IEC 62005 series
reliability documents, the product shall be submitted to an ageing process between assembly
and disassembly operations. The major reason for the ageing process is to speed up the creep
of the polymeric materials in the alignment area or sealing area after a reintroduction is
completed.
The purpose of the ageing procedure includes:
– identification of the design failures;
– identification of manufacturing defects;
– impact of product ageing on assembly and disassembly.
Table 1 shows ageing conditions. The ageing conditions are based on the operating
environmental conditions performance categories given in IEC 61753-1.
Table 1 – Ageing procedure between two cycles of assembly and disassembly of fibre
optic mechanical splices and closures, protective housings and hardened connectors
Operating environment
Ageing conditions IEC 61300-2-22
Performance categories 5
Ageing conditions for procedure A: mechanical splices
–10 °C ± 2 °C to +60 °C ± 2 °C
2 h duration at extremes
Controlled C
1 °C/min rate of change
At least 1 cycle 6
-40–10 °C ± 2 °C to +70 °C ± 2 °C
2 h duration at extremes
HD
Uncontrolled U C
1 °C/min rate of change
At least 1 cycle
-40–25 °C ± 2 °C to +8570 °C ± 2 °C
2 h duration at extremes
Extreme E OP
1 °C/min rate of change
At least 1 cycle
Ageing conditions for Procedure C: Closures
-10–25 °C ±± 2 °C to +6085 °C ±± 2 °C
42 h duration at extremes
HD
Controlled COP
1 °C/min rate of change
At least 1 cycle
–40 °C ± 2 °C to +6575 °C ± 2 °C
42 h duration at extremes
Aerial AOP+
1 °C/min rate of change
At least 1 cycle
–40 °C ± 2 °C to +6585 °C ± 2 °C
42 h duration at extremes
HD
Ground GOP+
1 °C/min rate of change
At least 1 cycle
-30–40 °C ± 2 °C to +6085 °C ± 2 °C
42 h duration at extremes
Subterranean SE
1 °C/min rate of change
At least 1 cycle
Ageing conditions for procedure C: protective housings and procedure D: hardened connectors
–10 °C ± 2 °C to +60 °C ± 2 °C
4 h duration at extremes
C
1 °C/min rate of change
At least 1 cycle
–40 °C ± 2 °C to +65 °C ± 2 °C
4 h duration at extremes
A
1 °C/min rate of change
At least 1 cycle
Operating environment
Ageing conditions IEC 61300-2-22
Performance categories 5
–40 °C ± 2 °C to +65 °C ± 2 °C
4 h duration at extremes
G
1 °C/min rate of change
At least 1 cycle
–30 °C ± 2 °C to +60 °C ± 2 °C
4 h duration at extremes
S
1 °C/min rate of change
At least 1 cycle
After ageing is completed, allow test specimens samples to recover at ambient temperature
standard atmospheric conditions for at least 2 hhours for mechanical splices and 4 hours for
(en)closures protective housings and hardened connectors.
6 Severity
The severity for procedures A, C, and D are determined by the number of assembly and
disassembly cycles as indicated in Table 2.
Table 2 – Number of assembly-disassembly cycles
for different operating environments
Operating environment Number of assembly-disassembly cycles Number of ageing cycles
Performance categories between each assembly-
disassembly cycle
Procedure A: mechanical splices
HD
5 1
Controlled C and C
Uncontrolled UOP, OP+ 5 1
HD HD
OP and OOP+
Extreme E 5 1
Procedure C: Closuresprotective housings and procedure D: hardened connectors 7
Controlled C 10 5 1
Aerial A 10 5 1
Ground G 10 5 1
Subterranean S S 10 5 1
NOTE There are no cycles in procedure B and therefore no severity requirements
a
The ageing procedure between each disassembly/assembly cycle shall be conducted according to Table 2
Table 1.
7 Details to be specified and reported
The following details, as applicable, shall be specified in the relevant specification as noted
below and shall be reported in the test report:
– test procedure;
– test specimen configuration;
– number of test specimens;
– preconditioning of test specimen;
– number of assembly and disassembly cycles;
– temperature condition for assembly and disassembly;
– ageing process between two assembly/disassembly cycles;
– number of ageing cycles between each assembly/disassembly cycle;
– description of installation and/or intervention operations (see Annex A for example of
closure);
– initial examinations and measurements and performance requirements;
– recovery procedure for the mechanical splice, fibre management system or (en)closure;
– final examinations and measurements and performance requirements;
– deviations from the manufacturer’s assembly/disassembly instructions;
– additional pass/fail criteria.
a) test conditions (see Clause 5):
1) description of installation or intervention operations, or both (see Annex A for example
of protective housing);
2) test sample configuration;
3) number of test samples;
4) ageing process between two assembly-disassembly cycles;
b) procedure used (see Clause 5);
c) recovery procedure (see 5.6);
d) severity:
1) number of assembly and disassembly cycles (see Table 2);
2) temperature condition for assembly and disassembly (see Clause 4);
3) number of ageing cycles between each assembly-disassembly cycle (see Table 2);
e) initial examinations and measurements and performance requirements (see Clause 5);
f) examinations and measurements during test and performance requirements (see Clause 5);
g) final examinations, measurements, calculations and
...