IEC GUIDE 122:2024

IEC GUIDE 122 ®
Edition 1.0 2024-03
GUIDE
GUIDE
Guide for defining halogen content terminology in IEC standards

Guide pour la définition de la terminologie relative à la teneur en halogènes dans
les normes IEC
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IEC GUIDE 122 ®
Edition 1.0 2024-03
GUIDE
GUIDE
Guide for defining halogen content terminology in IEC standards

Guide pour la définition de la terminologie relative à la teneur en halogènes

dans les normes IEC
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
INTERNATIONALE
ICS 13.020.01  ISBN 978-2-8322-8674-6

– 2 – IEC GUIDE 122:2024  IEC 2024
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms . 7
3.1 Terms and definitions . 7
3.2 Abbreviated terms . 9
4 The use of halogens in EEE and associated terminology . 9
4.1 Halogens in electrical and electronic equipment . 9
4.2 Currently used terminology . 9
4.3 Overview of currently used halogen content terminology in standards . 13
4.3.1 General . 13
4.3.2 Non-halogenated and non-halogen . 13
4.3.3 Non-chlorine and non-bromine . 13
4.3.4 Halogen-free . 13
4.3.5 Zero-halogen . 14
4.3.6 Low-halogen . 14
4.3.7 Halogenated . 15
4.3.8 Fluorinated, chlorinated, brominated, and iodinated . 15
4.3.9 Halogen containing . 15
5 Recommendations on how to employ halogen content terminology . 15
5.1 General . 15
5.2 Recommendations on the use of halogen content terms . 16
5.2.1 General . 16
5.2.2 Non-halogenated . 16
5.2.3 Halogen-free . 16
5.2.4 Zero-halogen . 17
5.2.5 Low-halogen . 17
5.2.6 Halogenated . 17
5.3 Recommendations on halogen content terminology in existing and new
standards . 18
5.3.1 Halogen content terminology in existing IEC standards . 18
5.3.2 Employing halogen content terminology in new IEC standards . 18
5.4 Test methodology considerations . 18
Annex A (informative) Examples of existing standards, legislation and policies that
include halogen content terminology . 20
Annex B (informative) Background information on halogens . 40
B.1 Background and typical application of halogens in EEE . 40
B.2 Safety and health considerations of halogenated substances . 41
Bibliography . 42

Table 1 – Examples of halogen content terminology used in standards and legislation . 10
Table A.1 – Examples of halogen content terminology used in standards (IEC and
other SDOs) . 21
Table A.2 – Examples of halogen content terminology used in legislation and policies . 37

INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
GUIDE FOR DEFINING HALOGEN CONTENT
TERMINOLOGY IN IEC STANDARDS
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,
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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
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any IEC Publication and the corresponding national or regional publication shall be clearly indicated in the latter.
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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
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9) IEC draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
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the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at https://patents.iec.ch. IEC
shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC Guide 122 has been prepared in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1, Annex A,
by the IEC Advisory Committee on Environmental Aspects (ACEA).
The text of this IEC Guide is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
SMBNC/56/DV SMBNC/60/RV
Full information on the voting for the approval of this Guide can be found in the report on voting
indicated in the above table.
The language used for the development of this Guide is English.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and
developed in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC

– 4 – IEC GUIDE 122:2024  IEC 2024
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/standardsdev/publications.

INTRODUCTION
IEC and other standards development organizations (SDOs), as well as numerous
environmental performance programmes worldwide (such as Blue Angel in Europe and EPEAT
in the US), are developing standards for the determination, quantification, and possible
limitation of halogen content in materials and products.
There are multiple reasons for such interest in the use and amounts of elemental halogens and
certain halogenated compounds in materials and products, including:
– the health and safety of workers and end users;
– the safety of people, animals and goods in the event of fire;
– the minimization of adverse environmental impacts;
– the demonstration of compliance with product legislation;
– business and commercial interests.
NOTE 1 The list above is not prioritized by level of importance.
NOTE 2 More information about fire retardancy in relation to halogens is provided in Clause B.2.
An analysis of standards developed by different IEC committees reveals differences in
terminology, and differences in the halogens concerned and their associated threshold (see
Annex A). Similar differences are also observed with respect to other standards such as
regional (CEN, CENELEC, UL), national (IPC, JEDEC) and sectorial publications (e.g. in the
railways domain).
The definitions related to halogen content in standards developed by IEC and other SDOs
exhibit differences such as the following (see more details in Annex A).
– Different terms like halogen-free, non-halogenated, zero-halogen, and low-halogen are
often used to express the same or similar halogen content.
– Different limits for the halogens (either as individual limits or as a total halogen content) are
used, while often they are referred to using the same term.
– Different standards use similar terms (e.g. non-halogenated) when referring to different sets
of halogens, e.g. chlorine and bromine only, or all four halogens – fluorine, chlorine,
bromine, and iodine.
– Different standards cover different forms of halogen (elemental halogens, brominated or
chlorinated compounds, etc.) and yet use the same terminology to refer to them.
– Different standards covering different product scopes, like electrical and electronic
equipment (EEE) or certain product parts such as cables and cable management systems
and printed circuit boards (PCBs), use inconsistent terminology or requirements.
There are many reasons for the observed differences in the various standards, such as the
following.
– The scope of SDOs is focused on developing vertical standards on specific categories of
product.
– Stakeholders did not include a complete representation of the scope of the SDO in question.
– Standards were created at different moments in time, with more recent publications using
newer data and terminology.
– Stakeholders during different standardization activities can have a different knowledge base
or perspective of halogenated substances and materials, their perceived risks, or links to
specific legislation.
– 6 – IEC GUIDE 122:2024  IEC 2024
Differences in the various definitions bring confusion among the users of IEC standards and of
other standards related to halogen content. Especially for manufacturers, traders and users of
finished goods, the claims that can be associated with these different standards can appear as
"greenwashing". While the specification of test methods and requirements is the responsibility
of individual IEC product or systems committees, harmonization of the terminology associated
with halogen content across committees would be beneficial.
This Guide, therefore, provides recommendations on how IEC committees can best employ
harmonized terminology that is suitable to the halogen-content-related requirements in a
scientifically sound, uniform, verifiable, and environmentally relevant way.
It also complements IEC Guide 109 [1] , which describes the general principles of specifying
environmental aspects in IEC standards.
Standards that include halogen content provisions cover not only environmental matters, but
often have a broad scope also covering health, safety and fire-related matters, thus going
beyond ACEA's scope. In recognition of this, and in order to collect input from other domains,
this Guide was circulated for comment to the following IEC, ISO and CLC committees:
– IEC: TC 8, TC 15, TC 18, SC 18A, TC 20, TC 21, TC 23, TC 34, TC 46, SC 46A, SC 46C,
TC 47, TC 59, TC 65, SC 65C, TC 86, SC 86A, TC 89, TC 91, TC 100, TC 110, TC 111,
TC 112, TC 120, TC 121, TC 147 and ACOS.
– ISO: TC 34/SC 11, TC 61/SC 5, TC 61/SC 9, TC 92/SC 3, TC 147/SC 2 and TC 207.
– CLC: TC 213.
The following IEC committees (including relevant subcommittees) made active contributions to
the development of this Guide: TC 20, TC 23, TC 46, TC 47, SC 86A, TC 91 and TC 111.
In this Guide:
– the term "committees" includes technical committees (TCs), project committees (PCs),
subcommittees (SCs), systems committees (SyCs), and advisory committees (ACs).
– the term "standard" includes International Standard (IS), Technical Report (TR), Technical
Specification (TS), and Publicly Available Specification (PAS), where the document types
are those defined in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

___________
Numbers in square brackets refer to the Bibliography.

GUIDE FOR DEFINING HALOGEN CONTENT
TERMINOLOGY IN IEC STANDARDS
1 Scope
This Guide raises awareness and provides recommendation on the use of consistent
terminology related to halogen content for use in horizontal and product-specific IEC standards.
The terminology related to halogen content provided in this Guide does not take into
consideration astatine (At) and the artificially created tennessine (Ts), since they are not used
in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). Diatomic halogen molecules (F , Cl , Br , I ),
2 2 2 2
normally not found in EEE, are also excluded from the terminology recommended in this Guide.
NOTE The IEC Standardization Management Board (SMB) has decided that Guides such as this one can have
mandatory requirements which shall be followed by all IEC committees developing technical work that falls within the
scope of the Guide, as well as guidance which may or may not be followed. The mandatory requirements in this
Guide are identified by the use of "shall". Statements that are only for guidance are identified by using the verb
"should". (See ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement:2021, A.1.1.).
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions 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
3.1.1
halogen
fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br) or iodine (I)
Note 1 to entry: Together the four halogens plus astatine (At) constitute the group of the periodic table that in the
past was known as "group VIIA". In the current IUPAC nomenclature, it is known as "group 17".
Note 2 to entry: For the purposes of this document, astatine (At) is not included in this definition because it is not
known to be used in EEE. Similarly, the artificially created element tennessine (Ts) can also be considered a halogen
but it is not known to be used in products in general.
3.1.2
halogen content
quantity of all halogens in a material, product or product part
Note 1 to entry: Halogen content is typically defined in mass or mass fraction (e.g. mg or mg/kg). Any expression
of halogen content mass fraction is best accompanied by a clear unit basis. Parts per million (ppm) alone is not
sufficient.
– 8 – IEC GUIDE 122:2024  IEC 2024
3.1.3
environment
surroundings in which a product or system exists, including air, water, land, natural resources,
flora, fauna, humans and their interrelation
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-904:2014, 904-01-01]
3.1.4
environmental impact
change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partly resulting from
environmental aspects
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-904:2014, 904-01-03]
3.1.5
greenwashing
description of one or more properties of a good or service that overstates the environmental
performance or environmental benefit provided by that good or service
3.1.6
material
substance or mixture of substances within a product or product part
[SOURCE: IEC 62474:2018, 3.15]
3.1.7
formulation
list of ingredients and their proportions, used in the preparation of a material
[SOURCE: ISO 1382:2020, 3.217, modified – In the definition, "compounding ingredients" has
been replaced by "ingredients" and "compound" has been replaced by "material".]
3.1.8
trace contaminant
substance that is present in a minimal concentration, below which the substance cannot be
meaningfully used, and above the detection limit of existing detection methods to enable control
and enforcement
[SOURCE: REGULATION (EU) 2019/1021 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE
COUNCIL of 20 June 2019 on persistent organic pollutants (recast), Definition (12), modified –
"unintentional" has been deleted from the term. In the definition, "level of a" and "incidentally"
have been deleted, and "amount" has been replaced by "concentration" for conformity with
ISO 80000-9:2019, 9-12.1.]
3.1.9
background level
concentration of a substance in an environmental medium (air, water, or soil) that occurs
naturally or is not the result of human activities
[SOURCE: EEA (European Environmental Agency) Glossary]

3.2 Abbreviated terms
BFR brominated flame retardant
CFR chlorinated flame retardant
CPSC Consumer Product Safety Commission
EEE electrical and electronic equipment
ETFE ethylene tetrafluoroethylene
FEP fluorinated ethylene propylene
GABA gamma-aminobutyric acid
potassium perfluorobutane sulfonic acid and its salts
KPFBS
MCCP medium chain chlorinated paraffins
PBB polybrominated biphenyls
PBDE polybrominated diphenyl ethers
PCB printed circuit board
PFA perfluoroalkoxy alkanes
PFOA perfluorooctanoic acid and its salts
PFOS perfluorooctanesulfonic acid and its salts
ppm parts per million
PTFE polytetrafluoroethylene
PVC polyvinylchloride
PVF polyvinyl fluoride
PVF2 polyvinylidene difluoride
SCCP short chain chlorinated paraffins
SDO standards development organization
4 The use of halogens in EEE and associated terminology
4.1 Halogens in electrical and electronic equipment
Halogens can be included in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), whether additively,
reactively or through polymerization, to provide or improve specific characteristics of materials
such as, but not limited to:
– performance properties (e.g. thermal, mechanical, electrical);
– fire behaviour;
– manufacturability or ease of installation.
A detailed summary of the use of halogenated substances in EEE is provided in Annex B.
The presence of halogens can also originate from natural occurrence, residues left from
synthesis, or contamination.
4.2 Currently used terminology
In order to provide guidance for future reference when using terminology related to halogen
content, one must first understand how and where these terms are currently used, as well as
the context in which they are used. With this in mind, this Guide attempts to collect the currently
used terminology and to outline why there is a need going forward to align to specific terms to
reduce confusion within the broader industry and within the supply chain in general.

– 10 – IEC GUIDE 122:2024  IEC 2024
Table 1 and 4.3.1 to 4.3.9 present a non-exhaustive overview and discussion of how various
halogen content terminology is used, including specific applications and the requirements
associated with them. Annex A provides more detailed information, including the sources of the
terms.
Table 1 – Examples of halogen content terminology used in standards and legislation
Term Standard Application F Cl Br I Total Threshold
reference (mass fraction in %)
Non- IEC 61249-2 Printed circuit X X X 0,09 Cl and Br
halogenated series boards base
0,15 total Cl + Br
materials
IEC 61249-4
series
UL 746E:2016 Safety for X X X 0,09 Cl and Br
polymeric
0,15 total Cl + Br
materials as
industrial
laminates,
filament wound
tubing, vulcanized
fibre, etc.
UL 746H:2014 Combustible X X X X 0,09 F, Cl, and Br
(Part I) materials
0,15 total F + Cl + Br
Non-halogen DIN/VDE 0472- Cables wires and X X X X 0,1 F, 0,2 Br, Cl and I
815:1989 flexible cords
Non-bromine UL 746H:2014 Combustible X X X 0,09 Cl and Br
Non-chlorine (Part II) materials
0,15 total Cl + Br
Halogen-free IEC 62821 Power cables X X X  0,1 F, 0,5 Br and Cl
series
IEC 60502-
1:2021
IEC 62893 Charging cables X X X  0,1 F, 0,5 Br and Cl
series
IEC 60092- Ships and offshore X X X  0,1 F, 0,5 Br and Cl
360:2021 installation cables
IEC 60754- Cable materials X X X X ≤ 0,1 F, Cl, Br and I
3:2018
UL 2885:2018 Non-metallic cable X X X X ≤ 0,1 F, Cl, Br and I
materials incl.
insulating and
jacketing materials
and other cable
components (e.g.
tapes, fillers,
threads, pigments)
IEC 63355:2022 Cable X X X X X ≤ 0,15 Cl and Br,
management ≤ 0,3 F and I,
EN 50642:2018/
systems ≤ 0,4 total Br + Cl + F
A1:2022
+ I
JPCA-ES01- Test methods for X X X 0,09 Cl and Br
2003 halogen-free
0,15 total Cl + Br
materials
IEC 61156- Transmission   Not specified
11:2023 cables
Term Standard Application F Cl Br I Total Threshold
reference (mass fraction in %)
Low smoke IEC 62821 Sheathed cables X X X  0,1 F, 0,5 Br and Cl
halogen-free  series
IEC 62821- Flexible cables X X X  0,1 F, 0,5 Br and Cl
3:2015
US MIL-DTL- Navy shipboard X X X X 0,2 halogen content
24643 C(l1) cables
Zero-halogen ANSI/NEMA HP Internal wiring of   0,2 halogen content
8 high-reliability
electrical and
electronic
equipment
CSA C22.2 NO. Wind turbine   components have
96.2-18 cables < 0,2 halogen content

Low smoke IEC 61196-6- Communication   Not specified
zero-halogen 3:2020 CATV cables
IEC 61196-
8:2023
ISO 11197:2019 Medical electrical   Not specified
equipment
ISO/PAS Ships and marine   Not specified
21195:2018 technology
Low-halogen JEDEC/ECA Nonmetallic and X X  0,1 Cl and Br from
JS709C:2018 nonceramic flame retardant and
materials within PVC for other
electronic materials
products
Low levels of IEC 60684- Insulating sleeving X X X X Detection limits 0,014
Chlorine, 2:2011 Cl and/or Br and/or I
Bromine, and > 0,02 F
Iodine and/or
Fluorine
Halogenated IEC 62321-3- Analytical test X X X  Not specified
2:2020 methods for
materials used in
EEE
ISO 10301:1997 Water quality X X X X Defines highly volatile
halogenated
hydrocarbons
ISO 16035:2003 Fats and oils    Defines halogenated
hydrocarbons content.
Detection limitation of
all edible fats and oils
in the range 0,000 01
to 0,000 2
Commission Electronic display X X X X No use of
Regulation (EU) enclosures and halogenated
2019/2021 stands flame retardants

– 12 – IEC GUIDE 122:2024  IEC 2024
Term Standard Application F Cl Br I Total Threshold
reference (mass fraction in %)
Fluorinated IEC 60684 Insulation and X   No thresholds
series sleeving for wires specified. Indication
and cables in for use of types of
SAE AS22759D
applications such fluorinated materials
as aerospace
ISO 20568-1 and Test methods to X   No thresholds
ISO 20568-2 define specified. Indication
characteristics of for use of types of
thermoplastic fluorinated materials
fluoropolymer
resins
MIL-DTL-17J Specification for X   No thresholds
radio frequency specified. Indication
cables for use of types of
fluorinated materials
NEMA HP3 Specification for X   No thresholds
PTFE insulated specified. Indication
high temperature for use of types of
hook-up wire fluorinated materials
Chlorinated NEN-HD Cable materials X  No thresholds
622:1996/A2:200 used in power specified. Indication
5 stations for use of types of
chlorinated materials
DS/HD 627
S1/A2:2006
NEN 3607:1998 Cable materials X  No thresholds
for installation specified. Indication
above and below for use of types of
ground chlorinated materials
Chlorinated, JEDEC/ECA Electronic X X X Indication for use of
Brominated JS709C:2018 products brominated and
chlorinated flame
retardants
0,09 Cl and Br and
0,15 Total Cl + Br
Brominated IEC 61249-2-21 Printed circuit  X  No thresholds for
boards base brominated specified
materials
Fluorinated, ISO 10301:1997 Water quality X X X X No thresholds
Chlorinated, specified. In reference
Brominated, to highly volatile
Iodinated halogenated
hydrocarbons (from 1
to 6 carbon atoms)
Halogen IEC TR Recycling X X X  Not specified
containing 62392:2006 materials
Halogen IEC 61189- PCBs and X X  Not specified
content 2:2006 [TEST interconnection
2C12] structures
NOTE "X" in the table indicates that the elements or their summation are included in the requirements of the
referenced standard.
4.3 Overview of currently used halogen content terminology in standards
4.3.1 General
Caution is needed when reviewing terms that imply the absence of halogens as it is possible
that the scope of a particular standard does not include all halogens, that the specified analytical
technique is not the best available method, and that the threshold(s) is not set at the detection
limit.
4.3.2 Non-halogenated and non-halogen
The term non-halogenated is used in various parts of the IEC 61249-2 and IEC 61249-4 series
of standards (including parts 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 30, 33, 34, 38, 40 for IEC 61249-2 and parts
11, 12, 13 and 17 for IEC 61249-4) to specify halogen content requirements for base materials
used for printed circuit boards. UL 746E:2016 (Part I) uses the term non-halogenated to specify
requirements for polymeric materials such as industrial laminates, filament wound tubing,
vulcanized fibre, etc. These standards refer only to the halogens chlorine and bromine.
NOTE The list of parts provided above is not intended to be comprehensive and is subject to change over time.
The term non-halogenated is also used in UL 746H:2014 (Part I), which is applicable to any
combustible material including plastics, tapes, fillers, threads, pigments or colorants, etc. The
term non-halogenated in UL 746H:2014 (Part I) refers to the halogens fluorine, chlorine, and
bromine.
Although the IEC and UL standards mentioned above define the same threshold for individual
halogens, the total halogen content refers to different sets of halogens: chlorine and bromine
in the IEC 61249-2 series, the IEC 61249-4 series and UL 746E:2016, and fluorine, chlorine
and bromine in UL 746H:2014 (Part I).
Although the term non-halogenated implies that none of the halogens (Br, Cl, F, I) were added
to the formulation, only the halogens bromine (Br), chlorine (Cl) and, in one instance, fluorine (F)
are included in the standards in Table 1. As a result, non-halogenated material according to
these specific standards can contain, for example, fluorine or iodine or both, depending on
which standard is referenced, which can lead to confusion or misinterpretation of the
terminology.
The term non-halogen has been found in one standard (DIN/VDE 0472-815:1989). The term
non-halogen expresses a negation for halogens (i.e. it is not a halogen), whereas
DIN/VDE 0472-815:1989 refers to fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine. The term non-halogen
is, therefore, unsuitable to express halogen content.
4.3.3 Non-chlorine and non-bromine
The terms non-chlorine and non-bromine are specific to these two halogen elements,
suggesting that no chlorine or no bromine, respectively, is present in the specified material
other than traces from naturally occurring impurities in the materials or content remaining from
the production processes. The terms are used in UL 746H:2014 (Part II) (see Table 1) to
express the absence of the two individual halogen elements, chlorine or bromine, respectively.
The associated thresholds are established to preclude the use of both chlorine and bromine in
the formulation.
4.3.4 Halogen-free
The term halogen-free is used by several committees and organizations including IEC TC 18,
IEC TC 20, IEC TC 23/SC 23A, IEC TC 46, CENELEC TC 213, UL and JPCA as listed in
Table 1. The maximum threshold as well as the specific halogens concerned vary in the different
standards (see Table 1 for the details).

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In IEC, various standards developed by TC 20 are used to determine halogen-free materials.
They cover different test methods, including combustion methods, titration, or ion
chromatography determination of halogen acid gases of the non-metallic materials used in
cables. Due to the limitations of the different test methods, the halogens assessed, and the
thresholds vary.
Halogen-free has been defined by IEC TC 23/SC 23A and the European CENELEC TC 213 to
apply to CMS (cable management system) products that are made of polymeric material, and
the thresholds for the four elemental halogens mentioned in Table 1 – fluorine, chlorine,
bromine and iodine – are different from the thresholds defined by IEC TC 20.
The discrepancy in the use of the term halogen-free is that the word "free" implies that a material
or product does not contain (is free of) halogens. However, there is a possibility that a material
or product contains small amounts of halogenated substances below the thresholds chosen for
a specific material property.
In a number of standards, the term halogen-free is employed in combination with the term low
smoke (low smoke halogen-free) in the domain of wire and cable, including naval applications.
The maximum threshold as well as the specific halogens concerned vary in the different
standards (see Table 1 for the details).
4.3.5 Zero-halogen
Zero-halogen is sometimes used in relation to the term "low smoke zero-halogen" (LSZH). This
is a term commonly found in different geographical regions to denote the fire behaviour of
products, and in particular cable applications.
In IEC standards the term has been used to address data and telecommunication cables, but
there is no definition, nor specified thresholds associated with it.
ANSI/NEMA HP 8 defines zero-halogen with specific thresholds for electrical "hook-up" wires
(see Table A.1).
The confusion appears with the use of the word "zero", which implies that no halogens are
present in the material at any level; however, current standards incorporate specific thresholds
of halogens to define this term. Zero-halogen is impossible to assess as there is currently no
analytical technique that can measure the absolute absence of halogens.
4.3.6 Low-halogen
The term low-halogen is used in JEDEC/ECA JS709C to define materials within electronic
products that do not contain chlorine and bromine from chlorinated and brominated flame
retardants (CFRs, BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
According to JEDEC/ECA JS709C, for an electronic product to be called low-halogen, all
materials other than substrates and PCB laminates are required to contain < 0,1 % of Br if the
bromine source is from BFRs and < 0,1 % of Cl if the chlorine source is from CFRs, PVC, or
PVC congeners, PVC block polymers, PVC copolymers, or polymer alloys containing PVC.
Higher thresholds of chlorine and bromine are allowed in plastics contained within electronic
products (other than printed board laminates contained within those devices) as long as their
sources are not flame retardants, PVC, PVC congeners, PVC block polymers, PVC copolymers,
or polymer alloys containing PVC.
In addition to the requirements noted above, JEDEC/ECA JS709C stipulates that the substrates
and PCB laminates materials fulfil the requirements of IEC 61249-2, IPC 4101, and JPCA ES-
01, namely 0,09 % Cl and Br and 0,15 % total Cl + Br.

While the halogen group in the periodic table contains fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and
astatine, the JEDEC/ECA JS709C standard uses the term "low-halogen" to refer only to bromine
and chlorine.
Table 1 shows that also the term "Low levels of Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine and/or Fluorine" is
used in IEC 60684-2:2011. It refers to detection limits of all four halogen elements, namely
0,014 % for Cl, Br, or I and > 0,02 % for F.
4.3.7 Halogenated
The term halogenated is used in a number of national and international standards as well as
legislation as a way to identify those materials in which the presence of halogens or halogenated
substances is specified. Halogenated materials are normally designed, through their
formulation, to contain one or more halogens, and this can be achieved through additive,
reactive, or polymerization methods.
4.3.8 Fluorinated, chlorinated, brominated, and iodinated
The terms fluorinated, chlorinated, brominated and iodinated are employed to identify the
presence of the specific halogen element in a material normally designed through its formulation,
such as through additive, reactive or polymerization methods.
The terms fluorinated, chlorinated, brominated and iodinated are used in many different
standards. For instance, the IEC 60684 series refers to fluorinated and the IEC 61249-2 series
refers to brominated.
In those cases where the presence of certain halogenated material is specified, more specific
terms are used to define the class (e.g. halogenated polymer type) or specific chemical
substance or material (e.g. PTFE) that is used to provide the desired performance. For instance,
NEMA HP 3 specifies the use of fluorinated (PTFE) materials to insulate stranded conductors
for use in high temperature "hook-up" wires.
4.3.9 Halogen containing
In a limited number of standards (e.g. IEC TR 62392), the term halogen containing is observed.
This term is used to express that a material does contain one or more halogens. However, it
does not describe whether the halogens have been added to the material during formulation or
whether they are present owing to natural occurrence or as residues from synthesis. The term
halogen containing is, therefore, imprecise and unsuitable to express halogen content.
One standard (IEC 61189-2:2006) uses the term halogen content. It refers to the halogen
elements chlorine and bromine, although no threshold is specified.
5 Recommendations on how to employ halogen content terminology
5.1 General
IEC committees are provided with the following recommendations when preparing standards
incorporating halogen content terminology.
a) Committees should be aware of IEC standards, and other known standards (e.g. those of
ISO, CEN, CENELEC, IPC, JEDEC, UL), that relate to halogen content (see Table 1 and
Annex A for examples) and so make an attempt to harmonize halogen content terminology.
b) Committees should liaise and exchange information with each other when preparing halogen
content-related standards in order to promote a consistent approach on terminology.
c) When preparing standards, committees should take a scientific fact-based approach. They
should make clear in their standards the objective of any halogen content definition, for
instance environmental impacts, fire behaviour or other performance requirements, etc.

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d) When referring to halogen content, committees should not use terms that bring uncertainty
to what is actually being described or defined.
e) Committees should not imply that halogenated substances or materials are of concern
unless it has been scientifically demonstrated.
f) Committees should note that halogen content definitions as stipulated in this Guide can
differ from global or regional legislation.
5.2 Recommendations on the use of halogen content terms
5.2.1 General
IEC committees are provided with the recommendations in
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