IEC Utilization Categories

(Explanation)
IEC Utilization Categories
Voltage Category Typical Applications
IEC
Product
Standard 3
AC-1
AC-2
AC-3
AC-4
AC-5a
AC-5b
AC-6a
AC-6b
AC-7a
AC-7b
AC-8a
AC-8b
AC-12
AC-13
AC-14
AC-15
AC-20
AC-21
AC-22
AC-23
A
B
DC-1
DC-3
DC-5
DC-6
DC-12
DC-13
DC-14
DC-20
DC-21
DC-22
DC-23
Non Industive or slightly inductive loads, example: resistive furnaces, Heaters
Slip-ring motors: switching off
Squirrel-cage motors: starting, swithces off motors during running time
Most typical industrial application for motors
Squirrel-cage motors: starting, plugging (1), inching (2)
Switching of electric discharge lamps
Switching of incandescent lamps
Switching of transfomers
Switching of capacitor banks
Slightly inductive loads in household appliances: examples: mixers, blenders
Motor-loads for household appliances: examples: fans, central vacuum
Hermetic refrigerant compressor motor control with manual resetting overloads
Hermetic refrigerant compressor motor control with automatic resetting overloads
Control of resisitive loads and solid state loads with opto-coupler isolation
Control of solid state loads with transformer isolation
Control of small electromagnetic loads
Control of A.C. electromagnetic loads
Connecting and disconnecting under no-load conditions
Switching of resistive loads, including moderate loads
Switching of mixed resistive and inductive loads, including moderate overloads
Switching of motor loads or other highly inductive loads
Protection of circuits, with no rated short-time withstand current
Protection of circuits, with a rated short-time withstand current
Non Inductive or slightly inductive loads, resistance furnaces, heaters
Shunt-motors, starting, plugging(1), inching(2), dynamic breaking of motors
Series-motors, starting, plugging(1), inching(2), dynamic breaking of motors
Switching of incandescent lamps
Control of resistive loads and solid state loads with opto-coupler isolation
Control of D.C. electromagnetics
Control of D.C. electromagnetic loads having economy resistors in the circuit
Connecting and disconnecting under no-load conditions
Switching of resistive loads, including moderate overloads
Switching of mixed resistive and inductive loads, including moderate overloads (i.e.
shunt motors)
Switching of highly inductive loads (i.e. series motors)
A.C.
A.C.
and
D.C.
D.C.
(1) Plugging - Stopping a motor rapidly by reversing the incoming power connections.
(2) Inching - Energizing a motor repeatedly for short periods to obtain small incremental movements.
947-4
947-5
947-3
947-2
947-4
947-5
947-3
p.21