FEATURE
International And Domestic
Commercial EMC Standards
For ITE Equipment
Although Harmonization Efforts Proceed, There Are Still Important
Differences That Manufacturers Must Address
M
any aspects of modern life are significantly
influenced by the steady increase in the use of
ITE equipment (Information Technology
Equipment). In the last decade the availability and use
of the Internet has lead to a proliferation of PCs and
peripherals, together with an ever increasing number
of new networks in the business and private sector. In
order to ensure proper functioning of all these
electronic devices in close proximity, electromagnetic
compatibility (EMC) is a necessary condition. EMC is
the ability of equipment and systems to function as
designed in their intended environment without
adversely affecting the operation of, or being
adversely affected by, other equipment and systems.
Since all electronic devices and systems are potential
sources of unintentional electromagnetic interference
(EMI), its proper control is required.
EMC is achieved, to a large degree, by the
implementation of national and international
standards, with which products must comply before
they can be legally marketed. Standards which address
both unintentionally generated emissions and the
immunity of electronic devices exist for different
product categories, including ISM equipment
(Industrial, Scientific, Medical), household appliances,
broadcast receivers, motor vehicles, and ITE
equipment. Emission standards define maximum
emission levels for the product category concerned,
along with the proper test method and test equipment.
Immunity standards define performance requirements
for products when exposed to various interference
phenomena such as electrostatic discharge,
electromagnetic fields, or bursts and surges, along
with a definition of the interfering quantity.
12 CONFORMITY ®: APRIL 2003
Werner Schaefer, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Product standards which are enforced in different
countries or regions can differ quite significantly from
each other, for example, in regard to spectrum
management matters or population (product) density.
For manufacturers of globally marketed products, the
differences in applicable EMC standards must be
thoroughly understood in order to comply with each
standard while limiting the effort involved and
avoiding delays of product introductions to the
international market.
This article will focus primarily on various aspects
related to commercial EMI standards for ITE
equipment. A general overview of international EMI
standards will be provided, followed by an
explanation of the role of the IEC (International
Electrotechnical Commission) and CISPR
(International Special Committee on Radio
Interference) in the international EMC standardization
process. The EMI compliance situation in the
European Union (EU) and the U.S. is explained and
the challenges related to demonstrating global product
compliance are described.
Overview Of Commercial EMC Standards For ITE
Equipment
Today, EMI standards are used to demonstrate product
compliance in many parts of the world. The
enforcement is usually overseen by local government
agencies like the FCC (Federal Communications
Commission) in the U.S., or the RegTP
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(Regulierungsbehörde für Telekommunikation und Post) in

Germany. However, in some cases, product compliance with
EMI standards within certain industries is handled on a
voluntary basis, as in Japan’s VCCI program (Voluntary
Control Council for Interference by Data Processing
Equipment and Electronic Office Machines). In all cases,
documented compliance of products with applicable
standards of a region is a prerequisite for selling products in
this economy.

In the past, manufacturers were required to file an application

for product certification with the local regulatory authority.
Depending on the type of product, various steps had to be
completed before compliance could be established and the
manufacturer could start selling the product. Due to the
rapidly increasing volume of products (especially in the ITE
area), the application period added a significant delay to the
product introduction, and thus posed a great risk to its
financial success. These delays were compounded by the
resource constraints of the regulatory authorities, shortened
development cycles of ITE products, and shorter product life
cycles.

In recent years, however, many countries have implemented

procedures that allow manufacturers to self-certify their
products in order to allow the quickest possible market
access (a process called “Declaration of Conformity – DoC”
in the U.S.). This self-certification approach allows
manufacturers, whose products have been designed,
manufactured and tested to meet the requirements of
applicable standards, to self-certify that the products conform
to all applicable standards.

For certain product categories, specific emission standards do

exist. These are summarized in Table 1.

Some product categories, like household appliances

(including power tools) and luminaries, are currently not

Figure 1: Structure of European ITE emissions standard

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 FEATURE

regulated in the U.S., but must meet
specific standards when sold within the
EU. Furthermore, the standards used to
demonstrate compliance of products in
the EU must be harmonized standards,
which means in practice that these
relevant standards are European Norms
(“ENs”), with reference numbers that
have been published by CENELEC in
the Official Journal of the European
Union [1].
Emission standards for ITE equipment
in other countries are usually very
similar to EN 55022, due to the fact
that they all are based on CISPR 22
(see par. 2). Some additional examples
of ITE standards are VCCI V-3/99.05
(Japan), CNS 13438 (Taiwan), and
AS/NZS CISPR 22:2002
(Australia/New Zealand). All of these
standards define maximum emission
levels, based on the environment in
which the product is designed to
operate (i.e., home/office environment
and industrial environment), and
include by reference specifications for
the test equipment as well as the test
procedure to be used (see Figure 1)
In the U.S., ITE equipment must be in
compliance with 47 CFR Part 15. The
scope of this regulation is actually
much broader than just ITE equipment,
as it provides the rules under which an
intentional, unintentional, or incidental
radiator may be operated without an
individual license. It specifically
addresses digital devices (formerly
defined as computing devices), which
are unintentional radiators that generate
and use timing signals or pulses at a
rate greater than 9 kHz and use digital
technologies. This includes telephone
equipment and any device or system
that generates and uses radio frequency
energy for the purpose of performing
data processing functions, such as
electronic computations, operations,
transformations, recording, filing,

Product Category USA European Union

ISM Equipment CFR 47 Part 18 EN 55011
Vehicles EN 55012
Radio and TV Receivers CFR 47 Part 15 EN 55013
Household Appliances EN 55014
Luminaries EN 55015
ITE Equipment CFR 47 Part 15 EN 55022

Table 1: EMI product standards and their geographic applicability

ITE Equipment Port Applicable Immunity Test Basic Standard

Enclosure Electrostatic discharge EN 61000-4-2
Radiated immunity EN 61000-4-3
Power frequency magnetic field EN 61000-4-8
Signal and Telecom Conducted immunity EN 61000-4-6
Surge EN 61000-4-5
Burst EN 61000-4-4
DC Power Conducted immunity EN 61000-4-6
Surge EN 61000-4-5
Burst EN 61000-4-4
AC Power Conducted immunity EN 61000-4-6
Surge EN 61000-4-5
Burst EN 61000-4-4
Voltage dips EN 61000-4-11
Voltage interruptions EN 61000-4-11

Table 2: Applicability of basic immunity tests to ITE equipment ports

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sorting, storage, retrieval, or transfer. includes, by reference, the

Exempt products are listed in par.
15.103 of the document.
Part 15 establishes maximum emissions
limits similar to the ones in EN 55022;
however, the applicable frequency
range can go up to 40 GHz, depending
on EUT characteristics (par. 15.33),
which may require radiated emission
measurements in the microwave
frequency range. The document also
procedure to be used for
compliance testing (par.
15.31), as well as some
general information about
the EMI receiver bandwidth
and detector selection (par.
15.35). Detailed information
about test equipment
specifications, calibration of
test antennas and
characteristics of an OATS

Figure 2: Structure of 47 CFR Part 15 for ITE equipment compliance Figure 3: Structure of European ITE immunity standard

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16 CONFORMITY : APRIL 2003
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(Open Area Test Site) are included by It should be noted that Table 2 provides In the U.S. and many other countries,
reference in ANSI C63.4-1992 (see only a general summary; further like Japan and Taiwan, there are
Figure 2) guidance on the applicability of tests is currently no immunity requirements in
provided in EN 55024. effect. The equipment’s proper
In addition to emissions standards for functioning in its intended environment
ITE equipment, some regions like the
EU also enforce immunity standards
like EN 55024. This standard references
CISPR 24 which, in turn, specifies
immunity levels for different tests as
well as the test methods (see Figure 3)

The applicability of the different

referenced tests is based on various
ports of the ITE equipment. The
standard distinguishes between the
enclosure port (which is the physical
boundary through which
electromagnetic fields can radiate or
impinge), the signal and
telecommunications ports, and the AC
and DC power ports. Table 2
summarizes the applicable immunity
tests for the different ports of the ITE
equipment.
Figure 4: Organization of IEC and its EMC related technical committees

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(which includes the electromagnetic However, 47 CFR Part 15 advises operating frequencies which are
ambient spectrum) is viewed as a manufacturers to address immunity different from those used by high power
quality criterion and, as such, is the aspects of equipment during the design transmitters (par. 15.17.a)).
responsibility of the manufacturer. phase (for example, by choosing

Requirement in CISPR 22-1997 Modification in EN 55022-1998

The limits for conducted common mode (asymmetric mode)
disturbance at telecommunication ports in the frequency
range 0,15 MHz to 30 MHz for class B equipment are stated
in table 4. A note below the table states (Note 3) that a
relaxation of 10 dB over the frequency range of 6 MHz to 30
MHz is allowed for high-speed services having significant
spectral density in this band. However, this relaxation is
restricted to the common mode disturbance converted by the
cable from the wanted signal.
The following text was added to Note 3: The provisional
relaxation of 10 dB will be reviewed no later than three
years after the date of withdrawal based on the results and
interference cases seen in this period. Wherever possible it is
recommended to comply with the limits without the
provisional relaxation.

The EUT configuration for testing is specified in par. 8.1. This guidance for determining the number of cables which
This paragraph also states that the number of additional have to be attached to the EUT during testing was deleted.
cables to be attached to the EUT should be limited to the
condition where the addition of another cable does not
decrease the margin a significant amount (for example 2 dB)
with respect to the limit.

The operation of the EUT is described in par. 8.2 The following paragraph was added to par. 8.2: The
operational conditions of the EUT shall be determined by
the manufacturer according to the typical use of the EUT
with respect to the expected highest level of emission. The
determined operational mode and the rationale for the
conditions shall be stated in the test report.
Table 3: Major differences between CISPR 22 (1997) and EN 55022 (1998)

Requirement in CISPR 24-1997 Modification in EN 55024-1998

The scope and object of the standard are stated in par. 1 The following sentence was added to the text in par. 1:
harmonized standards prepared by ETSI, which cover
immunity requirements for telecommunications network
equipment take precedence over this standard.

Normative references are included in par. 2 The normative references to ITU-T recommendations K15,
K17, K20, K21 and K22 are deleted.

The requirements for the radiated field test are called out in It is stated that the frequency range for the radiated field test
par. 4.3.2. The standard states that the preferred frequency is 80 MHz to 1000 MHz.
range for this test is 80 MHz to 1000 MHz.

Table 1 states the immunity requirements for the enclosure The document eliminates the requirement to perform the test
port of the EUT. The power-frequency magnetic field is at 60 Hz.
shown to be performed at either 50 Hz or 60 Hz.

Table 2 states the immunity requirements for signal and Table 2 is replaced entirely and now includes surge tests in
telecommunications ports. The surge tests are to be accordance with IEC 61000-4-5, applying performance
performed in accordance with the ITU-T recommendations criterion B.
K series
Table 4: Major differences between CISPR 24 (1997) and EN 55024 (1998)

18 CONFORMITY ®: APRIL 2003

 FEATURE

Furthermore, users of Class A

equipment (which is marketed for use
in a commercial, industrial or business
environment, exclusive of equipment
which is marketed for use by the
general public or is intended to be used
in the home) are instructed that
operating such equipment in a
residential area is likely to cause
harmful interference, in which case the
user will be required to correct the
interference at his own expense (par.
15.105.a). This means that ultimately
the user has the responsibility for
resolving an interference situation.

The Role Of The IEC And CISPR In The

Standardization Process
The IEC and its EMC-specific technical
committees play an important role in
the international standardization
process. The first work in the EMC
field can be traced back to when CISPR
(which is now part of the IEC) was
established in 1934. Today the scope of
EMC work has expanded to such an
extent that the IEC has established Circle Reader Service #12 or go to www.conformity.com/INFODIRECT
several committees to effectively
address the different aspects of EMC.
Many of these committees have
working relationships or official
liaisons with outside groups, ranging
from professional associations to
national, regional and international
organizations (see Figure 4)

The two major technical committees

within the IEC responsible for
addressing EMC matters are TC 77 and
CISPR. Created in 1973, TC77 has
horizontal functions and is responsible,
together with other committees to some
extent, for Basic EMC standards having
general application and for Generic
EMC standards. In some circumstances,
TC 77 may also prepare EMC
immunity standards and low-frequency
emission standards for products or
product families. CISPR also has
horizontal functions and develops Basic
and Generic EMC standards as well. In
addition CISPR has extended its field of
activity to EMC Product standards (e.g.,
for multimedia products and certain
household equipment).

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CONFORMITY ®: APRIL 2003 19

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The IEC established its Advisory Committee on
Electromagnetic Compatibility (ACEC) to ensure coordination
among these special EMC committees and with the outside
organizations and entities, as well as to provide advice to the
numerous product committees that develop EMC standards
specific to their products. In most IEC member countries,
bodies corresponding to TC 77, CISPR or the product
committees take care of EMC matters at the national level.
A major reason for dividing up the EMC work in the IEC is to
have certain committees responsible for the different types of
EMC standards publications (i.e., Basic, Generic and Product
standards). Some of these committees have broad-ranging
horizontal functions, while others have more product-oriented
(or vertical) responsibilities. For practical as well as historical
reasons, the IEC has decided to divide the spectrum into low-
frequency and high-frequency phenomena, setting a
borderline at 9 kHz which is effectively the lower limit in the
scope of CISPR’s work. This results largely from the different
characteristics of the various phenomena and the specialized
experience of experts working on EMC standardization in the
many technical committees both inside and outside the IEC.
Basic EMC publications like CISPR 16 and the IEC 61000
series standards are intended as a comprehensive set of
background reference standards and technical reports that
cover all general aspects of EMC problems. They deal with
matters such as description of the EM environment,
measurement methods, testing techniques and the like.
Because of the broad nature of Basic EMC publications, they
are generally but not exclusively developed by IEC horizontal
technical committees. Horizontal functions are assigned to
Technical Committees (TCs) by the Standardization
Management Board with the purpose of:
1. ensuring the consistency of IEC publications in areas
common to a number of technical committees by avoiding
duplication of work and contradictory requirements
2. improving the coherency of the IEC publications system
3. improving the mutual understanding of engineers of
different technical disciplines
A horizontal function may be assigned to a TC for the whole
or for a specific part of its activities. A horizontal committee
exclusively prepares basic publications. For EMC, these are
TC 77 and CISPR.
The second category comprises standards that apply to
products. These may be either Generic EMC standards
(standards for products operating in a particular EMC
environment but for which no specific EMC standards yet
exist) or specific EMC Product standards, which as a rule
apply appropriate publications from the Basic series. Many
product standards encompass a family of similar products and
these publications are referred to as product family standards.
The Basic and Generic standards represent a broad approach,
and the IEC has developed them as efficient building blocks
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for technical committees to use in preparing appropriate

product standards.

Development of specific EMC product standards are almost

exclusively allocated to the numerous IEC technical
committees dealing with individual products or families of
products, usually referred to as product committees. This is
due to the expert knowledge in these groups regarding
functional requirements for and operating conditions of the
particular components, subsystems and systems for which
they are developing standards.

CISPR’s principal focus is at the higher end of the frequency

range, from 9 kHz upwards. It prepares standards that protect
radio reception from interference sources such as electrical
appliances of all types, the electricity supply system, ISM
equipment RF, broadcasting receivers (sound and TV) and,
increasingly, ITE. As the scopes of the various subcommittees
in Figure 5 indicate, CISPR’s work involves equipment and
methods for measuring interference, establishing limits and
immunity requirements, and prescribing (in liaison with other
IEC technical committees) methods of measuring immunity.
The committee also takes account of the impact of safety
regulations on interference suppression of electrical
equipment.

As shown in Figure 5, the responsible subcommittee for EMI-

related topics concerning ITE equipment is CISPR/I and, in Circle Reader Service #16
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particular, its working groups WG3 and WG4. CISPR/I
develops and maintains, in close cooperation with CISPR/A as
the horizontal committee, standards addressing emissions
(CISPR 22) and immunity requirements (CISPR 24) for ITE
equipment.

As we’ve previously noted, these standards often serve as a

basis for applicable standards in different countries (e.g.,
Japan, Taiwan, Australia/New Zealand, etc.) or regions (e.g.,
the EU). These CISPR standards are either adopted directly
by countries or modified to specifically meet local
requirements.

Furthermore, a time line is usually included which outlines

the dates that old standards will be superseded or conflicting
standards have to be withdrawn. As an example, the major
modifications made to CISPR 22 and CISPR 24, as
documented in EN 55022 and EN 55024, are summarized in
Tables 3 and 4; for exact details, the standards must be
consulted.

The Challenges Of Demonstrating Global Compliance Of ITE

Equipment
In general, it is extremely time consuming to prepare the
evidence and documentation of compliance for products
which are to be marketed world wide. This process involves
not only knowledge about the applicability of relevant EMC
standards for ITE equipment, but also a thorough
understanding of the method and processes for product

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 FEATURE
approval, marking and even
documentation requirements. Additional
technical requirements, based on the
products possible use (for example as
telecommunications network equipment
or NEBS [Network Equipment
Building Systems] equipment), may be
applicable. It is therefore essential
during the design phase to clearly
define the future geographic markets
and market segments in which a
product is to be sold. An expansion into
additional markets later on may not be
always be possible later, since more
severe technical requirements may need
to be met.
For example, as we noted earlier in this
article, the emissions requirements for
Figure 5: Structure and scope of CISPR and its subcommittees
22 CONFORMITY ®: APRIL 2003
ITE equipment in the U.S. and in
Europe can be substantially different.
The expanded frequency range in the
U.S. requirements, for example, may
require additional effort during the
product design phase and may also
require additional test equipment when
demonstrating compliance in the
microwave frequency range. ITE
equipment is also frequently used in
telecommunications networks, where
additional requirements are applicable
(for example, those specified in EN 300
386). This requires an additional
conducted emissions measurement on
DC power lines for Class A equipment.
No equivalent requirements are
included in CISPR 22 or EN 55022.
www.conformity.com
Table 5 summarizes some of the major
differences related to immunity
requirements between various
applicable standards. Consult the
standards for exact details.
A thorough comparison of technical
requirements is mandatory to ensure
compliance through proper product
design and manufacturing. The labeling
requirements for products, which may
depend on their specified operating
environment (i.e., home/office or
industrial environment) and their
application (i.e., telecommunications)
are country specific and therefore have
to meet the appropriate regulations.
There may also be requirements
regarding statements which must be
published in the user manual (for
example, to inform the user about
potential interference the equipment can
cause, or to caution the user that
changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment).
The regulations must be consulted to
ensure proper verbiage, based on the
equipment type.
Another important aspect to be
informed about is the approval process
involved in demonstrating and
documenting product compliance. In
the EU, a manufacturer’s self
declaration of conformity is permissible
as one possibility. In other parts of the
world (Taiwan, Japan, Korea or China,
for example), a type approval is
required before the product can be
legally sold. Both approval methods
differ significantly in regard to the
effort involved and the time necessary
to complete them. Possible delays must
be factored into the product
introduction process.
Summary
For many product categories, especially
ITE equipment, the ability to reach
global markets is still complicated by
different technical specifications,
varying approval approaches and other
related requirements. Today, many
 FEATURE

regions and countries base the EMC
standards they enforce on CISPR
standards. As such, CISPR 22 and
CISPR 24 play a vital role in the world
wide standardization effort.
Nonetheless, CISPR requirements are
often modified or amended to address
specific needs of a country. Such
changes made to the CISPR standards
can be rather significant and hence the
differences between CISPR standards
and local regulations have to be
examined carefully.
In the U.S. the regulations are not based
on CISPR standards and, therefore,
different requirements have to be met in
order to demonstrate compliance.
However, the FCC (Federal
Communications Commission)
specifically amended its rules to allow
the use of CISPR 22 for the
demonstration of compliance of ITE
equipment (see par 15.107 and 15.109).
This alternative application of CISPR
22 enables many manufacturers to
significantly reduce the effort involved
in the compliance determination when
marketing their products both in the
U.S. and the EU.
In general, a trend can be observed
towards more unified standards and
technical requirements as a global
necessity to facilitate trade. This is
being achieved on many levels, like the
interaction between national and
international standards committees, and
on a political level through mutual
recognition agreements. Ultimately,
however, it is the manufacturer who has
the responsibility to ensure proper
demonstration of product compliance
by identifying the applicable
standards. 
About The Author
Werner Schaefer is a senior
compliance engineer at Cisco Systems’
Corporate Compliance Center in San
Jose, CA. He is secretary of CISPR/A,
chairman of CISPR/A/WG1 and a
member of CISPR/H, ANSI C63,
SC1/3/6, and serves as an A2LA lead
assessor for EMI and wireless testing
laboratories and RF and microwave
calibration laboratories. He can be
reached by e-mail at
wsemc@cisco.com.
References
1. C. Marshman, Guide to the EMC
Directive, IEEE Press, New York,
1996

Requirement EN 300386 Central Office EN 300386 Non-Central Office EN 55024 CISPR 24

ESD 4kV (Contact) 6kV (Contact) 4kV (Contact) 4kV (Contact)
4kV (Air) 8kV (Air) 8kV (Air) 8kV (Air)

Power frequency No requirement No requirement 1A/m (50 Hz only) 1A/m

magnetic field (50 or 60 Hz)

Surge 0.5 kV 1kV 1kV 1kV

(AC power line) 1.2/50[8/20] 1.2/50 [8/20] 1.2/50[8/20] 1.2/50[8/20]
Line to Line Line to Line Line to Line Line to Line
1kV 2kV 2kV 2kV
1.2/50[8/20] 1.2/50 [8/20] 1.2/50[8/20] 1.2/50[8/20]
Line to Ground Line to Ground Line to Ground Line to Ground

Surge No requirement No requirement No requirement 0.5kV

(DC power line 1.2/50 [8/20]
(only for outdoor lines)

Surge 0.5kV 0.5kV No requirement No requirement

(Intra-building 1.2/50 [8/20] 1.2/50 [8/20]
signal lines) (only for cables longer than 10m) (only for cables longer than 10m)

Surge 1kV 1kV 1kV 1.5kV (without

(outdoor signal lines) 1.2/50 1.2/50 1.2/50
(only for ports which may con-
nect directly to outdoor cables)
(where normal functioning
cannot be achieved because
of the impact of the CDN on
the EUT, no test is required)
primary protection)
4 kV
(with primary protection)
(only for ports which
may connect directly to
outdoor cables)
(References ITU-T K-series)

Table 5: Immunity requirements for ITE equipment used in telecom networks

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