IEC 60068-2 Environmental Testing
Accredited testing across the IEC 60068-2 series, the international method family behind most commercial environmental specifications.
- Accredited Testing Across the IEC 60068-2 series.
- Cold, Dry Heat, Damp Heat, Vibration, Shock, Salt Mist, Dust and Low Pressure.
- EN 60068 Is the Same Standard, adopted in Europe.
- Every Part Mapped to the chamber or rig that runs it.
Accredited environmental testing
ISO/IEC 17025
A2LA #5179.01
Controlled Goods Program
CGP registered
*No-obligation assessment. We’ll respond within 24 hours.
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What is IEC 60068-2?
IEC 60068-2 is the international series of environmental test methods, and it is what most commercial product specifications actually cite once you read past the summary. Each part covers one test and carries a letter designation: Test A is cold, Test B is dry heat, Test Fc is sine vibration, and so on. The series is adopted in Europe as EN 60068 with identical content. Megalab runs IEC 60068-2 testing accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 by A2LA.
Which IEC 60068-2 parts do we run?
Temperature and climatic
- 60068-2-1, Test A: cold. Runs on temperature testing.
- 60068-2-2, Test B: dry heat. Runs on temperature testing.
- 60068-2-14, Tests Na and Nb: change of temperature. Runs on thermal shock testing. Test Nb temperature cycling runs on temperature testing.
- 60068-2-61, Test Z/ABDM: combined climatic sequence. Runs on temperature testing.
- 60068-2-13, Test M: low air pressure. Runs on altitude testing.
Humidity
- 60068-2-78, Test Cab: damp heat, steady state. Runs on humidity testing.
- 60068-2-30, Test Db: damp heat, cyclic. Runs on humidity testing.
- 60068-2-38, Test Z/AD: composite temperature humidity cyclic. Runs on humidity testing.
- 60068-2-3, Test Ca: damp heat steady state, superseded by 60068-2-78. Runs on humidity testing.
Vibration and shock
- 60068-2-6, Test Fc: sine vibration. Runs on vibration and shock testing.
- 60068-2-64, Test Fh: random vibration. Runs on vibration and shock testing.
- 60068-2-27, Test Ea: shock. Runs on vibration and shock testing.
- 60068-2-80, Test Fi: mixed mode vibration. Runs on combined environment testing.
- 60068-2-31, Test Ec: rough handling drop. Runs on vibration and shock testing.
Corrosion, water and dust
- 60068-2-11, Test Ka: salt mist. Runs on salt spray and corrosion testing.
- 60068-2-52, Test Kb: salt mist, cyclic. Runs on salt spray and corrosion testing.
- 60068-2-42, Test Kc: sulphur dioxide. Runs on salt spray and corrosion testing.
- 60068-2-18, Test R: water. Runs on ingress protection testing.
- 60068-2-68, Test L: dust and sand. Runs on ingress protection testing.
Accredited by A2LA to ISO/IEC 17025 under certificates 5179.01 and 5179.02. See our accreditations.
Our scope also covers customer supplied and industry specifications built on these same technologies, so an internal procedure that calls these methods can be run and reported under the accreditation. Send us the document and we will confirm.
Which part does my specification need?
Specifications usually name the part number and leave you to find the test. A few pairings cause most of the confusion.
- 60068-2-14 Test Na against Test Nb. Na is thermal shock, a two-chamber transfer in seconds. Nb is temperature cycling, a controlled ramp in one chamber. Same part number, very different tests and very different cost.
- 60068-2-78 against 60068-2-30. Cab is steady state damp heat at fixed conditions. Db cycles the temperature so condensation forms on each cool down, which is markedly more severe.
- 60068-2-11 against 60068-2-52. Ka is continuous salt mist. Kb is cyclic, alternating salt exposure with humidity, which is closer to real service for many outdoor products.
- 60068-2-6 against 60068-2-64. Fc is sine, useful for finding resonances. Fh is random, which is what real transport and service environments actually look like.
If your specification names a part without a test letter, send it to us and we will tell you which test it describes before anything is quoted.
What we need to quote your IEC 60068 programme
- The part numbers and test letters your specification names
- The severities: temperatures, humidity, levels, durations or cycles
- Sample dimensions, weight and quantity
- Whether the product is powered and monitored, and what passes through the chamber wall
- Fixturing and mounting orientation for the vibration and shock parts
- Any sequence the specification fixes between parts
Frequently asked questions
The international series of environmental test methods, each part covering one test such as cold, dry heat, damp heat, vibration or salt mist, and each carrying a letter designation.
Yes. EN 60068 is the European adoption of the IEC series with identical content, so a specification citing either maps onto the same tests.
Both sit in IEC 60068-2-14. Na is thermal shock, transferring the sample between two chambers in seconds. Nb is temperature cycling, ramping one chamber at a controlled rate.