Applicability of IEC 62368-1

Scope overview

This page describes the scope boundaries of IEC 62368-1. It clarifies the types of equipment the standard is intended to address and the contexts that fall outside its scope. It assumes familiarity with the core IEC 62368-1 framework and does not restate the definition or purpose of the standard.

Equipment within scope

IEC 62368-1 applies to equipment associated with audio, video, information, and communication technologies. The scope is defined by the presence of energy sources capable of causing safety-related hazards within equipment that processes, stores, transmits, or presents information or media.

The standard is written to accommodate equipment that combines multiple functions. It does not rely on fixed product categories, allowing mixed-use AV and ICT equipment to fall within scope when the overall context aligns with the technologies addressed by the standard.

Contextual boundaries

Applicability is determined by the equipment context rather than by individual components in isolation. IEC 62368-1 addresses complete equipment and assemblies as placed into use, not raw materials or standalone components evaluated outside an equipment context.

The standard focuses on hazards arising within the equipment boundary. External systems, building infrastructure, and installation-level considerations are outside its intended scope.

Exclusions and outside scope

IEC 62368-1 is not intended to cover equipment that is primarily addressed by standards developed for fundamentally different domains, such as medical equipment or industrial process control, where distinct hazard models and use assumptions apply.

It also does not address equipment whose primary purpose falls outside audio, video, information, or communication technologies, even if similar technologies or components are present.

Semiconductor and component edge cases

Semiconductor devices and electronic components are not the primary subject of IEC 62368-1 when considered as discrete items. They fall within scope only when evaluated as part of complete equipment covered by the standard.

This distinction reflects the equipment-level orientation of IEC 62368-1. Component-specific characteristics may influence hazard analysis within equipment, but the standard’s scope does not extend to defining standalone component requirements.