international electrotechnical commission (IEC)

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a recognized standardization organization in the field of electrical engineering and electronics.

Its subject areas include electrical safety, dielectric strength and insulation, the field of electrical components, equipment for the generation, transport and distribution of electrical energy, building services, as well as communications engineering, radio engineering and information technology.

The IEC was founded as early as 1906 and later affiliated with the International Standards Organization( ISO). It comprises more than 600 working groups that deal with standardization. The standards developed by the IEC are valid worldwide. The German representative in the IEC is the DKE (German Commission for Electrical Engineering) in DIN and VDE.

The IEC has its headquarters in Geneva, and the national standards institutes operate in over one hundred countries.