International Electrotechnical Commission

The International Electrotechnical Commission is a global standards organisation responsible for developing and publishing international standards for electrical, electronic and related technologies. Its work underpins the safe, reliable and interoperable functioning of a vast spectrum of electrotechnical systems ranging from power generation and distribution to microelectronics, communications, renewable energy, medical devices and household equipment. It also oversees international conformity assessment systems that certify whether products and systems meet established electrotechnical standards.

Scope and Functions

The commission develops standards that encompass energy systems, electronics, magnetics, multimodal communications, electroacoustics and medical technologies. It further addresses cross-cutting technical domains such as terminology, symbols, safety, electromagnetic compatibility, environmental considerations, dependability, measurement methods and performance criteria. IEC standards are widely adopted as national standards and used globally in regulation, certification and engineering design.
Beyond standard-setting, the organisation manages several global conformity assessment systems, enabling uniform testing and certification of equipment, components and installations. These systems enhance international trade by reducing technical barriers and ensuring worldwide consistency in the evaluation of electrotechnical products.
The commission collaborates extensively with other international standardisation bodies. It maintains close partnerships with the International Organization for Standardization and the International Telecommunication Union and works jointly with major standards development organisations. Such cooperation enables harmonised standards across different technical fields, particularly in information technology, telecommunications and advanced electronic systems.

Historical Development

Efforts to standardise electrical and magnetic units date back to the late 19th century. The first International Electrical Congress, held in 1881 at the International Exposition of Electricity in Paris, resulted in an agreement on the international system of electrical and magnetic units. These early discussions laid the foundation for later global standardisation efforts.
The formal establishment of the commission followed international discussions held at the Paris Electrical Congress of 1900. British and American engineering institutions were particularly influential, with British engineer R. E. B. Crompton playing a leading role. The inaugural meeting took place on 26 June 1906, at which William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, was elected the first president. The early decades were marked by significant contributions to units of measurement. The commission helped develop and promote units such as the hertz, gauss and weber and supported the system proposed by Giovanni Giorgi, which later contributed to the International System of Units.
In 1938 the commission published its first multilingual vocabulary aiming to unify technical terminology, a project that has since evolved into the online Electropedia. Through this work it has continued to support clarity and consistency in electrotechnical language. The organisation also established specialised committees such as the International Special Committee on Radio Interference, which developed international approaches to managing electromagnetic disturbances.
The commission’s headquarters were originally located in London but moved to Geneva in 1948, reflecting the organisation’s expanding global role. Over time regional centres were created in Africa, Asia, Oceania, Latin America and North America to support broader collaboration.

Standards and Technical Cooperation

The development of electrotechnical standards is carried out by an extensive global network of experts representing industry, academia, government agencies, testing laboratories and consumer groups. This network involves approximately ten thousand specialists who participate in technical committees and working groups. Most of the individuals contributing to standards development are based in industry, ensuring that standards remain aligned with practical engineering needs and technological innovation.
IEC standards not developed jointly with ISO are assigned numbers in the 60000 series. A significant renumbering took place following agreements with European standardisation bodies, resulting in the addition of 60000 to earlier standards to create a unified numbering system across Europe. Standards developed jointly with ISO carry the prefix ISO/IEC, facilitating consistency across disciplines such as information security, office document formats and conformity assessment.
The commission’s standards are widely adopted by national and regional bodies including BSI Group, the Canadian Standards Association, Standards Australia, the South African Bureau of Standards, and various standards agencies in China, Germany and the United States. While national adaptations may include minor differences, they generally maintain compatibility with the original international versions.

Membership and Global Participation

The organisation is composed of national committees representing the electrotechnical interests of their respective countries. Membership includes full members with voting rights, associate members with limited voting and managerial rights, and affiliate participants. National committees vary in structure: some are government-led, some private-sector-focused, and others combine public and private interests. All represent diverse stakeholders including manufacturers, service providers, consumer groups, governmental bodies and standards developers.
To expand accessibility for developing countries, the commission launched the Affiliate Country Programme in 2001. This initiative enables industrialising nations to engage with technical work, comment on draft standards and access selected standards for national use. The programme aims to support wider adoption of internationally harmonised standards, promote safe and efficient electrotechnical infrastructure and foster participation in global standardisation.
As of recent reporting, eighty-nine countries were full members of the organisation, with an additional eighty-five countries participating in the affiliate programme. This broad engagement reflects the global relevance of electrotechnical standards in modern economies.

Technical Resources and Tools

A range of digital tools and databases support the development and use of standards. These include searchable collections of terminology, unified vocabularies, graphical symbols and specialised technical datasets. The Electropedia provides authoritative multilingual terminology for electrotechnology and remains one of the central resources for engineers, researchers and policymakers.
The commission’s web-based platforms enable access to standards, facilitate national committee participation, and support the conformity assessment systems. Through these tools, users can navigate extensive catalogues of requirements, testing procedures and best-practice specifications.