Still selling audio/video or IT equipment certified under IEC 60950-1 or IEC 60065? That certification is either running out the clock or, depending on your market and certifying body, already past its expiration for new products.
IEC 62368-1 has taken over as the applicable safety standard for both categories — it replaced IEC 60950-1 for IT equipment and IEC 60065 for audio/video equipment. This transition isn't new; it's been underway for years, and in nearly every major market, the deadline has already come and gone. What matters now is knowing exactly where your own products stand.
Why the Standards IEC 60950-1 and IEC 60065 Changed at All
IEC 60950-1 and IEC 60065 were written for a world where IT gear and audio/video gear were separate categories running on separate technologies. That world doesn't really exist anymore. As the two categories converged, manufacturers started building products that didn't fit cleanly under either standard.
IEC 62368-1 was built to handle that convergence, using what's called a hazard-based safety engineering (HBSE) approach. Rather than prescribing fixed requirements tied to specific technologies, HBSE works backward from the actual energy sources in a product: identify them, assess whether they could cause harm, and confirm the safeguards in place are adequate. It's a more principles-based, technology-neutral framework — one built to keep up with a category that keeps changing shape.
Is this new approach stricter than the old one? Not uniformly, no. Because requirements scale with actual risk rather than a fixed checklist, some things get more demanding for higher-energy products, while certain prescriptive rules from 60950-1 loosen up where a risk-based analysis says they can.
Where the Deadlines Landed, Market by Market
| Market | Standard | Transition Deadline | Status |
| USA (UL) | UL 62368-1 (3rd Ed.) | December 20, 2022 | Passed |
| Canada (CSA) | CSA C22.2 No. 62368-1 | December 20, 2022 | Passed |
| European Union | EN IEC 62368-1 | December 20, 2020 | Passed |
| UK (UKCA) | BS EN IEC 62368-1 | December 20, 2020 | Passed |
| Japan | J62368-1 | December 2022 | Passed |
| Australia/NZ | AS/NZS 62368-1 | Aligned with IEC transition | Passed |
| CB Scheme | IEC 62368-1 (3rd Ed.) | December 2022 | CB certs under 60950-1 no longer issued |
If Your Product Is Still Certified Under 60950-1
The answer to "do I need to do anything" really depends on which of three situations you're in.
Already on the market and unchanged. In most cases, an existing 60950-1 certification stays valid for that exact design as long as you keep up with normal FUS inspections and maintenance. That said, some certification bodies build in transition requirements as part of a standard update cycle, so it's worth confirming your NRTL's specific policy rather than assuming your certification is grandfathered indefinitely.
Submitting something new. Here there's no ambiguity — new certifications can no longer be issued under IEC 60950-1, full stop. Anything submitted for initial certification after the deadline gets evaluated under IEC 62368-1, no exceptions.
Modifying an existing product. This is where things get case-by-case. A significant design change to a product certified under 60950-1 can trigger a requirement to move the modified design over to 62368-1. Don't assume your existing certification automatically covers a redesigned product — check with your NRTL before you commit to changes.
Worth knowing separately: none of this touches your EMC certification. That's a completely different standard track, and the safety-standard transition doesn't affect it unless the changes you're making could also alter emissions or immunity performance.
What Actually Changed Between the Two Standards
| Area | IEC 60950-1 Approach | IEC 62368-1 Approach |
| Framework | Prescriptive — specific requirements for specific technologies | Hazard-Based Safety Engineering (HBSE) — identify energy sources, assess risk, apply safeguards |
| Energy source classification | Limited classification tied to specific voltage thresholds | Three energy source classes (ES1, ES2, ES3) with defined safeguard requirements |
| Fire enclosure requirements | Material flammability requirements specified | Risk-based — depends on energy class and proximity to combustible materials |
| Accessibility | Specific requirements by product type | Based on who is likely to access the equipment (ordinary, instructed, or skilled person) |
| Wireless charging | Limited coverage | Addressed with specific requirements for wireless power transfer |
One more wrinkle worth flagging: if you're working from the third edition of IEC 62368-1, know that it's not identical to the second. The third edition folded in updates for wireless charging, lithium battery requirements, and a handful of other technology areas that didn't exist, or existed differently, when the second edition was written. Confirm with your NRTL which edition your target market actually requires before you submit.
Mapping Out Your Own Transition
A few things worth doing before you touch a test lab:
- Start with a gap analysis — compare your existing design against 62368-1 requirements to see where things actually differ and what needs to change
- Figure out which of your existing 60950-1 test data can carry over — not everything needs to be retested from scratch
- Resolve any required design changes before you schedule certification testing, not during it
- Look at the transition as a chance to pursue dual-market certification under the CB Scheme while you're already in the process
If your team doesn't have compliance expertise in house, the fastest path through this is usually working with someone who's done it before — a consultant can run the gap analysis, sort out what testing is genuinely needed versus what can be reused, manage the submission itself, and handle the technical documentation so nothing falls through the cracks.
PSC Supports IEC 62368-1 Certification and Transition
Whether you're bringing a new product to market under IEC 62368-1 or moving an existing one off IEC 60950-1, PSC can help. We've worked extensively with both standards and can run gap analyses, support pre-submission preparation, and guide your product through certification without wasted cycles. Reach out at productsafetyinc.com or call 877-804-3066.
Product Safety Consulting, Inc. | Bensenville, IL | 877-804-3066 | productsafetyinc.com