WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ATEX AND IECEX?

What is ATEX?
The name ATEX comes from the French ATmosphère EXplosibles, describing the equipment and use of a product to be located in an explosive atmosphere.
The ATEX directive applies to a wide range of equipment, generally including offshore platforms, petrochemical plants, flour mills and other equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres. The Directive also applies to safety devices beneficial to the safety of equipment, which may be used outside potentially explosive atmospheres.
 
What is IECEx?
IEC Scheme for Certification to Standards for Electrical Equipment for Explosive atmospheres, referred to as IECEx explosion-proof certification, was established in 1996 and is an international explosion-proof certification organization for explosion-proof electrical products.
The IECEx Directive refers to the certification of electrical equipment specially used in industrial sectors such as petroleum, chemical, coal mining, textile, food processing and military industries that may accumulate explosive gases, vapors, dust or fibers and other explosive hazards.
 
Difference between ATEX and IECEx

• ATEX is a mandatory certification in the EU, and all explosion-proof equipment sold in the EU market must pass the ATEX explosion-proof directive 94/9/EC certification.ATEX certification is only available in EU countries.
• IECEx is a voluntary certification, not mandatory, and is not currently recognized by the EU and North American markets.
• ATEX certification can be based on IECEx test reports, but ATEX documents do not necessarily support IECEx certificates.

Key words:
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