BS EN IEC 60704-1:2021

What is BS EN IEC 60704-1 about?   

The part 1 of IEC 60704 applies to electric appliances (including their accessories or 
components) for household and similar use, supplied from mains or from batteries.  BS EN IEC 60704-1 is concerned with objective methods of engineering accuracy grade 2 in accordance with ISO 12001:1996 for determining sound power levels LW, expressed in decibels (dB), with reference to a sound power of one picowatt (1 pW), of airborne acoustical noise within the specified frequency range of interest (generally including the octave-bands with centre frequencies from 125 Hz to 8 000 Hz), and for prescribed operating conditions of the appliance to be measured.  

Note 1: This document does not apply to 

• Appliances, equipment, or machines designed exclusively for industrial or professional purposes 
• Appliances that are integrated parts of a building or its installations, such as equipment for air conditioning, heating and ventilating (except household fans, cooker hoods, freestanding heating appliances, dehumidifiers, air cleaners, and stand-alone water heaters) oil burners for central heating, pumps for water supply and for sewage systems; 
• Separate motors or generators and 
• Appliances exclusively for outdoor use. 

Note 2: For determining and verifying noise emission values declared in product specifications, see IEC 60704-3:2019. 

Who is BS EN IEC 60704-1 for?  

BS EN IEC 60704-1 on household and similar electrical appliances is useful for:  

• Household and similar electrical appliances manufacturers 
• Household and similar electrical appliances suppliers 

 Why should you use BS EN IEC 60704-1?   

Noise emitted by household appliances does not generally present a hazard to the hearing of the operator and other exposed persons, the need for standardisation procedures for the determination of the noise emitted has been recognized for a long time. 

The determination of noise levels is only part of a comprehensive testing procedure covering many aspects of the properties and performances of the appliance. It is therefore important that the requirements for noise measurements (such as test environment, instrumentation, and amount of labour involved) be kept at a modest level. 

BS EN IEC 60704-1 provides guidelines of noise measurements which is used for noise declaration, as well as for comparing the noise emitted by a specific appliance to the noise emitted by other appliances of the same family.  

This helps you to form basis for engineering action in the development stages of new pieces of equipment, or in deciding on means for sound insulation. 

What’s changed since the last update?  

BS EN IEC 60704-1:2021 cancels and replaces EN 60704-1:2010, which has been technically revised. 

It includes the following significant changes with respect to the previous edition: 

• Update of references (especially to ISO standards)
• Revision of requirements on climatic conditions
• Revision of requirements on background noise level