The IECEE is the International Commission on the Rules for the Approval of Electrical Equipment being a standardization body of the International Electrotechnical Commission. The IEC uses the name IECEE for the IEC System for Conformity Testing and Certification of Electrotechnical Equipment and Components that is better known as the CB System[1][2]
The IECEE CB Scheme in Geneva is the same as the old CEE - CB Scheme that issued the CEE standards.[3] The CEE had been a European standardisation body founded under the name of Commission internationale de réglementation en vue de l'approbation de l'équipement électrique[4] A CEE standard defines therefore the Conformité de l'équipement électrique / Certification of Electrotechnical Equipment. Historically this certification process goes back to 1929 based on an initiative by the German VDE (Verband der Elektrotechnik, Elektronik und Informationstechnik).[5]
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The IEC CB Scheme is multilateral agreement to allow international certification of electrical and electronic products so that a single certification allows worldwide market access.
The CB scheme has its origin in the CEE (the European „Commission for Conformity Testing of Electrical Equipment“) that was merged into the IEC in 1985. Currently there are 52 member bodies organized in the IECEE and 65 NCBs (national certification bodies) support the scheme with 276 CB test labs (CBTL). A product being certified in a CBTL (certified testing laboratory) according to the harmonized standard will receive a CB Report that may be submitted to the national certification bodies like GS, PSE, CCC, NOM, GOST/R, BSMI.
Under the name of "CEE connectors" most medium industrial appliances use connectors according to the IEC 60309 standard.
| Standard | Description |
|---|---|
| CEE 7 | describing the AC power plugs and sockets in domestic use in Europe. The standard is mostly referenced for the CEE 7/7 hybrid connector that has replaced the Schuko connectors. The CEE 7/16 however is mostly called Europlug. |
| CEE 13 | describing requirements on connector cable with a polyvinyl chloride isolation. Supplanted by CENELEC HD-21 / HD-22 that was adopted as IEC 227/245[6] |
| CEE 17 | describing plugs, socket-outlets and couplers for industrial purposes including three-phase and up to 250 A. It was adopted as IEC 309 and upated to IEC 60309 in 1999. |
| CEE 22 | describing additional low current plugs for domestic use. It was adopted as IEC 320 and relabled later to IEC 60320.[6] A designation as CEE 22 plug refers to the IEC 320 C15 power cord plug ("hot condition" connector) that is similar to the C14 power cord plug found at the power supply of most PCs ("cold condition" connector). |