IEC 61340-2-1:2015

Overview

IEC 61340-2-1:2015 (consolidated with AMD1:2022) is an international horizontal standard on electrostatics that defines measurement methods for the ability of materials and products to dissipate static electric charge. It specifies two charge decay measurement techniques - the corona charging method and the charged metal plate (charged plate) method - and provides detailed procedures, environmental conditions, apparatus descriptions and reporting requirements. The standard is intended for test laboratories, manufacturers and technical committees preparing related standards.

Key topics and technical requirements

• Two charge-decay methods
  • Corona charging method: deposits charge directly onto a material’s surface and measures charge decay - best suited for textiles, packaging and materials where surface charge dissipation is the focus.
  • Charged plate method: charges a metal plate and measures decay when conductive objects contact or rest on the material - best suited for gloves, finger cots, hand tools and items that must dissipate charge from conductive objects.
• Non-equivalence warning: the two methods can produce different results; each has defined application ranges and may not be interchangeable.
• Apparatus and measurement details: requirements for corona chargers, fieldmeters, containment, charged plate design and measurement of charge decay time under specified environmental conditions.
• Performance verification: added procedures for verification of measuring instruments used with the corona charging method, including sensitivity and decay-time checks.
• Test procedure elements: selection of method, sample/surface preparation, test execution, result interpretation and standardized test reporting.
• Applicability: focuses on insulating and static-dissipative materials where resistivity alone is insufficient or unreliable for evaluating charge dissipation.

Practical applications and users

IEC 61340-2-1 is used by:

• Test laboratories performing electrostatic charge decay testing and certification.
• Manufacturers of textiles, packaging, personal protective equipment (gloves, finger cots) and ESD tools who need to validate charge-dissipative properties.
• Quality assurance and R&D teams developing materials and products for electrostatic-sensitive environments (electronics assembly, cleanrooms, explosive atmospheres).
• ESD control engineers designing ESD protection programs and selecting appropriate materials and tools.
• Standards and compliance committees using this horizontal standard as a basis for specific application standards.

Practical value: helps select the correct test method for the intended application, ensures repeatable measurement conditions, and provides instrument verification steps to increase confidence in charge-dissipation data.

Related standards

• IEC 61340 series (Electrostatics)
• IEC 61340-4-6 (Wrist straps)
• IEC 61340-4-7 (Ionization)
• Safety and test-equipment standards such as IEC 61010-1 / IEC 61010-2-030
• IEC Guide 108 (use of horizontal standards)

Keywords: IEC 61340-2-1, electrostatics, charge decay, corona charging, charged plate method, static dissipative materials, ESD testing, charge dissipation.