Iec 62305 - 62561

IEC 62305 & IEC 62561 International
Standards for Lightning Protection System

Design and Product Testing
Table of Contents
1. IEC 62305 – Designing for Protection Against Lightning

2. IEC 62305-1: General Principles
3. IEC 62305-2: Risk management
4. IEC 62305-3: Physical damage to structures and life hazard
5. IEC 62305-4: Electrical and electronic systems within structures
6. IEC 62561 – Lightning Protection System Components (LPSC)
7. Other IEC Standards Used for Lightning Protection
8. Lightning Protection System Design and Products
9. Protect Your Home From Natural Disasters
10. Installation of Lightning Conductor – Step by Step Guide
Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates The International Electrotechnical Commission
(IEC) prepares and publishes International Standards, such as IEC 62305, for all electrical,
electronic and related technologies and is the leading international organization in its field. The
IEC technical committee is comprised of representatives from the standard bodies of various
countries with each country getting one vote. The process of creating and issuing the IEC
standards are thus an international effort with votes given to every member. The adoption of the
relevant IEC standards are usually voluntary for countries and the content of the standards is
usually introduced as improvements to that country’s existing standards.
In this article, we will be referring separately to design and component standards for Lightning
Protection and Earthing. The Light Protection Design engineer or installer will use the design
standard to design the complete lightning protection system including placement of the
components. The lightning protection component manufacturer will use the component standards
to ensure product compliance and quality.
IEC 62305 – Designing for Protection Against Lightning

IEC 62305 – Protection Against Lightning, is the apex level document that informs the standards
for lightning protection around the world. It is a design standard that comprises of four
documents that provide the lightning protection designers with the rules and regulations they
require to design an LPS. The IEC 62305 standard covers the regulations required for the
protection of equipment and structures from the effects of both direct and indirect lightning
strikes. The diagram below which is taken directly from the IEC 62305 document, clearly shows
the relationship between the 4 parts of the standard. Part 1 is a general introduction to the threat
of lightning, part 2 delves into the calculation of lightning risk, part 3 describes the design of the
Lightning Protection System (LPS) and Part 4 describes the design of the Surge Protection
Measures (SPM).
IEC 62305, does not consider the following cases under the scope of the standard:
 Railway Systems
 Vehicles, ships, aircraft, offshore installations
 Underground high-pressure pipelines
 Pipe, power and telecommunication lines placed outside the structure
Lightning protection standards valid since December 2010
IEC 62305-1: General Principles

Part 1 of the standard is a general introduction to the entire standard in addition to the properties
of lightning and the factors used to simulate the effects of lightning strikes. The basics of
procedures and principles of protection that are used in the rest of the standard are also explained
in IEC 62305 Part 1.
IEC 62305-2: Risk management

Part 2 of the standard is the key to the correct implementation of Part 3 and Part 4 of the
standard. IEC 62305-2 is concerned with the Risk Assessment of a structure due to lightning
flashes and to determine whether it requires a lightning protection system. This part of the
standard provides the complete framework for Risk Assessment based on four types of losses
namely ‘Loss of human life or permanent injuries’, ‘Loss of service to the public’, ‘Loss of
cultural heritage’ and ‘Economic loss’. Protection measures can be determined based on this
Risk Assessment and a residual risk is established. This residual risk is reduced using protection
measures until it is below the tolerable risk. We can use this method to determine the class of
LPS based which are in compliance with IEC 62305-3 and 62305-4. As summarised in IEC
62305-2, “Once an upper tolerable limit for the risk has been selected, this procedure allows the
selection of appropriate protection measures to be adopted to reduce the risk to or below the
tolerable limit.”
Axis has used the guidelines of IEC 62305 Part 2 to design a Risk Assessment Software that
allows you to easily calculate and assess the risks to determine the Class of LPS for your
structure. This software uses parameters unique to your structure to help you determine the best
and most efficient protection system. The risk assessment software is part of a bundle that always
allows customers to also easily calculate earth rod length requirements, separation distance for
lightning arrestors, Surge Protection Device (SPD) selection and more! Please contact us for
more information on our software suite.
IEC 62305-3: Physical damage to structures and life hazard
Part 3 deals with the protection of people and structures from physical damage and injury due to
touch and step voltages caused due to direct lightning strikes. The standard states that the “main
and most effective measure of protection of structures from physical damage is considered to be
the lightning protection system (LPS)” which consists of external lightning protection (air
termination system, down conductor system and earth termination system) and internal lightning
protection (equipotential bonding and separation distance). IEC 62305-3 provides the guidelines
to help “LPS designers and installers, architects and builders” to correctly design, install and
maintain the external and internal lightning protection systems to protect people from touch and
step voltages.
IEC 62305-4: Electrical and electronic systems within

structures
Part 4 was introduced due to the ever-increasing cost of failures of electrical and electronic
systems in our digital world. IEC 62305-4 provides the details for the design, installation,
inspection, maintenance and testing of Surge Protection Measures (SPM) to protect electrical and
electronic systems from the effects of Lightning Electromagnetic Impulses (LEMP).
Part 4 also introduces the idea of Lightning Protection Zones (LPZ). The central idea is to limit
current and voltage surges, induced by lightning or otherwise, from damaging a structure or its
contents (people or equipment) by dividing the structure into a risk zones. These zones are nested
within each other, with the most sensitive zones being the innermost. A risk assessment
according to IEC 62305-2 is performed for each zone to select the most appropriate protection at
the optimum cost for that zone. By using standard appropriate lightning protection systems, such
as lightning arrestors and SPD’s, the effects of lightning hitting the outer zone, directly or
indirectly, are meant to be reduced before they can affect people or sensitive equipment in the
inner zones.
Axis can help you with the entire process from Step 1 of Risk Assessment to Lightning
Protection System Design and all the way through the supply of internationally approved
products. Our engineers will be on the field with you to make sure that they provide the most
precise protection for your structure! Contact us for more information.
IEC 62561 – Lightning Protection System Components

(LPSC)
The IEC 62561 series describes the requirements and tests for the various lightning protection
system components (LPSC). It summarises the test requirements for the components of a
lightning protection system (LPS) that is designed and implemented as per IEC 62305. The
various components of the LPS include:
 Connection components such as lightning conductor clamps, bonding & earthing clamps,
bridging components, pipe clamps, equipotential bonding bars
 Conductors and Earth Electrodes (link to the Earth Electrodes blog)
 Isolating Spark Gaps
 Conductor Fasteners
 Earth Pits
 Lightning Strike Counters
 Earth Enhancing Compounds
You should only procure products certified according to international or national standards for
your lightning protection requirements to ensure that the products perform according to the
requirements of the design of the lightning protection system. Axis has supplied the entire range
of products for Lightning Protection for over 25 years to hundreds of projects across the world.
View our catalogue for our Lightning Protection Products
Other IEC Standards Used for Lightning Protection

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IEC 62305 & IEC 62561 International

Standards for Lightning Protection System

1. IEC 62305 – Designing for Protection Against Lightning

IEC 62305 – Designing for Protection Against Lightning

IEC 62305-1: General Principles

IEC 62305-2: Risk management

IEC 62305-4: Electrical and electronic systems within

IEC 62561 – Lightning Protection System Components

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