What the standard is
IEC 60335 is a family of safety standards for household and similar electrical appliances. The first part, IEC 60335-1, sets general requirements that apply to nearly every appliance in the family: protection against electric shock, heating, leakage current, moisture resistance, mechanical hazards, abnormal operation, construction, internal wiring, components and creepage distances. Each later part, called a particular standard, adds or modifies clauses for one product type. IEC 60335-2-2 is the particular standard for vacuum cleaners and water-suction cleaning appliances. The edition most buyers meet today is edition 7, published in 2019, used together with IEC 60335-1. In Europe the same documents are adopted as EN standards, and in many other countries they are adopted with national differences.
A practical consequence is that a test report for a vacuum names both documents. When a plant says it has a 60335-2-2 report, the buyer should check that the report lists the part 1 edition and the particular standard edition, the model number, the rating label and the date. A report for a similar model is not a report for the one being ordered.
What it covers for vacuums
The particular standard modifies the general text where vacuum cleaners behave differently from, say, a kettle. Typical subjects are listed below in general terms; the standard itself should be consulted for exact clauses and limits.
| Topic | What the tests look at | Where it shows up in a build |
|---|---|---|
| Electric shock protection | Accessible live parts, insulation, earthing or double insulation | Housing joints, switch design, cord entry |
| Heating and abnormal operation | Temperatures in normal use and with blocked air inlets or a stalled motor | Thermal cutoff, motor winding class, airpath design |
| Moving parts | Access to brush rolls, belts and fans | Guards, interlocks, brush stop on lift |
| Moisture | Splashing, spillage, and for wet machines liquid pickup | Float valves, seals, drainage, insulation clearances |
| Strength and stability | Impact, drop and tipping behaviour | Housing material and wall thickness, wheel base |
| Power cord and plug | Cord strength, flexing and anchorage | Cord retainers, reel mechanisms |
| Marking and instructions | Rating label, warnings, user manual content | Label layout and translated manuals |
For wet dry machines and floor washers the water-suction parts of the standard matter most, because liquids and mains power are in the same housing. Battery-powered machines use the same particular standard where it applies, with the battery and the charger handled under their own standards; see UN 38.3 and IEC 62133 battery tests.
How it connects to CE and other approvals
In the EU, a vacuum that meets the harmonised EN version of the standard is presumed to meet the safety objectives of the Low Voltage Directive, which is one pillar of CE marking. The other pillars are the EMC directive, RoHS, and for robots with radios the radio equipment directive. The manufacturer, or the importer acting as one, signs a declaration of conformity and prepares technical documentation. A third-party report is common practice though the route is often a self-declaration; the desk treats the laboratory report as the evidence to verify. Outside the EU, many markets accept IEC-based reports through national schemes, while North America uses UL 1017 as its own vacuum standard, discussed in UL 1017 and ETL. The ecodesign limits in the EU are a separate regulation and not part of 60335-2-2, covered in EU ecodesign 666/2013.
What a buyer should ask a plant to show
- The full test report with the laboratory name, the report number, the date and the standards with edition years.
- The model number and rating label on the report, matched against the sample and the order.
- A list of critical components used in the tested sample, such as the switch, the cord, the motor, the thermal protector and the plugs, so later substitutions can be checked.
- The declaration of conformity, if the target market uses one, and the technical file index.
- The production controls: how the plant keeps components to the tested list, and how routine tests such as insulation and earth continuity are carried out at the end of the line.
This last point is easy to forget. A type-test report proves the design; routine tests prove each unit. The quality control page shows where line tests sit in the inspection plan, and the testing and inspection page describes the checks the desk can arrange.
Common pitfalls
Four issues repeat in sourcing files. Reports for the wrong model number: a platform with five colours often has one report that quietly covers only one rating. Out-of-date editions: a report to an older edition may not be accepted by a lab or customs reviewer. Component drift: a cheaper switch or cord is substituted after testing and no one updates the file. And label mismatch: the rating plate on the packaged unit says 1,200 W while the report was run at 900 W. The fix is mechanical: attach the critical components list to the purchase order and have the final inspection compare the label with the report.
Manuals, warnings and labels
The standard does not stop at the hardware. It expects safety instructions that tell the user not to pick up burning ashes, not to use the machine on wet surfaces unless it is a wet machine, and not to operate it with a damaged cord, among other points. Importers often discover that the plant's default manual is a thin sheet translated by software. For a retail program the manual is part of the product: the wording, the language set and the symbols should be reviewed against the standard and the market before print. The rating label must show the voltage, the frequency and the rated power in the format the market expects, and it must stay legible after the abrasion and solvent tests that laboratories apply to labels. The packaging and retail boxes page covers how the manual and label are packed and checked.
Where it sits in the project
For a public-mould model the plant often has a report already, and the desk only has to verify it and check the label. For private label, the report is usually extended to the brand's model name, a step handled through the laboratory. For a new ODM design, testing happens on engineering samples and sits inside the 60-120 day first-order reference. These are references, confirmed in writing for each program; quantities are on MOQ and lead time. Send the target market and model to the desk through the quote form to start the document check. Vaculent holds no certificates; partner plant documents are verified per project.