EN 60335-2-3: Safety of Electric Irons

EN 60335-2-3, “Household and similar electrical appliances – Safety – Part 2-3: Particular requirements for electric irons”, sets the safety requirements for electric dry irons and steam irons for household and similar use, including irons with a separate water reservoir or boiler. It is applied under the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU and is read together with EN IEC 60335-1.

For EN 60335-2-3 testing and CE marking of your iron, apply to CE Danışmanı (CE Consultant); we manage the whole process for you.

EN 60335-2-3 at a glance

The edition cited in the Official Journal is the one that gives presumption of conformity with the Low Voltage Directive. Confirm the cited edition with the laboratory before testing starts.

Why irons have their own standard

An iron has one of the hottest accessible surfaces of any small household appliance. The soleplate reaches around 220 °C, steam models hold hot water or steam under pressure, and the supply cord moves constantly during use. Users leave the iron switched on, knock it over, touch the soleplate by accident and pull on the cord. Together these create a risk of burns, electric shock and fire, and Part 2-3 adds tests and design rules for each of these situations.

Steam models add a water tank, a pump and a steam path. Steam generator irons with a separate boiler work at higher pressure, so the boiler and its safety valve are tested as pressure-bearing parts.

Products covered

• Household dry irons
• Steam irons with an integrated water tank
• Steam generator irons (steam stations) with a separate reservoir or boiler
• Travel irons, including folding-handle and dual-voltage models
• Cordless irons heated on a stand

Products not covered

• Ironers and ironing presses: EN 60335-2-44
• Fabric steamers: EN 60335-2-85
• Hair straighteners: EN 60335-2-23 (appliances for skin or hair care). Both use a hot metal surface, but the user, the duration of use and the risk of wet contact are different.

Particular requirements for irons

• Clause 11, heating. The iron is run at its highest setting. Temperature rises are measured on the soleplate, the handle, the body and the supply cord, in both the upright and the ironing position.
• Clause 15, moisture resistance. On steam irons, water from the tank must not reach live parts in the normal position or when the iron is tilted.
• Clause 19, abnormal operation. Dry operation with an empty tank, failed thermostat, excess pressure in the boiler. The thermal protection must operate and no fire may start.
• Clause 21, mechanical strength. The iron is dropped and knocked over; internal connections must not come loose and the iron must remain safe.
• Clause 22, construction. The supply cord must withstand contact with the hot soleplate without the insulation failing. On boiler models the pressure vessel is tested above its working pressure and the safety valve must open before a dangerous pressure is reached.
• Clause 25, supply cord flexing. 20,000 flexing cycles. The cord of an iron moves more than that of almost any other appliance, and the test reflects it.

Many irons also switch the heating off automatically when they are left standing. Where this function is fitted, the laboratory verifies that it works as declared in each position.

Typical test programme

• Construction: Class I or Class II, earth continuity (below 0.1 Ω), degree of protection.
• Electrical: electric strength (typically 3000 V across reinforced insulation), insulation resistance, leakage current, repeated after steam has been produced.
• Heating: continuous operation at the highest setting, upright and horizontal.
• Mechanical: drop test, cord flexing (20,000 cycles), cord pull test.
• Abnormal operation: empty tank, defective thermostat, boiler overpressure.
• EMC: EN 55014-1 and EN 55014-2, with attention to emissions from electronically controlled irons.

Other legislation that applies

• EMC 2014/30/EU and RoHS 2011/65/EU
• Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU: should be checked for steam generator irons with a large boiler. Most household boilers stay below its thresholds.
• EU standby power limits for household equipment. Irons do not carry an EU energy label.
• REACH: PFOA and PFAS in non-stick soleplate coatings. The standard itself does not prescribe the coating material.

Why low-cost irons often fail

• The automatic switch-off does not work as declared.
• The wrong cord type is fitted, and the cord fails when it touches the hot soleplate.
• Insulation resistance drops after steam has been produced.
• The Declaration of Conformity names only Directive 2014/35/EU and leaves the list of standards empty, so EN 60335-2-3 is not cited at all.

From testing to CE marking

1. Scope analysis. Confirm that EN 60335-2-3 is the right Part 2 for the product and list the other legislation that applies.
2. Document review. Circuit diagrams, parts list, certificates of critical components and user instructions are checked before the sample goes to the laboratory.
3. Testing. EN 60335-1 and EN 60335-2-3 together, plus EMC tests to EN 55014-1 and EN 55014-2, and the pressure tests for boiler models.
4. Technical file and declaration. The technical file includes the risk analysis and the test reports; the EU Declaration of Conformity lists every directive and standard applied.
5. CE marking. The mark is at least 5 mm high. The technical file is kept for 10 years.

A report from an accredited laboratory is what market surveillance authorities and distributors usually ask to see. Turkey applies the same rules through its own regulation aligned with 2014/35/EU, and the documents of imported products are checked through TAREKS. Send every variant (voltage, colour, options) to the laboratory together, because models added later need extra testing. The technical file of an iron normally also holds the exploded drawing, the thermostat data sheet and the material documents of the water tank.

Related guide: EN 60335-2-9 for grills and toasters, another heating appliance standard.