EN 60335-2-7: Safety of Washing Machines

EN 60335-2-7, “Household and similar electrical appliances – Safety – Part 2-7: Particular requirements for washing machines”, sets the safety requirements for household washing machines: front-loading, top-loading, and combined machines that wash and spin or wash and dry. It is applied under the Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU and is read together with EN IEC 60335-1; Part 2-7 holds the additional rules for this appliance.

For EN 60335-2-7 testing and CE marking of your washing machine, apply to CE Danışmanı (CE Consultant); we manage the whole process for you.

EN 60335-2-7 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 washing machines have their own standard

A washing machine brings water, electricity, heat and fast mechanical movement together in one appliance. In an average cycle 30 to 60 litres of water are heated to between 30 and 90 °C by a heater of up to 2 kW, and the drum spins at 1200 to 1600 rpm. A heater fault can start a fire, a burst hose can flood a room, and a failed door lock can cause injury. The standard deals with five subjects:

1. door or lid interlock while the drum is turning
2. water protection when a hose bursts or the machine leaks internally
3. protection of the heater against running dry
4. resistance of the drain pump to foreign objects
5. protection against out-of-balance loads and vibration

Products covered

• Front-loading and top-loading washing machines
• Machines that wash and spin, which is the normal modern product
• Washer-dryers; the drying function is assessed with EN 60335-2-11
• Compact and semi-automatic machines (3–4 kg)
• Hot-fill models and connected models with Wi-Fi control

Products not covered

• Standalone spin extractors: EN 60335-2-4
• Standalone tumble dryers: EN 60335-2-11
• Commercial and laundry washing machines: a separate standard for commercial machines applies
• Industrial laundry lines: machinery legislation and sector standards

A washer-dryer is therefore assessed to three standards: EN 60335-1, EN 60335-2-7 for washing and EN 60335-2-11 for drying. All three are cited in the Declaration of Conformity.

Particular requirements for washing machines

• Clause 20, door or lid interlock. The door must not open while the drum is turning. The lock is released only after the motor has stopped and the drum has come to rest.
• Clause 20, out-of-balance protection. When an unbalanced load is detected at high spin speed, the machine must reduce speed or stop. The test uses a deliberately unbalanced load and is repeated five times.
• Clause 15, water protection. If the inlet hose bursts, water must not reach the electrical parts. The standard does not name “Aquastop”; manufacturers usually meet the requirement with a double-walled hose and a float sensor.
• Clause 19, heater running dry. With an empty tub or a failed level sensor, the heater must be switched off before a hazard arises.
• Clause 19, blocked drain pump. A coin or a button in the pump must not lead to overheating; the motor must stop or be protected.
• Clause 21, door glass. The glass must survive the highest spin speed, thermal shock between hot wash water and room temperature, and an impact test.
• Clause 22, disconnection from the supply and clause 25, supply connection. Full disconnection from the mains and a supply cord sized for the heater load.

The standard does not prescribe a maximum spin speed. Whatever speed is declared, the machine must pass the out-of-balance, glass and interlock tests at that speed. The instructions must also warn the user clearly to remove the transit bolts before first use, because a machine spun with the bolts in place vibrates violently.

Typical test programme

• Construction: Class I with earthing, protection against water.
• Electrical: electric strength, insulation resistance, leakage current.
• Heating: the hottest programme (90 °C), heater in continuous and intermittent operation, outer surface temperatures.
• Mechanical: endurance of the door lock and hinge, five out-of-balance runs, glass impact test.
• Water: hose pressure test, function of the leak protection and overflow sensor, blocked drain.
• Abnormal operation: dry heater, blocked pump, blocked drain, overload.

Other legislation that applies

• Ecodesign (EU) 2019/2023: energy and water consumption and availability of spare parts for 10 years
• Energy Labelling (EU) 2019/2014: A to G label with energy and water per cycle, spin-drying efficiency and noise; performance is measured to EN 60456. Since the 2021 rescaling, former A+++ models mostly fall into lower classes because the measurement method is stricter.
• EMC 2014/30/EU: EN 55014-1 and EN 55014-2
• Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU for Wi-Fi models: EN 300 328, EN 301 489, EN 62311, and EN 18031-1 for cybersecurity from August 2025
• RoHS and WEEE

From testing to CE marking

1. Scope analysis. Confirm that EN 60335-2-7 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 60335-2-7 together, plus EMC tests to EN 55014-1 and EN 55014-2, EN 60456 performance measurements for the energy label.
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. For a washing machine the technical file also holds the hydraulic diagram, the data sheets of heater, motor and pump, and the certificates of the door glass and the inlet hose.

Related guide: EN 60335-2-5 for dishwashers.