AS61439

AS/NZS 61439 Electrical Enclosure Compliance

AS/NZS 61439 was released in 2016 and superceded AS/NZS 3439 in 2021. The scope applies to low voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies not exceeding 1000V ac. or 1500 V dc. It applies to all assemblies whether they are designed, manufactured and verified on a one-off basis or fully standardised and manufactured in quantity. The standard does not apply to individual components that comply to relevant individual product standards.

If an assembly is rated equal to or less than 125Amps and is short circuit fault rated equal to or less than 10kA then compliance to AS/NZS 61439 is not required. (Assemblies that are not required to comply to AS/NZS 61439 must still comply with AS/NZS 3000. It is the responsibility of the contractor to be aware of and meet requirements). This is the only exclusion. All other assemblies must comply to AS/NZS 61439.

AS/NZS 61439 & IEC62208

AS/NZS 61439 Cl 10.2.1 states that where an empty enclosure in accordance with IEC62208 is used and not modified, no repetition of the enclosure testing to 10.2 is required. IP Enclosures empty electrical enclosures have been tested and certified to IEC62208 ‘Empty enclosures for low voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies’ by an independent accredited test laboratory. A certificate of conformity to IEC62208 assists switchboard builders throughout design verification and routine verification processes outlined in AS/NZS 61439.

IP Enclosures Supports Switchboard Builders

AS/NZS 61439 ‘Low voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies’ is the standard for ‘assemblies’ and responsibilities are outlined in section 3, Terms and Definitions. The ‘Original Manufacturer’ is the organisation that has carried out the original design and verification of an assembly (Clause 3.10.1) while the ‘Assembly Manufacturer’ is the organisation taking responsibility for the completed assembly. IP Enclosures is an empty enclosure supplier as per IEC62208. We support organisations defined as Original Manufacturers and Assembly Manufacturers throughout design verification and routine verification processes required by AS/NZS 61439 by complying with IEC62208, relevant sections of AS/NZS 61439 and providing necessary documentation and certificates.

Design Verification and Routine Verification

AS/NZS 61439 requires final assemblies to meet or exceed requirements. Annex D, design verification Table D1 (shown below), lists 13 design verifications to be performed. Three methods of verification can be used to verify the characteristics in Table D1 and the Table outlines which method of verification can be used to verify each characteristic.

  1. Test: Test made on a sample of an assembly or on parts of assemblies to verify that the design meets the requirements of the relevant assembly standard.
  2. Comparison: Structured comparison of a proposed design for an assembly, or parts of an assembly, with a reference design verified by test.
  3. Assessment: Design verification of strict design rules or calculations applied to a sample of an assembly or
    to parts of assemblies to show that the design meets the requirements of the relevant assembly standard.

IP Enclosures’ empty electrical enclosures have been tested in accordance with IEC62208 and documentation is made available for design verification in accordance with AS/NZS 61439.

Table D.1 – List of Design Verifications to be Performed

Refer below for Annex D – Design Verification, Table D.1 – List of design verifications to be performed including method of verification.

No.No. Characteristic to be verifiedClauses or
subclauses
Verification options available
TestingComparisonAssessment
1Strength of material and parts:10.2
Resistance to corrosion10.2.2YESNONO
Properties of insulating
materials:
10.2.3
Thermal stability10.2.3.1YESNONO
Resistance to abnormal heat
and fire due to internal electric
effects
10.2.3.2YESNOYES
Resistance to ultra-violet (UV)
radiation
10.2.4YESNOYES
Lifting10.2.5YESNONO
Mechanical impact10.2.6YESNONO
Marking10.2.7YESNONO
2Degree of protection of
enclosures
10.3YESNOYES
3Clearances10.4YESNOYES
4Creepage distances10.4YESNOYES
5Protection against electric
shock and integrity of
protective circuits:
10.5
Effective continuity between
the exposed conductive parts
of the ASSEMBLY and the
protective circuit
10.5.2YESNONO
Short-circuit withstand
strength of the protective
circuit
10.5.3YESNONO
6Incorporation of switching
devices and components
10.6NONOYES
7Internal electrical circuits and
connections
10.7NONOYES
8Terminals for external
conductors
10.8NONOYES
9Dielectric properties:10.9
Power-frequency withstand
voltage
10.9.2YESNONO
Impulse withstand voltage10.9.3YESNOYES
10Temperature-rise limits10.10YESYESYES
11Short-circuit withstand
strength
10.11YESYESNO
12Electromagnetic compatibility
(EMC)
10.12YESNOYES
13Mechanical operation10.13YESNONO

Arc Fault Containment

Arc fault containment is not a mandatory requirement for compliance to AS/NZS 61439. Arc fault containment is covered in Appendix ZC and the application of the Appendix is subject to agreement between purchaser and manufacturer. The Standard does not define requirements for arc flash protection.

For more information

*The information provided is a guide only. Refer to SAI Global for more relevant standards.