IEC 61557-13:2023

IEC 61557-13
®

Edition 2.0 2023-08
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE


Electrical safety in low voltage distribution systems up to 1 000 V AC and
1 500 V DC – Equipment for testing, measuring or monitoring of protective
measures –
Part 13: Hand-held and hand-manipulated current clamps and sensors for
measurement of leakage currents in electrical distribution systems

Sécurité électrique dans les réseaux de distribution basse tension au plus égale
à 1 000 V en courant alternatif et 1 500 V en courant continu – Dispositifs de
contrôle, de mesure ou de surveillance de mesures de protection –
Partie 13: Pinces et capteurs de courant portatifs et manipulés à la main pour la
mesure des courants de fuite dans les réseaux de distribution électriques
IEC 61557-13:2023-08(en-fr)

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IEC 61557-13

®


Edition 2.0 2023-08




INTERNATIONAL



STANDARD




NORME


INTERNATIONALE











Electrical safety in low voltage distribution systems up to 1 000 V AC and

1 500 V DC – Equipment for testing, measuring or monitoring of protective

measures –

Part 13: Hand-held and hand-manipulated current clamps and sensors for

measurement of leakage currents in electrical distribution systems




Sécurité électrique dans les réseaux de distribution basse tension au plus égale

à 1 000 V en courant alternatif et 1 500 V en courant continu – Dispositifs de

contrôle, de mesure ou de surveillance de mesures de protection –


Partie 13: Pinces et capteurs de courant portatifs et manipulés à la main pour la

mesure des courants de fuite dans les réseaux de distribution électriques







INTERNATIONAL

ELECTROTECHNICAL

COMMISSION


COMMISSION

ELECTROTECHNIQUE


INTERNATIONALE





ICS 17.220.20, 29.080.01, 29.240.01 ISBN 978-2-8322-7250-3




Warning! Make sure that you obtained this publication from an authorized distributor.

Attention! Veuillez vous assurer que vous avez obtenu cette publication via un distributeur agréé.

® Registered trademark of the International Electrotechnical Commission
Marque déposée de la Commission Electrotechnique Internationale

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– 2 – IEC 61557-13:2023 © IEC 2023
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 4
INTRODUCTION . 6
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Requirements . 9
4.1 General requirements . 9
4.2 Operating classes . 9
4.2.1 General . 9
4.2.2 Operating class 1. 10
4.2.3 Operating class 2. 10
4.2.4 Operating class 3. 10
4.3 Operating uncertainty of the specified measuring range . 10
4.3.1 General . 10
4.3.2 Specified measuring range of an operating class 1 current sensor . 10
4.3.3 Specified measuring range of an operating class 2 current sensor . 11
4.3.4 Specified measuring range of an operating class 3 current sensor . 11
4.4 Reference conditions . 13
4.5 Mechanical requirements . 14
4.6 Pollution degree . 15
4.7 Measurement category . 15
4.8 Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) . 15
5 Marking and operating instructions . 15
5.1 Marking . 15
5.2 Operating instructions . 15
6 Tests . 16
6.1 General . 16
6.2 Operating uncertainty . 16
6.3 Verification of the operating instructions . 18
6.4 Verification of the marking . 18
Annex A (informative) Examples of measurement applications . 19
Bibliography . 21

Figure 1 – Operating uncertainty in relation to operating class and external magnetic
field for measuring ranges less than or equal to 10 mA . 12
Figure 2 – Operating uncertainty in relation to operating classes and external magnetic
field and measuring ranges greater than 10 mA . 13
Figure 3 – Reference position for two straight conductors (differential method) . 14
Figure 4 – Example of operating positions for differential method . 14
Figure 5 – Example for an applicable pictogram for operating class 1 using caution
symbol ISO 7000-0434A:2004-01 . 15
Figure A.1 – Example for measurement of protective conductor current – Direct method . 19
Figure A.2 – Example for measurement of leakage current including protective
conductor current – Differential method . 20

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IEC 61557-13:2023 © IEC 2023 – 3 –
Table 1 – Relation between external magnetic field and operating class . 11
Table 2 – Reference conditions . 13
Table 3 – Calculation of the operating uncertainty . 17

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– 4 – IEC 61557-13:2023 © IEC 2023
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________

ELECTRICAL SAFETY IN LOW VOLTAGE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS UP TO
1 000 V AC AND 1 500 V DC – EQUIPMENT FOR TESTING, MEASURING OR
MONITORING OF PROTECTIVE MEASURES –

Part 13: Hand-held and hand-manipulated current clamps and sensors for
measurement of leakage currents in electrical distribution systems

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) IEC draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
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https://patents.iec.ch. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
IEC 61557-13 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 85: Measuring equipment for
electrical and electromagnetic quantities. It is an International Standard.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2011. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) the term "fixing device" has been removed;

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IEC 61557-13:2023 © IEC 2023 – 5 –
b) the measuring range was changed to a display range, the indication of DC or peak values
has been added in 4.1;
c) the frequency for the test of sensitivity for low-frequency magnetic fields has been defined
in 4.2;
d) the specified measuring range is now defined as the range of indicated values based on
the operating uncertainty in 4.3;
e) alignment of the structure with that of the whole IEC 61557 series;
f) the variation E (maximum load current), may be specified according to the
12
manufacturer’s specification.
The text of this International Standard is based on the following documents:
Draft Report on voting
85/877/FDIS 85/883/RVD

Full information on the voting for its approval can be found in the report on voting indicated in
the above table.
The language used for the development of this International Standard is English.
This International Standard is to be used in conjunction with IEC 61557-1:2019.
This document was drafted in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2, and developed in
accordance with ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 and ISO/IEC Directives, IEC Supplement,
available at www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs. The main document types developed by
IEC are described in greater detail at www.iec.ch/publications.
A list of all parts of the IEC 61557 series, published under the general title Electrical safety in
low voltage distribution systems up to 1 000 V AC and 1 500 V DC – Equipment for testing,
measuring or monitoring of protective measures, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this document will remain unchanged until the
stability date indicated on the IEC website under webstore.iec.ch in the data related to the
specific document. At this date, the document will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.

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– 6 – IEC 61557-13:2023 © IEC 2023
INTRODUCTION
During periodical inspections of electrical installations, it is increasingly difficult to carry out
measurements of insulation resistances with devices in accordance with IEC 61557-2 when
the installations cannot be switched off for long periods and when there are sensitive
appliances connected. Therefore, the measurement of leakage currents can provide additional
information about the safe or unsafe situation of an installation.
Furthermore, the user has the opportunity to place current clamps and sensors on different
points of the distribution system for troubleshooting nuisance tripping of RCDs, alarms of
RCMs and other problems caused by low-frequency leakage currents.
Unfortunately, the presence of high external magnetic fields has a big impact on the
performance of commonly used current clamps and sensors. High uncertainty and
non-repeatability of readings can lead to unsafe interpretations.
This document defines performance classes for current clamps and sensors in relationship to
ranges of high external magnetic fields and gives guidance to the user to choose the
appropriate measuring device for a given situation.
The hand-held and hand-manipulated current clamps and sensors can be stand-alone
instruments or accessories of instruments.

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IEC 61557-13:2023 © IEC 2023 – 7 –
ELECTRICAL SAFETY IN LOW VOLTAGE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS UP TO
1 000 V AC AND 1 500 V DC – EQUIPMENT FOR TESTING, MEASURING OR
MONITORING OF PROTECTIVE MEASURES –

Part 13: Hand-held and hand-manipulated current clamps and sensors for
measurement of leakage currents in electrical distribution systems



1 Scope
This part of IEC 61557 defines special performance requirements for hand-held and
hand-manipulated current clamps and sensors for measurement of leakage currents in
electrical distribution systems up to 1 000 V AC and 1 500 V DC taking into account the
influence of high external low-frequency magnetic fields and other influencing quantities. See
Annex A for examples of measurement applications.
This document does not apply to current clamps or sensors that are used in combination with
devices for insulation fault location in accordance with IEC 61557-9, unless it is specified by
the manufacturer.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their
content constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition
cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including
any amendments) applies.
IEC 61000-4-8, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4-8: Testing and measurement
techniques – Power frequency magnetic field immunity test
IEC 61010-1, Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control, and
laboratory use – Part 1: General requirements
IEC 61010-2-032:2019, Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control
and laboratory use – Part 2-032: Particular requirements for hand-held and hand-manipulated
current sensors for electrical test and measurement
IEC 61326-1:2020, Electrical equipment for measurement, control and laboratory use – EMC
requirements – Part 1: General requirements
IEC 61557-1:2019, Electrical safety in low voltage distribution systems up to 1 000 V AC and
1 500 V DC – Part 1: General requirements
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 61557-1 and the
following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp

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– 8 – IEC 61557-13:2023 © IEC 2023
3.1
hand-held current clamp and sensor
portable or hand-held device for measurement, display or for indication of types of leakage
currents in distribution systems without interruption of circuits
Note 1 to entry: For simplification, this term is replaced with the term "current sensors" throughout the document.
3.2
hand-manipulated current clamp and sensor
portable or hand-manipulated device for measurement, display or for indication of types of
leakage currents in distribution systems without interruption of circuits
Note 1 to entry: For simplification, this term is replaced with the term "current sensors" throughout the document.
3.3
measurement category
classification of testing and measuring circuits according to the type of mains to which they
are intended to be connected
[SOURCE: IEC 61010-2-030:2017, 3.5.101, modified – Note 1 removed.]
3.4
variation E
11
variation due to external low-frequency magnetic fields
3.5
variation E
12
variation due to load current during measurement using the differential method
Note 1 to entry: For the differential method, see Figure A.2.
3.6
variation E
13
variation due to touch current to earth caused by common mode voltage during
hand-manipulation
3.7
variation E
14
variation due to frequency
3.8
variation E
15
repeatability of the measurement readings
Note 1 to entry: The variation repeatability means that at least 10 (or maybe more) open/closed cycles are made
before taking a measurement reading.
3.9
operating class
performance class defining the influence of external low-frequency magnetic fields on the
current sensors
3.10
leakage current
current driven by active conductors of a distribution system and/or loads to earth and/or
protective conductors

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IEC 61557-13:2023 © IEC 2023 – 9 –
3.11
load current
current flowing through the line conductor(s)
3.12
rated burden
value of the burden on which the accuracy requirements of a specification are based
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-321:1986, 321-01-26]
3.13
resolution
smallest change in the measurand, or quantity supplied, which causes a perceptible change in
the indication
[SOURCE: IEC 60050-311:2001, 311-03-10]
3.14
fiducial value
fiducial value used for reference is the measured value of the leakage current
4 Requirements
4.1 General requirements
In addition to the requirements of IEC 61557-1:2019, Clause 4, the following requirements
shall apply.
Current sensors according to this document shall be in accordance with IEC 61010-2-032.
Current sensors according to this document shall have the ability to indicate leakage currents
for a minimum range of either 1 mA to 10 A AC or 1 mA to 10 A DC (or both) and shall be
designed for a load current of at least 60 A. Multiple ranges are allowed.
The resolution shall be 0,1 mA AC or 0,1 mA DC, or higher.
The current values shall be indicated as RMS values. Additional indication of DC or peak
values are allowed.
The frequency range of the current sensors shall include a range from a minimum of 40 Hz up
to the third harmonic of the rated mains frequency.
For railway applications, a frequency range starting at 15 Hz is recommended.
For industrial applications, a frequency range up to 1 kHz is recommended.
For testing the leakage current of appliances, a measuring range starting at 0,1 mA with a
resolution of 0,01 mA is recommended.
4.2 Operating classes
4.2.1 General
Current sensors are classified into three operating classes according to their sensitivity for
low-frequency magnetic fields in accordance with IEC 61000‑4‑8 at 50 Hz and 60 Hz.

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– 10 – IEC 61557-13:2023 © IEC 2023
For optional frequency ranges between 16,7 Hz and 400 Hz, the test configuration in
accordance with IEC 61000‑4‑8 shall be used.
4.2.2 Operating class 1
Current sensors of operating class 1 shall operate within external low-frequency magnetic
fields according to 4.2.1 up to a field strength of 100 A/m.
The upper limit of field strength shall be marked in accordance with Figure 5.
4.2.3 Operating class 2
Current sensors of operating class 2 shall operate within external low-frequency magnetic
fields according to 4.2.1 up to a field strength of 30 A/m.
The upper limit of field strength shall be marked in accordance with Figure 5.
4.2.4 Operating class 3
Current sensors of operating class 3 shall operate within external low-frequency magnetic
fields according to 4.2.1 up to a field strength of 10 A/m.
The upper limit of field strength shall be marked in accordance with Figure 5.
4.3 Operating uncertainty of the specified measuring range
4.3.1 General
The operating uncertainty of the specified measuring range for current sensors of operating
class 1, operating class 2 and operating class 3 shall be determined according to the
operating uncertainty equation (1) of Table 3 within the reference conditions or specified
operating range. The relation between operating class and external magnetic field is shown in
Figure 1, Figure 2 and Table 1.
The fiducial value is the measured value of the leakage current.
4.3.2 Specified measuring range of an operating class 1 current sensor
The specified measuring range of an operating class 1 current sensor is the range of
indicated values between stated lower and upper measurements for which the operating
uncertainty of reading is:
– less than 15 % for values less than or equal to 10 mA, and is less than 10 % for values
greater than 10 mA for external low-frequency magnetic fields of up to 10 A/m;
and
– less than 20 % for values less than or equal to 10 mA and is less than 12,5 % for values
greater than 10 mA for external low-frequency magnetic fields of up to 30 A/m;
and
– less than 30 % for values less than or equal to 10 mA, and is less than 15 % for values
greater than 10 mA for external low-frequency magnetic fields of up to 100 A/m.

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IEC 61557-13:2023 © IEC 2023 – 11 –
4.3.3 Specified measuring range of an operating class 2 current sensor
The specified measuring range of an operating class 2 current sensor is the range of
indicated values between stated lower and upper measurements for which the operating
uncertainty of reading is:
– less than 15 % for values less than or equal to 10 mA and is less than 10 % for values
greater than 10 mA for external low-frequency magnetic fields of up to 10 A/m;
and
– less than 20 % for values less than or equal to 10 mA and is less than 12,5 % for values
greater than 10 mA for external low-frequency magnetic fields of up to 30 A/m.
4.3.4 Specified measuring range of an operating class 3 current sensor
The specified measuring range of an operating class 3 instrument is the range of indic
...