Overview
IEC 60068-2-75:2014 (with AMD1:2025) defines standardized hammer tests (Test Eh) for environmental impact/robustness testing of electrotechnical items. The standard provides three coordinated methods - pendulum hammer (Eha), spring hammer (Ehb) and vertical hammer (Ehc) - to apply a prescribed number of impacts defined by their impact energy, direction and location. Energy levels covered range from 0.14 J to 50 J, and the second edition (replacing the 1997 edition) includes updated coordinate values in Tables 1 and 2, with some legacy values retained for historical comparison.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Three test methods: pendulum (Eha), spring (Ehb) and vertical (Ehc) hammer procedures with apparatus descriptions and mounting guidance.
- Severity definition: impact energy value, number of impacts and prescribed impact directions/locations.
- Test apparatus and calibration: requirements for striking elements, calibration procedures (Annex B for spring hammers) and coordinated striking element characteristics (Table 1; Annex A).
- Test procedure stages: preconditioning, initial measurements, testing (attitudes, preparation, operating mode and functional monitoring), recovery and final measurements.
- Measurement and documentation: prescribed measuring points, reporting of severities and detailed information to be provided in test specifications.
- Guidance and examples: informative annexes with guidance notes (Annex C) and example apparatus for pendulum and spring hammers (Annexes D and E).
- Coordination with system severity classes: severity levels are generally aligned with IEC 60721-1 for environmental classification.
Practical applications and who uses this standard
- Product manufacturers and design engineers use IEC 60068-2-75 to demonstrate mechanical robustness and to validate designs against impact-induced failures (e.g., switches, lamp holders, connectors and other electrotechnical components).
- Test laboratories and certification bodies implement the specified hammer tests to provide independent robustness verification and support compliance or safety assessments.
- Safety and compliance managers reference the standard when specifying test requirements in product specifications or when assessing field reliability related to mechanical shocks.
- R&D and QA teams apply the standard during development and production testing to detect weak points and to ensure repeatable impact testing across different hammer types.
Related standards
- IEC 60068 series - Environmental testing (general framework and complementary parts)
- IEC 60721-1 - Environmental conditions, classification and severity levels (used for coordinating severity definitions)
Keywords: IEC 60068-2-75, hammer tests, impact testing, pendulum hammer, spring hammer, vertical hammer, impact energy, robustness testing, electrotechnical equipment, environmental testing, calibration.