en-61482-2

1. EN IEC 61482-1-1 (Open arc test)

The test describes how well the clothing protects against thermal energy from an arc flash and can be expressed in three values:  

• ELIM indicates the maximum energy level that clothing can withstand without the risk of injury.  

• ATPV indicates the arc energy the clothing protects the users against with a maximum 50% risk of getting a second-degree burn.  

• EBT indicates the arc energy the clothing protects against with a maximum 50% risk of the fabric bursting and causing a second-degree burn.  

Common to all three values is that the higher the value, the better the protection.  

2. EN 61482-1-2 (Box test)

The test simulates an arc in a confined box and classifies the clothing into two classes:  

• APC 1: protects against an arc flash of 4 kA

• APC 2: protects against an arc flash of 7 kA.  

Protective clothing certified to APC 2 provides the highest protection.   

For APC 1, the test current is 4kA, which means that the test material must be able to withstand the energy of an electric arc with a current of 4 kiloamperes (kA) without allowing critical heat penetration to the skin. The value of 4 kA means that the test is performed with a current of 4000 amps. This means that the material or clothing being tested can protect you from an electric arc with a current of 4 kA for a defined period (usually 500 ms) without exposing you to dangerous levels of heat.  

As APC 2 indicates a higher protection class, APC 2 tests with a higher current (7kA) than APC 1. The test current is 7 kiloamperes (7 kA). This means that the clothing being tested can protect you from an electric arc with a current of 7 kA for a defined period (usually 500 ms) without the risk of dangerous levels of heat.