Can an IECEx test report (ExTR) be used to obtain ATEX certification?
Abstract
Yes, as evidence: an ATEX notified body may use an ExTR for an EU-type examination certificate, but it decides itself, stays fully responsible, and must cover what IECEx does not: harmonised EN editions, the essential requirements, ATEX marking and, where required, the QAN.
Yes, as supporting evidence, but not automatically. A notified body may take an ExTR into account when it carries out the EU-type examination, and this is a common route to dual IECEx and ATEX certification. The notified body still decides itself which results it accepts, remains fully responsible for the EU-type examination certificate, and must assess what the ExTR does not cover: the harmonised EN editions, the essential health and safety requirements of Directive 2014/34/EU and the ATEX marking. Production must also be covered by an ATEX quality assurance notification (QAN), not only an IECEx QAR.
Short answer
- No automatic conversion: IECEx is a voluntary international scheme. ATEX is EU law. Only a notified body can issue an EU-type examination certificate.
- Test results can be reused: the European Commission's ATEX Guidelines allow a notified body to accept test results from other sources, provided it states this, justifies it in its assessment report and takes full responsibility. The basis for acceptance is ISO/IEC 17025.
- Easiest case: the notified body that will issue the ATEX certificate is also an IECEx certification body (ExCB) and issued or reviewed the ExTR itself.
- What still has to be done: checking the ExTR's IEC editions against the harmonised EN versions, assessing the essential requirements (including ignition hazards not covered by the electrical standards), and adding the ATEX marking and instructions.
- Production side: category 1 equipment, and category 2 electrical equipment and engines, need a notified body for the production phase as well (for example a QAN under Annex IV or VII). An IECEx QAR does not replace it.
- Lower categories: for category 3 and non-electrical category 2 equipment, no EU-type examination is needed. An ExTR can form part of the manufacturer's own technical documentation.
Why the ExTR helps but does not decide
An Ex Test Report records the assessment and testing of a product sample against the IEC standards listed on it, such as IEC 60079-0 and IEC 60079-1. The ATEX directive works with harmonised European standards (EN and EN IEC versions of the same documents), which give a presumption of conformity with the essential health and safety requirements of Annex II. The technical content is largely shared, which is why reusing an ExTR saves most of the testing.
The ATEX Guidelines (6th edition, January 2026) explain how a notified body may accept outside test results. It may take them into account, but only under conditions based on ISO/IEC 17025. It must say in its own report that it has accepted them and why. It remains fully responsible for the certificate. In the standardised ATEX assessment report described by the Guidelines, tests accepted from other organisations must be listed with the justification, so that the source can be scrutinised.
On the IECEx side, the scheme's FAQ says that every IECEx certification body must accept testing done by other bodies in the scheme when it issues certificates under its own national system, and calls this a fast track to national certification. That rule is written for national certification. Under the ATEX directive, the decision always rests with the notified body.
What the notified body adds for ATEX
| Item | ExTR covers it? | ATEX needs |
|---|---|---|
| Tests to IEC 60079 type of protection standards | Yes, for the editions listed | Check the editions against the harmonised EN versions; assess any gap or deviation |
| Essential health and safety requirements of Annex II | Not as such | Assessment against the directive, including requirements not fully covered by the listed standards |
| Non-electrical ignition hazards (moving parts, hot surfaces of mechanical parts) | Only if a non-electrical standard is listed | Ignition hazard assessment, for example to ISO 80079-36 |
| Marking | IEC marking, for example Ex db IIC T4 Gb | CE marking, notified body number where applicable, hexagon Ex mark, group and category (for example II 2 G), plus the Ex marking |
| Instructions | Not part of the ExTR | Instructions meeting Annex II, in the language of the country of use |
| Production | IECEx QAR | A production-phase procedure with a notified body (Annex IV, V, VI or VII) for category 1 equipment and for category 2 electrical equipment and engines |
| Final document | IECEx CoC | EU-type examination certificate, then the manufacturer's EU declaration of conformity |
Example: A manufacturer holds an IECEx CoC for a flameproof motor, with an ExTR from an IECEx body that is also an ATEX notified body. It applies to the same body for an EU-type examination certificate. The body reuses the ExTR test results and checks that the IEC editions match the harmonised EN versions. It assesses the remaining essential requirements and the ATEX instructions, and confirms that its existing QAN for the factory covers flameproof motors. The motor is then marked CE 1234 II 2 G Ex db IIC T4 Gb alongside the IECEx number, with almost no new testing.
When a different notified body is involved
If the ExTR comes from a body that is not the notified body, the notified body decides how far it can rely on the report. It may request the test documentation, check the laboratory's competence, repeat selected tests or test a new sample. The more complete and recent the ExTR, the less is repeated, but there is no right to acceptance.
Common mistakes
- Expecting the IECEx CoC to "convert" into ATEX. There is no conversion. The notified body issues a new certificate under EU law.
- Forgetting the production side. An IECEx QAR does not satisfy the directive's production-phase procedures for category 1 equipment or for category 2 electrical equipment and engines.
- Using an IECEx-only marking in the EU. ATEX equipment needs the CE and hexagon marking, group and category as well.
- Assuming any old ExTR will do. A report against superseded editions may need a gap assessment or new tests.
Related on excodex
- The IECEx scheme explained: CoC, ExTR, QAR and the online certificate database
- EU-Type Examination Certificates and Notified Bodies explained
- Is IECEx accepted in the EU instead of ATEX?
- What is a QAN and why does an ATEX manufacturer need one?
- Standards spaces: IECEx, ATEX 2014/34/EU
Standards and further reading
- European Commission, ATEX 2014/34/EU Guidelines, 6th edition (January 2026), sections 110 to 112 (acceptance of test results, ATEX assessment report): Guidelines PDF
- IECEx, FAQ on the certified equipment scheme (acceptance of testing by other ExCBs, ExTR and QAR): iecex.com
- Directive 2014/34/EU, Article 13 (conformity assessment procedures) and Article 16 (marking): legislation.gov.uk
- ISO/IEC 17025, competence of testing and calibration laboratories; ISO/IEC 17065, requirements for product certification bodies.
- ISO/IEC 80079-34, application of quality systems for Ex product manufacture.
This article is general technical information prepared by the excodex editorial team. It does not replace the applicable standards, the equipment certificates and instructions, national regulations or the assessment of a competent person.