IEC 61000-6-3:2026: the residential emission standard adds 9–150 kHz and magnetic fields

#The facts

#What changed

The IEC lists four significant technical changes:

1. Magnetic field emission requirements, including measurement of the wireless power transfer (WPT) function.
2. Low-voltage AC mains requirements extended to 9 kHz–150 kHz. Until now, conducted emission limits on mains ports started at 150 kHz.
3. Products with a radio function added to the scope. The intentional transmission, its harmonics and out-of-band emissions remain excluded; the rest of the product is covered.
4. Limits in a fully anechoic room (FAR) for rack-mounted equipment.

For power electronics the second change matters most. Inverters and storage converters often switch at tens of kilohertz, so the switching frequency and its low-order harmonics fall in the 9–150 kHz band. Mains filters designed only for 150 kHz upwards may need another look.

#One standard, three editions in use

Under the EMC Directive, presumption of conformity comes from editions cited in the Official Journal. Manufacturers may apply a newer edition, but then show in the technical documentation how it meets the essential requirements.

#Which products are affected

The generic standard applies only where no product or product-family EMC standard exists. EV chargers have their own (IEC 61851-21-2; GB/T 18487.2 in China), as do UPS (IEC 62040-2). PV power conversion equipment has IEC 62920. In EU practice, however, declarations of conformity for residential inverters and home storage systems often list the generic standards EN IEC 61000-6-1 and -6-3. Home energy storage, energy management units and smart wall boxes with radio modules are the products most likely to meet the new requirements.

#What to do

• Check the basis of your EMC assessment. If your product is tested to a product standard, the generic edition change does not apply directly.
• New designs for Europe: measure conducted emission from 9 kHz on AC mains ports during development, and magnetic field emission if the product has a WPT function. Ask the laboratory to state the edition in the report.
• Products already on the market: no immediate retest is required while the cited edition is unchanged. Plan updates before 31 May 2029.
• China: test to GB 17799.3-2023 until a revised GB edition is issued.