ATEX & IECEx Certified Brass Cable Glands — EU Explosive-Atmospheres Compliance Guide

A standard brass cable gland — single-entry, double-entry, polymeric or marine grade — is straightforward engineering: a brass body with a compression seal that grips a cable and provides ingress protection. An ATEX/IECEx-certified brass cable gland is something altogether different: it has to preserve the explosion protection of the enclosure it is screwed into — for a flameproof (Ex d) enclosure that means withstanding an internal explosion and preventing flame transmission to the outside atmosphere. The certification process reflects this safety-critical role.

The regulatory framework — ATEX vs IECEx

• ATEX (EU) — Directive 2014/34/EU. Mandatory for equipment placed on the market in the EU intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. For category 1 and 2 equipment the conformity assessment involves a Notified Body; category 3 equipment can be assessed by the manufacturer under internal production control. The product carries the Ex hexagon mark.
• IECEx (international) — IEC 60079 family of standards. Voluntary international certification scheme accepted in 30+ countries outside the EU. Australia, Canada (in combination with CSA), Brazil, GCC, parts of Asia.
• UKCA (UK) — post-Brexit equivalent of ATEX. Largely harmonised with ATEX requirements but issued by UK-Approved Bodies.

Zones & categories

Protection concepts for cable glands

• Ex d (flameproof, IEC 60079-1) — The gland body is built strong enough to contain an internal explosion without rupturing, and any flame path through the gland is too narrow + too long to allow flame propagation outward. Standard for petrochemical, offshore oil & gas, hydrogen process plants. Brass body, machined to tight flame-path tolerance per the standard.
• Ex e (increased safety, IEC 60079-7) — Construction techniques eliminate the possibility of ignition inside the gland during normal service. Common on terminal boxes and motor terminations. Brass body with extra clearances and engineered insulation paths.
• Ex tb / tc (dust-tight enclosures, IEC 60079-31) — Sealed against dust ingress for dust-explosion zones. Common in flour mills, sugar plants, pharmaceutical powder handling.

IP rating overlay

ATEX certification does not by itself specify ingress protection; that's a separate IEC 60529 IP rating. Brass cable glands typically combine ATEX + IP66 / IP68. The IP rating is achieved by elastomer compression seals; the ATEX rating is achieved by flame-path geometry, dimensional tolerance, and brass body strength.

Material choice

• CW614N (CuZn39Pb3) brass — the workhorse alloy for ATEX cable glands. Good machinability (100% reference), adequate mechanical strength, accepts plating.
• CW617N (CuZn40Pb2) — the usual alternative for forged bodies, with slightly less lead (1.6–2.2% against 2.2–3.5%); both alloys rely on RoHS exemption 6(c) where the gland goes into electrical equipment.
• Brass + nickel plating — preferred for offshore / marine ATEX applications (chloride resistance).
• Stainless steel 316L — for ATEX cable glands in very-aggressive chemical environments where brass would corrode. Considerably higher cost.

Certification process

1. Engineering design to the IEC 60079 series — flame path length, gap dimension, body wall thickness, fastener torque envelope
2. Pre-assessment with a Notified Body to agree the standards, the test programme and the samples.
3. Type testing — internal explosion test, flame-transmission test, pressure cycle test, mechanical impact tests to IEC 60079-0, ingress test for the IP rating.
4. Quality system assessment — Notified Body audits the factory ISO 9001 + ATEX-specific Quality Assurance Notification (QAN).
5. Certification issued — Ex certificate with unique number; product appears in IECEx online certificate database.
6. Surveillance — the Notified Body re-audits periodically to confirm that the QAN remains in force.

Time and cost

Neither is fixed. Both depend on the protection concept, the number of sizes and thread variants in the product family, and the Notified Body's test schedule; type testing is normally the longest phase. A gland manufacturer should ask two Notified Bodies for a written quotation and plan for a project measured in months, plus the recurring cost of QAN surveillance.

What Brassland contributes

Brassland does not hold ATEX or IECEx certificates and does not place certified glands on the market. We machine the brass bodies, lock nuts, entry threads and internal components to the certificate holder's drawings — including the flame-path dimensions and tolerances they specify — and supply an EN 10204 3.1 material certificate with every shipment. Ex certification, IP rating and the QAN remain with the manufacturer of the finished gland.

Documentation pack you'll need

• Engineering drawings + 3D CAD with declared flame-path dimensions
• FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) per IEC 60812
• Material certificates per EN 10204 Type 3.1 for the brass body
• Elastomer compatibility data for the IP seal
• Test plan and prototype samples
• QAN / ISO 9001 + ATEX-specific quality procedures

Sources & references

• ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU (EUR-Lex)
• IECEx — International electrotechnical commission scheme
• IEC 60079 series — explosive atmospheres standards
• IEC 60529 — IP rating standard
• Brassland custom brass cable glands
• CW614N alloy datasheet

Frequently asked questions

Sources & references

Hazardous-area references:

Last reviewed: September 2026. Standards and regulatory references are checked at each review.