Certification of LED lamps: know the Inmetro rules

Inmetro, aiming to promote increased safety and improvement in energy efficiency for LED lamps, made available in the Union Official Gazette (DOU) the Inmetro Ordinance No. 144, of March 13, 2015, as well as the technical quality regulation, Inmetro Ordinance No. 389, of August 25, 2014, which, in turn, present the rules, technical standards, and methodologies to be adopted, to obtain compulsory certification under the SBAC (Brazilian Conformity Assessment System) for LED lamps throughout the national territory.

These Requirements apply to LED lamps with a control device integrated into the base or body constituting a single, non-detachable piece intended for operation in a 60 Hz alternating current distribution network for nominal voltages of 127 V and/or 220 V or voltage ranges that encompass the identical or direct current (DC), with surge protection, supply voltage up to 250 V, intended for household and similar use, having:

– rated power up to 60 W;

– rated voltage greater than 50 V and up to 250 V (AC) with lamp bases following ABNT NBR IEC 62560:2013 (B15d, B22d, E11, E12, E14, E17, E27, G5, G9, G13, GU10, GZ10);

– rated voltage up to 50 V (DC or AC) with G4, GU4, GY4, GX5.3, GU5.3, G6.35, GY6.35, G53, GU7, G5, G5.3, and G13 bases;

– tubular LED lamp, also known as LED tube, with a built-in control device, which replaces tubular fluorescent lamps with dimensions following NBR IEC 60081 and G5, G13, or R17DC base. 

NOTE: When the lamp is operated in a luminaire, the declared performance data may deviate from the values established by this Regulation.  

Excluded from these Requirements are LED lamps with a device integrated into the base as follows:

– lamps with colored LEDs, with colored lenses, which emit colored light;

– RGB, which have colorful and decorative casings, and emit colored light; – LED lamps with a built-in control device that intentionally produces colored light;

– OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode).

As described in Ordinance 144/2015 and RTQ 389/2014, the concept of certification grouped per families applies as follows:

Set of models manufactured in the same factory, whose functional principles and mechanical and electrical construction are grouped simultaneously, according to the following requirements, and may have different nominal power values:

– Same LED technology (Ex: dual in line, SMD, COB, S-COB, high power, mid power, and others);

– Same declared life (nominal);

– Same type of lamps, according to some models listed in table 1 and any other dimensional formats.

 Table 1: Types of lamps

Tipo de lâmpada	Padrão do dimensional	Aplicação
Omnidirecionais (Não direcionais)	A, BT, P, PS, S, T	Lâmpada de iluminação geral
Direcional	R, BR, ER, MR e PAR (AR)	Lâmpada de iluminação geral e facho dirigido
Decorativas	B, BA, C, CA, DC, F, e G	Lâmpadas para aplicação decorativas
LED tubular	Vide NBR IEC60081 e base G13,G5 ou R17d	Substituição à lâmpada fluorescente tubular

 

Replacement of tubular fluorescent lamp

Note 1: The characteristic drawings of each type of bulb in Table 1 are presented in Annex C of the RTQ, and any other bulb formats are covered by the Ordinance.

 

Note 2: All lamps not classified in the formats indicated in Table 1 shall follow the test parameters according to the Omnidirectional (non-directional) models.

Note 3: Regardless of size, lamps with a G4 and G9 connection base are classified as decorative. 

Note 4: Omnidirectional (non-directional) dimensional standards may also be applied to lamps classified as directional or semi-directional. Therefore, these lamps shall comply with the requirements described in item 6.7.1 (directional lamps) or 6.7.3 (semi-directional lamps) of the RTQ.  

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Text author: José Eduardo Martins Espinosa, certification analyst at INMETRO – NCC Certificações

Material subject to amendment(s) in case of change in the ordinance(s). Published: 12.14.21