IEC AND ISO COMMON DATABASE FOR GRAPHICAL SYMBOLS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

A common database that makes available for the first time all IEC and ISO graphical symbols for use on equipment is now available online.

It provides users a one-stop shop for all graphical symbols from the standards IEC 60417 and ISO 7000 for use on any equipment, from automobiles to office and home entertainment equipment to textile and earth-moving machinery. The much-awaited database is the result of a successful collaboration between IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and ISO (International Organization for Standardization).

The IEC/ISO database provides users with some 3 500 graphical symbols through easy-to-use search functions by symbol ID, name, keyword, shape, function, application, technical committee/subcommittee, publication, and date of release, along with information about the meaning and application of each symbol in both English and French. Users can download the symbols in vectorized PDF format for use in drawing software.

In October 2002, the IEC created and made available the online database standard IEC 60417, Graphical Symbols for Use on Equipment , to which the symbols from ISO 7000:2004, Graphical symbols for use on equipment - Index and synopsis , have now been added to create the common database.

It is primarily intended for end-users in industry who need to include a symbol as part of product. This also includes IEC and ISO standards developers, particularly any product technical committee needing to incorporate a graphical symbol into a product standard. It has also been developed as a tool for those who create or maintain the graphical symbols.

The IEC/ISO database will be updated on an ongoing basis as new symbols are approved for registration. Access to the database is by subscription, which is sold by the IEC, by ISO, and by their respective members.

The IEC/ISO database is available at: http://www.graphical-symbols.info/equipment