Comparison
ISO 20607 vs IEC/IEEE 82079-1
The Short Answer
One Is Specific, One Is General
ISO 20607 is the machinery standard. It covers the safety-relevant parts of a machine's instruction handbook and builds on ISO 12100, the machinery risk-assessment standard. IEC/IEEE 82079-1 is the general standard for information for use of any product, from a kettle to a production line.
If you build machinery, start from ISO 20607 for the handbook's safety content, and use 82079-1 for the process and the parts of the documentation that are not safety information. They are not rivals. For the wider map of standards, see technical writing standards that apply.
Side by Side
Six Differences That Matter
| Dimension | ISO 20607 | IEC/IEEE 82079-1 |
|---|---|---|
| Title and scope | Safety of machinery, instruction handbook, general drafting principles. Requirements for the machine manufacturer on the safety-relevant parts of the instruction handbook. | Preparation of information for use (instructions for use) of products. Applies to the information for any product, from consumer goods to industrial plant. |
| Products covered | Machinery only. | Any product, and systems of systems. |
| Parent and family | Adds detail to the information-for-use requirements of ISO 12100, the machinery risk-assessment standard. Developed by ISO/TC 199, Safety of machinery. | A horizontal standard under IEC Guide 108, published jointly by IEC, IEEE and ISO and developed in ISO/TC 10/SC 1. |
| What it asks for | Safety content, structure and presentation of the handbook across the machine's life cycle, and how to give residual-risk information. | A process (analyze users and use, plan, write, evaluate), the content and structure of the information, and the competence of the people preparing it. |
| Current edition | ISO 20607:2019, Edition 1, published 6 June 2019. Edition 2 is at final draft stage. | Edition 2.0, published May 2019. Edition 3 is at committee draft stage. |
| EU machinery status | EN ISO 20607:2019 is a type B harmonized standard cited under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. | Not on the Commission's list of harmonized standards for the Machinery Directive. |
Both are paid standards and this page does not reproduce their text. It describes scope and purpose as the publishers and the Commission list them; read the standard itself for the requirements.
How They Relate
Machinery Narrows the General Case
ISO 12100 sets out how a machine manufacturer assesses and reduces risk, and its information-for-use requirements say that residual risk has to be communicated to the user. ISO 20607 takes that requirement and gives it detail for the instruction handbook: what safety content it carries, how it is structured and presented, and how residual risks are described. It leaves out noise and vibration emission declarations.
IEC/IEEE 82079-1 sits one level up. It is a horizontal standard: it is written mainly for the committees that prepare product standards, and it applies when a product standard, a contract, or your own process adopts it. It asks for information planned around the users and their tasks, and evaluated before release. Our IEC/IEEE 82079-1 standard page covers the 2019 edition in more detail.
Where to Start
A Machinery Manufacturer's Order of Work
- Find out which law and which edition the customer, notified body, or contract names. That decides the rest.
- Treat the instruction handbook's safety content as the ISO 20607 job: warnings, residual risks, and the information for safe use that comes out of your ISO 12100 risk assessment.
- Use IEC/IEEE 82079-1 for the method around it: who the users are, how the information is planned, how it is written, and how it is evaluated with real readers.
- Check the Regulation's own text for the legal duty, and the Commission's list of harmonized standards for what is cited. Do not assume either standard stands in for the text.
The safety wording itself is a separate craft; see warnings, cautions, and notes. For plain, consistent text across languages, see writing to ASD-STE100.
Status and Editions
Both Have a Successor in the Pipeline
ISO 20607:2019 was published on 6 June 2019. ISO's committee page lists Edition 2 as ISO/FDIS 20607, at stage 50.00 (final text received for formal approval) since 19 January 2026, with no publication date. IEC/IEEE 82079-1:2019 is Edition 2.0; Edition 3 has been at stage 30.00 (committee draft registered) since 2 February 2023, also without a date.
On the EU side, the Commission's list for the Machinery Directive cites EN ISO 20607:2019 as a type B standard, with its end of legal effect on 20 January 2027, when the Directive is repealed. The Commission says a list for Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 is being prepared. Neither this page nor the 82079-1 entry claims that any edition gives a presumption of conformity under the Regulation. For the Regulation's instruction rules, see the Machinery Regulation and digital instructions and the comparison of EU digital instruction rules. The legal duty comes from the text, so read it, or ask counsel.
FAQ
Questions We Hear
What is ISO 20607?
ISO 20607:2019, Safety of machinery, Instruction handbook, General drafting principles. It sets requirements for machine manufacturers on the safety-relevant parts of an instruction handbook and is published by ISO/TC 199. It is a paid standard.
Is ISO 20607 a harmonized standard?
EN ISO 20607:2019 is cited in the Official Journal under the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC (Decision 2020/480), as a type B standard. The Commission's summary list shows its end of legal effect as 20 January 2027, the date the Directive is repealed. The Commission says a list for Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 is being prepared, so check it before relying on any standard under the Regulation.
Does IEC/IEEE 82079-1 replace ISO 20607 for machinery?
No. They answer different questions. 82079-1 is the general method for information for use of any product. ISO 20607 is written for machinery and its safety-relevant instruction content. A machine builder can use both.
Do I have to buy both standards?
Only if you rely on both. If a customer or notified body cites one, you need that one. For a machine builder, ISO 20607 is usually the first purchase; 82079-1 is useful if you are also building a documentation process for the whole product range.
Which editions should I cite today?
ISO 20607:2019 (EN ISO 20607:2019 in the EU) and IEC/IEEE 82079-1:2019. ISO 20607 Edition 2 reached final draft stage on 19 January 2026 and 82079-1 Edition 3 was registered as a committee draft in February 2023; neither has a publication date, so cite the published edition and note the change.
Does following either standard make my manual compliant?
Not on its own. The legal duty comes from the Directive or Regulation. A reference cited in the Official Journal is what a presumption of conformity rests on, and only for the requirements it covers. Read the text of the law and the standard's own annex that links it to the requirements.
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