Clause 3 – How to understand the definition of “rated voltage range”

rated voltage range:
voltage range assigned to the appliance by the manufacturer, expressed by its lower and upper limits.

This definition is an extension of the definition of rated voltage. It is a rated voltage in the form of a range with upper and lower values. Often, when a manufacturer designs a product with a large number of target market countries for the same product, it is necessary to consider specifying the rated voltage in the form of a range of rated voltage. In this way, a single rated voltage range can be used to cover different utility voltages in different countries. Generally speaking, most manufacturers choose to specify a range of rated voltage, but rarely a defined rated voltage.

For example, a product designed for the target market for the whole of Europe’s all EU member states market, most of the EU member states of the utility voltage is AC 230V, but there are some countries is AC 240V, if only a separate provision of the rated voltage of AC230V or AC240V, then, this product can not be used in the utility voltage is different from the rated voltage of the country. In view of this situation, we can specify the rated voltage in the form of a range of AC220-240V, which covers AC220V and AC230V and AC240V, so that the corresponding products can be used in countries with these three utility voltages. Here, AC220-240V or 220-240V~ is a more common form; there will also be 220-230V~ or 380V-415V~, or 100-240V~ (most of this situation occurs in the use of adapters powered by the adapter rated input voltage) and so on.

Since the rated voltage of the product is set in a range, the safety requirements in this voltage range need to be evaluated according to the standard.