IEC 60034-5:2020 is available as IEC 60034-5:2020 RLV which contains the International Standard and its Redline version, showing all changes of the technical content compared to the previous edition.

IEC 60034-5:2020 applies to the classification of degrees of protection provided by enclosures for rotating electrical machines. It defines the requirements for protective enclosures that are in all other respects suitable for their intended use and which, from the point of view of materials and workmanship, ensure that the properties dealt with in this document are maintained under normal conditions of use. This document does not specify degrees of protection against mechanical damage of the machine, or conditions such as moisture (produced for example by condensation), corrosive dust and vapour, fungus or vermin.
This document is also applicable to explosion proof machines, but it does not specify the types of protection for use in a potentially explosive (dust, gas) environment. Those are defined in the IEC 60079 series of standards. This document gives definitions for standard degrees of protection provided by enclosures applicable to rotating electrical machines as regards the:
a. protection of persons against contacts with or approach to live parts and against contact with moving parts (other than smooth rotating shafts and the like) inside the enclosure and protection of the machine against ingress of solid foreign objects
b. protection of machines against the harmful effects due to ingress of water;
c. protection of machines against the harmful effects due to ingress of dust.
This fifth edition cancels and replaces the fourth edition, published in 2000, and its Amendment 1:2006.The main technical changes with respect to the previous edition are:
- the inclusion of an additional second numeral 9 including its test method,
- an additional note for clarification in Table 3,
- a clarification on the term open drain hole,
- a clarification on the ingress of dust in Table 4,
- pressure values given now in Pa only,
- a clarification in the scope on the applicability of this standard for (Ex) motors,
- a new Clause 3 with definitions,