What is IEC 61587‑6 about?
BS EN IEC 61587‑6 is the sixth part of the BS EN IEC 61587 multi-series that focuses on mechanical structures for electronic equipment. BS EN IEC 61587‑6 specifies security aspects and security performance levels of the mechanical construction of indoor cabinets by IEC 60917 (all parts) and IEC 60297 (all parts).
Note: Protection against vandalism is typically controlled by user-specific requirements.
Who is BS EN IEC 61587‑6 for?
BS EN IEC 61587‑6 on mechanical structure for electrical and electronic equipment is useful for:
- ICT organizations
- Telecommunication service providers
- Organizations that have their own servers
Why should you use BS EN IEC 61587‑6?
The classification of the installation conditions and of the levels of security measures for the hardware is very important for the design and practices of various electronic equipment or systems, which are used in the field of ICT, industrial control, transportation and others.
BS EN IEC 61587‑6 defines performance levels for cabinets not only for ICT data centre and office locations but for any combination of equipment, purpose, and location.
BS EN IEC 61587‑6 helps to achieve security by restrictions and protections against improper or unauthorized access from both the hardware and software sides of the systems.
BS EN IEC 61587‑6 clarifies the relationship between the installation conditions and the security requirements for indoor cabinets and provides the required performance and test methods on mechanical components related to security provisions for indoor cabinets which are in accordance with the IEC 60297 series and IEC 60917 series.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN IEC 61587‑6:2021 supersedes BS EN 61587‑6:2017. BS EN IEC 61587‑6:2021 includes some technical changes concerning BS EN 61587‑6:2017. These include:
- Revised and expanded terms and definitions.
- Additional information in 4.2 Access security level of the cabinet.
- Revised requirements for Security performance levels of cabinets and added additional levels in Table 2 – Security performance levels of cabinets.
- Added a column for panel strength in Table 3 – Security performance levels of the cabinet – mechanical.
- Revised test for mechanical lock (and hinges added) in 5.2.2 Tests for the strength of mechanical locks and hinges.

