Laser Classification (IEC 60825-1:2014)
Class of a CW laser product from 180 nm to 1 mm: the accessible emission limits rebuilt from the eye limits, with the beam measured through the naked-eye and binocular stops.
Educational only — not compliance-grade
These pages implement the published exposure limits for the cases each one states, but they are educational tools: no laser safety officer has signed them off.
- Do not use these results alone for PPE selection, NHZ / NOHD approval, controlled-area sign-off, enclosure/interlock approval, or formal classification.
- Always verify against ANSI Z136.1, IEC 60825-1, your local procedures, and the responsible laser safety officer / CLSO.
Class (IEC 60825-1:2014)
Class 3R
Beam at the naked-eye stop (Condition 3)
1.00 mm
100 mm from the waist
Beam at the telescope stop (Condition 1)
not applied
modelled at 400–1400 nm only
| Class | Max CW power, naked eye | Max CW power, telescope | Set by | Time base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 (1M) | 9.62 mW | — | Cornea (IR) | 100 s |
| Class 2 (2M) | — | — | not defined here | 100 s |
| Class 3R | 48.1 mW | — | Cornea (IR) | 100 s |
| Class 3B | 500 mW | — | Class 3B cap (0.5 W) | 100 s |
Largest power of this beam within each class. 1M or 2M: within Class 1 or 2 for the naked eye but not through a telescope (not assessed here), and within Class 3B for both.
Largest CW power of this beam in each class, naked eye (Condition 3), 180 nm to 20 µm; the marker is this laser. Class 2 exists at 400–700 nm only, Class 3R from 302.5 nm.
The class is the lowest one whose accessible emission limits (AEL) the beam meets. For Classes 1, 1M, 2, 2M and 3R the AEL is the eye's exposure limit times the area of the measurement stop: 7 mm at 400–1400 nm, the corneal stop (1 → 3.5 mm) in the infrared, IEC's 1 mm stop in the UV. Class 2 is C₆ × 1 mW (visible only), Class 3R five times Class 1 or 2, Class 3B 0.5 W (less in the UV). Each beam is measured as the power inside the stop: naked eye 100 mm from the beam waist (Condition 3), telescope with a 50 mm stop at 2 m (Condition 1). From 1250 to 1400 nm IEC caps Classes 1 and 3R at 0.5 W instead of ICNIRP's anterior-eye limit; in the EU the amendment A11 also caps them at the skin limit, about 0.1 W.
The AELs are rebuilt from the limits they come from (ICNIRP 2013 from 400 nm), so they differ from the standard's tables by its rounding to two figures (up to 4 %), and a power that close to a class boundary needs the tables. Not covered: pulsed and modulated lasers (pulse trains, N^−0.25), scanning beams, Class 1C, Condition 1 outside 400–1400 nm, the extended-source field of view. Classification for a product needs the full procedure of IEC 60825-1, with measurements.
Model and references
Textbook approximation. A standard approximation from the literature (for example paraxial, plane-wave or Gaussian-beam), valid within the range the page states. About the tiers
CW AELs rebuilt from ICNIRP 2013 (IEC's UV values) over each stop: 100 mm from the waist (Condition 3), 50 mm at 2 m (Condition 1, 400–1400 nm only); within IEC's rounding. Not modelled: pulses, scanning, Class 1C.
- IEC 60825-1:2014. Safety of laser products – Part 1: Equipment classification and requirements. 4.3 e) (time bases), 5.3 (classes), Tables 3–8 (AELs), Table 10 (measurement conditions). webstore.iec.ch
- IEC 60825-1:1993+A1:1997+A2:2001. Tables 1–4 (AELs of Classes 1, 2, 3R and 3B) and Table 10: the UV and Class 3B values used here.
- ICNIRP (2013). Guidelines on limits of exposure to laser radiation of wavelengths between 180 nm and 1,000 µm. Health Phys. 105(3), 271–295. Tables 2–5 and 8. doi:10.1097/HP.0b013e3182983fd4
- Schulmeister, K. (2017). The new edition of the international laser product safety standard IEC 60825-1. White paper, Seibersdorf Laboratories. Measurement conditions; Class 3B cap at 1250–1400 nm. seibersdorf-laboratories.at
- Schulmeister, K. (2022). The European Amendment A11:2021 to EN 60825-1. White paper, Seibersdorf Laboratories. Skin AEL at 1250–1400 nm. seibersdorf-laboratories.at