ATEX Lighting

What is ATEX lighting?

ATEX lighting means luminaires certified for use in potentially explosive atmospheres under the European ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU. Every lamp in this category is designed, tested and certified so the light itself cannot become an ignition source — whether the hazard on site is gas, vapour, mist or combustible dust. All products carry both an EU Type Examination Certificate (BVS 20 ATEX E 068 X) and an IECEx Certificate of Conformity (IECEx BVS 20.0056X), meaning they are recognised in the EU, the UK (UKCA) and virtually every country that follows the IEC 60079 standard.

Zone classification — which lamp belongs where?

ATEX-certified hazardous areas are divided into two families:

• Gas atmospheres (EN IEC 60079-10-1): Zone 0, Zone 1, Zone 2
• Dust atmospheres (EN IEC 60079-10-2): Zone 20, Zone 21, Zone 22

Our hand and tube lights are marked II 2G Ex db IIC T6/T5 Gb and II 2D Ex tb IIIC T80°C/T95°C Db, which qualifies them for Zone 1 and Zone 2 gas atmospheres — including Gas Group IIC, the most demanding group covering hydrogen and acetylene — and for Zone 21 and Zone 22 dust atmospheres. Temperature class T6 covers ambient ranges from –20 to 50 °C; T5 extends up to 60 °C. If you're unsure which zone applies to your process area, your site's Ex document or zone classification drawing is the authoritative source.

ATEX hand lights vs. ATEX tube lights

ATEX hand lights (HL..d) are portable work lights, built for temporary use: maintenance, inspection, tank cleaning, shutdowns and turnarounds. They ship with an integrated hanging hook, a minimum 3 m cable and, optionally, a factory-fitted Ex plug. Slim tube diameters from 43 to 70 mm let them reach into machines, vessels and ducts where a conventional task light can't fit.

ATEX tube lights (TL..d) are designed for permanent, fixed installation — inside switchgear enclosures, along tank walls, or built into illuminated bollards that protect fuel dispensers at filling stations. They mount with dedicated pipe clamps for handrails on chemical plants and offshore platforms, or with magnetic holders directly on machine housings and tank walls.

Technical specifications at a glance

• Certification: ATEX, IECEx, UKCA
• Protection type: Ex db IIC (flameproof enclosure, gas) / Ex tb IIIC (protection by enclosure, dust)
• Ingress protection: IP68 (2.5 m water column, 30-minute test)
• Voltage range: 12–50 V AC/DC or 100–265 V AC/DC, 50/60 Hz
• Power: 6 to 80 W LED — equivalent up to a 58 W fluorescent tube
• Temperature class: T6 (–20 to 50 °C) or T5 (–20 to 60 °C)
• Tube diameter and length: Ø43 mm / 1000 mm · Ø50 mm / 1530 mm · Ø60 mm / 1830 mm · Ø70 mm / 900 mm
• Housing: transparent polycarbonate (Makrolon 3227) with aluminium end caps
• Standards: EN IEC 60079-0, EN 60079-1, EN IEC 60079-31, EN 60529

Operator safety in confined metal spaces

Working inside silos, tanks and pipework made of conductive metal requires extra protection for the person holding the lamp. Any ATEX hand or tube light in this range can be supplied with the TR option — a factory-fitted isolating transformer — or operated via an upstream residual current device with a 10 mA rated tripping current. Both options comply with EN IEC 60079-14 for electrical installations in hazardous areas and are the correct choice for cramped, electrically conductive workspaces.

Where ATEX hand and tube lights are used

• Oil and gas facilities, refineries and petrochemical plants
• Chemical process plants and bulk chemical handling
• Shipyards and tank cleaning contractors on extended shutdowns
• Aircraft maintenance hangars (fuselage surroundings classified Zone 2, purged fuel tanks Zone 1)
• Food and pharmaceutical plants with combustible dust (flour, sugar, starch, API powders)
• Mechanical engineering and printing presses
• Filling stations — tube lights integrated into the impact-protection bollards around dispensers

Choosing the right ATEX light

Picking the right ATEX light is more than a question of wattage. Zone classification, gas or dust group, temperature class, ambient range, cable length and whether an isolating transformer is required all decide what's compliant at your site. If you're working with a zone classification you're not certain about, or need a custom length or wattage, our engineers will specify the correct model for you. Custom configurations are available as part of our standard offering — just send us your requirements.