Arc Rating (ATPV)
Also known as: Arc Thermal Performance Value, ATPV, EBT
Metric quantifying a garment's protection against the thermal effects of an electric arc flash, expressed in cal/cm².
Description
The arc rating quantifies how much incident thermal energy a garment can absorb before second-degree burns are expected on skin beneath. It is determined in the open-arc test per ASTM F1959 (US) or IEC 61482-1-1 (international) and reported in cal/cm².
Two variants exist: ATPV (Arc Thermal Performance Value) for materials that remain intact and EBT (Energy Breakopen Threshold) for fabrics that break open before reaching the ATPV. The lower value is reported. Typical values for electrical arc protection are 8–40 cal/cm²; multi-layer systems reach 75+ cal/cm².
- Unit cal/cm² — higher means more protective
- Determined by open-arc test (F1959 / IEC 61482-1-1)
- Complemented in Europe by the box test IEC 61482-1-2 with classes APC 1 (4 kA) and APC 2 (7 kA)
Properties
| Unit | cal/cm² |
|---|---|
| Test standard | ASTM F1959 / IEC 61482-1-1 |
| Two variants | ATPV (material intact) / EBT (fabric breaks open) |
| Typical values | 8–40 cal/cm² (single layer), 75+ cal/cm² (multi-layer) |
| Application | Electrical PPE, power utilities, industrial maintenance |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- Wikipedia: Arc flash Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_flash
- IEC 61482 — Live working: Protective clothing against thermal hazards of an electric arc webstore.iec.ch https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/64764
