Glossary Updates6 new terms added to the glossaries · October 11, 2026, 13:38 CEST
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Glossary · Document and evidence governance

IEC 61355

Also known as: IEC 61355-1, EN 61355-1, document kind classification code (DCC), DCC (IEC 61355)

IEC 61355 is the IEC standard for the classification and designation of documents for plants, systems and equipment: its Part 1 (IEC 61355-1:2008) classifies documents by their characteristic information content and gives each document kind a document kind classification code (DCC) for use as a metadata value in document management. In December 2024 it was replaced by IEC 81355-1:2024, which classifies information rather than document kinds.

  • Standards
  • Technical documentation

In one sentence

IEC 61355-1 classifies plant documents by kind with DCC codes such as DC for instructions; IEC 81355-1:2024 replaced it in December 2024.

Example

In a plant's document management system, the operating instructions of a compressor carry the DCC DC (instructions and manuals), the VDI 2770 category 03-02 Operation and the reference designation of the compressor.

How it applies

  • Document kind classes: IEC 61355-1 classifies documents by their characteristic content, independent of medium or discipline. The classes are coded with letters: a main class such as A (documentation-describing documents), B (management documents), C (contractual and non-technical documents) or D (general technical information documents), refined by a second letter — DC, for example, stands for instructions and manuals. The full code list is maintained in the database standard IEC 61355 DB.
  • Use in plants: The standard is used mainly in the construction and operation of industrial plants, where documents of all engineering disciplines must be filed and found, and its codes are intended as metadata values in document management systems following IEC 82045, so that document control can find and route them.
  • VDI 2770: VDI 2770 Blatt 1 cites IEC 61355-1:2008 as a normative reference and maps its document kinds to the twelve VDI 2770 categories in an annex. The VDI 2770 reference implementation recommends giving the IEC 61355-1 class in addition to the VDI 2770 category.
  • iiRDS and AAS: iiRDS provides the classification type iirds:DCC for document classes of IEC 61355, used through an iiRDS ExternalClassification. The AAS Handover Documentation submodel allows the classification system "IEC 61355-1:2008" with two-letter, upper-case codes.
  • Successor: IEC 81355-1:2024 (published December 6, 2024) cancels and replaces IEC 61355-1:2008. It classifies information containers by their inherent content, distinguishes an information container from a document as the form for human perception, and replaces the DCC with the information kind classification code (ICC); a conversion table supports the move from the old codes. As of October 2026, VDI 2770, iiRDS 1.3 and IDTA 02004 still refer to IEC 61355-1:2008 and its DCC.

IEC 61355 vs. VDI 2770 document categories

IEC 61355 asks what kind of document something is — a manual, a circuit diagram, a test report — with fine classes across all engineering disciplines. The VDI 2770 categories ask for which activity an operator needs a document, with only twelve classes. They are used side by side, and one does not replace the other.

External references