Type B applied part (figure)
The standard’s wording, as the sources below reproduce it:
“To identify a type B applied part complying with IEC 60601-1.”
IEC 60417-5840 · listed in IEC 60601-1, Table D.1
What it means for you
An applied part is the part of the equipment that touches the patient — an electrode, a sensor, a probe. The letter is its protection class against electric shock under IEC 60601-1. Type B is the basic class: the part may be earthed and is not meant for direct connection to the heart. It is typical of things like patient beds, lamps and some X-ray tables.
Whether a device is right for you is a question for your pharmacist, nurse or doctor.
- What it looks like
- A standing figure on its own, with no frame.
- Where you see it
- On medical electrical equipment and its accessories — on the cable, the sensor, the connector socket or the rating plate — not on the sterile box. IEC 60601-1 Table D.1 lists it.
- Other names
- B; figure symbol; patient contact type B
What it does not tell you
It does not say the device is safe for you or tell you how to use it; the equipment’s instructions do.
Often confused with
To identify a type BF applied part complying with IEC 60601-1.
More symbols in “A person or a heart”
Sources
IEC 60417 and IEC 60601-1 are paid standards, so the wording above is quoted as 3 publishers’ public documents reproduce it; our drawing is not the IEC artwork. Each was fetched and read on the date shown:
- Hillrom: Symbols Glossary (80022945 Ver. J) — Lists “Type B applied part — To identify a type B applied part complying with IEC 60601-1”, IEC 60417-5840. Checked 2026-09-28.
- Ethicon: Symbols glossary (100584677 Rev.8) — Shows the figure for “Type B applied part”, IEC 60417 reference 5840. Checked 2026-09-28.
- Cook Medical: Glossary of standard symbols — ISO 7000/IEC 60417 5840 “Type B applied part — To identify a type B applied part complying with IEC 60601-1.” Checked 2026-09-28.
Plain-language parts are in our own words; quotations are the sources’ wording.