Electrical Schematic Editor — Symbol Library for IEC 60617-Style Diagrams
IEC 60617 — Graphical symbols for diagrams
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IEC 60617 is the international standard that defines the graphical symbols used in electrotechnical diagrams — the visual vocabulary shared by electrical engineers, panel builders, and machine designers across every industry and jurisdiction. Published by the International Electrotechnical Commission, it covers the complete range of symbols required to document a machine electrical system: from normally-open contacts, normally-closed contacts, and coils through to motors, transformers, measurement instruments, protection devices, bus bars, terminals, sensors, and signal lines. Using IEC 60617 ensures that a schematic drawn in one country or organisation is unambiguously readable by any engineer trained to the standard.
MechanixCalc implements a 38-symbol IEC 60617 library inside a browser-based electrical schematic editor that lets engineers lay out ladder diagrams across multiple sheets, run a simplified IEC 60364-5-52 cable-sizing estimate, and export the drawing — without installing any software. Each sheet carries a numbered ladder rail to support the usual contacts-left, coils-right convention; the rail is a drawing aid, and the editor does not constrain where a symbol is placed. Exports are PNG, SVG and PDF for the drawing, a print layout with an editable title block, and five document-wide CSVs (bill of materials, wire list, terminal list, motor list, cable schedule) that cover every sheet.
Calculators that implement IEC 60617
What IEC 60617 covers
- This list is what the STANDARD covers — the MechanixCalc editor implements a 38-symbol subset of it, enumerated in the FAQ below
- Binary (on/off) device symbols — normally-open and normally-closed contacts, and coils for relay, contactor and PLC ladder rungs
- Power device symbols — motors, generators, transformers, circuit breakers, fuses, disconnect switches and earth symbols
- Measurement and signalling symbols — ammeters, voltmeters, power meters, lamps and sounders
- Sensing device symbols — limit, pressure, proximity and photoelectric switches
- Conductor and connection symbols — conductors, cable bundles, bus bars, terminal blocks, junction points, and crossing (no-connection) conventions
- Semiconductors, passive components, binary logic elements and analogue elements, each in their own part of the standard
Parts of the standard
- IEC 60617-2Symbol elements, qualifying symbols and other symbols having general application
- IEC 60617-3Conductors and connecting devices
- IEC 60617-4Passive components
- IEC 60617-5Semiconductors and electron tubes
- IEC 60617-6Production and conversion of electrical energy
- IEC 60617-7Switchgear, controlgear and protective devices
- IEC 60617-8Measuring instruments, lamps and signalling devices
- IEC 60617-9Telecommunications: switching and peripheral equipment
- IEC 60617-10Telecommunications: transmission
- IEC 60617-11Architectural and topographic installation plans and diagrams
- IEC 60617-12Binary logic elements
- IEC 60617-13Analogue elements
Frequently asked questions
What is IEC 60617 used for?
IEC 60617 defines the graphical symbols used in electrotechnical diagrams — the standardised visual vocabulary for electrical engineering drawings. It covers contacts, coils, motors, transformers, protection devices, conductors, bus bars, measurement instruments, sensors and signal lines across its parts. An engineer or contractor reading a schematic drawn to IEC 60617 can identify every component without an organisation-specific legend. It is the usual symbol reference on European and international projects and wherever IEC standards are adopted; whether it is contractually or legally required is a matter for the specification you are working to.
What is the difference between IEC 60617 and NEMA / ANSI symbols?
IEC 60617 and the NEMA / ANSI schematic symbol convention represent the same electrical components with different graphical forms. IEC 60617 is the usual reference in Europe, on international projects and in IEC-adopting countries; NEMA / ANSI symbols predominate in North American industrial practice. The MechanixCalc Electrical Schematic editor draws its library from IEC 60617. If you are producing a drawing for formal issue, check the individual symbols against the standard your project specifies — the editor is a drawing tool, not a conformance certificate.
Which symbols does the schematic editor implement?
38 symbols, covering the categories most relevant to power and control circuit documentation: power sources and earth, switching devices (contacts, push buttons, limit and selector switches, emergency stop), protection (fuses, circuit breakers, MCBs, overload relays, isolators), coils and timers, loads (motors, lamps, buzzers, heaters, solenoids), drives (VFD, soft starter, power supply), measurement instruments, transformers, terminals and junctions, and PLC digital I/O. Each sheet also carries a numbered ladder rail to support the usual rung layout.
Does the editor support multi-sheet ladder diagrams?
Yes. The editor supports any number of sheets within a single project, each with its own numbered ladder rail, and device tags stay unique across all of them. Every CSV export — bill of materials, wire list, terminal list, motor list and cable schedule — covers the whole document and carries a Sheet column. Image and PDF exports capture the sheet on screen; there is no combined multi-sheet PDF, and no automatic coil-to-contact cross-reference notation — a coil and its auxiliary contacts are linked by the tag you give them.
Is the IEC 60617 schematic editor free?
You can explore the editor and draw schematics during a free 30-minute preview with no sign-up required. A free 14-day account trial (no credit card needed) unlocks the full editor including cable sizing, the CSV exports and every symbol. The branded PDF report and saved schematics are included in the free 14-day trial and in the paid Pro plan.
Related standards
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