DCE academy · Standards
EN 50600
The European series of standards for data centers, clearly explained
In Europe, one common series of standards answers how resilient a data center must be, how it is protected, and how its energy consumption is measured.
This page explains what EN 50600 is about and leads to its individual parts.
Introduction
What is EN 50600?
A common basis for the design, construction, and operation of data centers.
It was developed by experts from the member countries of the European standards organization CENELEC. Internationally, ISO and IEC continue the series as ISO/IEC 22237.
EN 50600 is the first European series of standards for data centers. It describes how a data center is designed, operated, and measured: from the building through power supply, cooling, and cabling to security and the energy indicators.
It applies to every data center, regardless of size and purpose, from a server room to a site with several buildings.
What the standard specifies
- Which properties the infrastructure must have: which failures it withstands, how spaces are protected, where measurements are taken.
- Which classes a data center is classified and designed by.
What it leaves open
- Which technology and which products achieve these properties. The standard describes the result, not the solution.
- The selection of IT equipment and software. Nor does it replace design work or a specification of services; it is their basis.
Benefits
What is it needed for?
A common language
Owners, planners, installers, and auditors refer to the same terms and classes.
Anyone who specifies an Availability Class according to EN 50600 in a tender describes what the infrastructure must achieve without prescribing a particular technology.
Resilience as a reasoned decision
How resilient a data center must be follows from an assessment of the business risk, not from habit.
This protects against a design that does not cover the risk and against redundancy that nobody needs.
Proof for customers and auditors
An operator can demonstrate which classes its data center achieves. In practice, anyone renting space in a data center asks exactly that.
Indicators that legislation refers to
Parts 4‑x specify how indicators such as PUE are calculated. The European reporting obligation for data centers and the German Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) draw on these methods.
Stakeholders
Who is it for?
The standard is aimed at everyone who plans, builds, operates, or audits a data center:
Owners and operators choose the classes based on the business risk and demonstrate them to customers.
Planners and architects translate the classes into the design of the building, power supply, cooling, cabling, and security.
Installers and integrators build to specifications that refer to the standard.
Auditors and inspectors assess whether design and documentation match the selected classes.
Operations and maintenance staff keep the infrastructure running so that the class is maintained even during maintenance.
Management and procurement use the class to decide how much resilience the company pays for, and compare offers against the same benchmark.
The basic idea
Three classifications
Part 1 of the series classifies every data center according to three criteria. It starts with an assessment of the business risk: what are the consequences of a failure, and how likely is it? The classes follow from the answer.
More on this:Part 1: General conceptsTerms in the glossary
At the start
Assessment of the business risk
What are the consequences of a failure, and how likely is it?
Availability
1234Four classes describe which faults and maintenance work the infrastructure must withstand without failure, from a single supply path to a fault-tolerant design.
The class is chosen per discipline; the data center only reaches a class when power supply, cooling, and cabling all meet it.
Protection
1234Each space is assigned a Protection Class against unauthorized access, intrusion, and events such as fire or water.
A data center therefore has no single Protection Class, but one per space and hazard.
Energy efficiency enablement
123Three levels specify how finely energy consumption can be measured, from the entire data center down to the individual system.
The owner chooses the level before design begins; the measurement points follow from it.
Frequently asked questions
Basic questions
No. EN 50600 is a standard, not a law; applying it is voluntary. It becomes binding when a contract, a tender, or an audit catalog makes it the basis, and in design and construction it counts as a recognized rule of engineering practice for data centers. What the law does require are indicators based on its methods: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364 obliges operators with 500 kW or more of IT power to report annually to a European database. In Germany, the German Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) requires operators with a non-redundant nominal connected load of 300 kW or more to provide annual information, and it names parts of the 4‑x series as the basis for the calculation.
Both describe resilience in four levels but follow different approaches. The Tier system is the classification of the Uptime Institute, a private company that also issues certifications itself; EN 50600 is a public standard developed by consensus within the European standards organizations. The standard sets the Availability Class per discipline, derives it from the business risk analysis, and leaves the technical solution open. Availability Class 3 is therefore not automatically the same as Tier III.
Yes, as an assessment by an independent inspection body. Inspection organizations and experts use a catalog of criteria to check whether design and documentation match the selected classes; the basis is the conformance requirements of Part 1, including the business risk analysis. The standard does not specify who may carry out the assessment. DCE academy does not certify data centers: it trains professionals in EN 50600 and certifies people.
Above all, certainty for an investment that has an effect over the entire operating life. The class determines how much resilience is built, and a higher class means a higher investment. Tenders that specify classes instead of technology make offers comparable against the same benchmark. This protects against bad investments in both directions: too little protection for the business risk, or redundancy that nobody needs.
The parts of the series
The series in detail
Part 1 is the basis of the series.
Five groups build on it: the 2‑x series for the design of the disciplines, 3‑x for operation and management, 4‑x for key performance indicators, 5‑x for a maturity model for energy management and sustainability, and the Technical Reports 99‑x with recommended practices.
2‑xDesign: what is built
- Part 2‑1BuildingLocation, structure, fire compartments, and load-bearing capacity: how the building implements the Protection Classes in its construction.
- Part 2‑2Power supplyHow power enters the data center and is distributed to the equipment, graded by Availability Class.
- Part 2‑3Climate control and coolingHow temperature, humidity, and air quality are maintained, and how cooling is designed so that it supports the class.
- Part 2‑4CablingWhich cabling is used for what, how cable pathways are routed, and which redundancy each class requires.
- Part 2‑5SecurityAccess, intrusion protection, fire, and other events: one Protection Class per space and hazard.
No page of its own: Earthquake risk (DIN CLC/TS 50600‑2‑10)
3‑xOperation: how it runs
Page to follow: Operation and management (DIN EN 50600‑3‑1)
4‑xIndicators: what is measured
- Part 4‑1Indicators: the ground rulesWhat an indicator has to achieve and how its boundaries are described; the basis of all the indicators that follow.
- Part 4‑2Energy efficiency (PUE)How much energy the data center needs in total, measured against the consumption of the IT.
- Part 4‑3Renewable energy (REF)What share of consumption comes from renewable energy.
- Part 4‑6Energy reuse (ERF)What share of the energy is reused outside the data center, for example as heat.
- Part 4‑7Cooling efficiency (CER)How much heat the cooling removes per unit of electrical energy used.
- Part 4‑8CO2 emissions (CUE)How CO₂-intensive operation is, relative to the consumption of the IT.
- Part 4‑9Water consumption (WUE)How much water the data center uses per year, relative to the consumption of the IT.
- Part 4‑31ResilienceFigures on dependability and fault tolerance that make designs comparable. Technical Specification.
5‑x · 99‑xMaturity and reports
Page to follow: Maturity model (DIN CLC/TS 50600‑5‑1)
No page of its own: Technical Reports (CLC/TR 50600‑99‑x)
| Part | Title | Current edition (DIN) | International equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIN EN 50600‑1 | General concepts | 2019‑08 (new European edition 2026, German edition to follow) | · ISO/IEC 22237‑1:2021 |
| DIN EN 50600‑2‑1 | Building construction | 2021‑09 | · ISO/IEC 22237‑2:2024 |
| DIN EN 50600‑2‑2 | Power supply and distribution | 2019‑08 | · ISO/IEC 22237‑3:2021 |
| DIN EN 50600‑2‑3 | Environmental control | 2019‑08 | · ISO/IEC 22237‑4:2021 |
| DIN EN 50600‑2‑4 | Telecommunications cabling infrastructure | 2023‑09 | · ISO/IEC TS 22237‑5:2018, successor as an International Standard at final draft stage (2026) |
| DIN EN 50600‑2‑5 | Security systems | 2021‑09 | · ISO/IEC 22237‑6:2024 |
| DIN CLC/TS 50600‑2‑10no page of its own | Earthquake risk and impact analysis (Technical Specification) | 2021 | · ISO/IEC TS 22237‑30:2022 |
| DIN EN 50600‑3‑1Page to follow | Management and operational information | 2016‑08 (new European edition 2026, German edition to follow; draft 2025‑09) | · ISO/IEC TS 22237‑7:2018, successor in preparation |
| DIN EN 50600‑4‑1 | Overview of and general requirements for key performance indicators | 2017‑06 | · ISO/IEC 30134‑1:2016 (basis, not identical) |
| DIN EN 50600‑4‑2 | Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) | 2019‑08 | · ISO/IEC 30134‑2:2026 |
| DIN EN 50600‑4‑3 | Renewable Energy Factor (REF) | 2019‑08 | · ISO/IEC 30134‑3 |
| DIN EN 50600‑4‑6 | Energy Reuse Factor (ERF) | 2020‑07 | · ISO/IEC 30134‑6 |
| DIN EN 50600‑4‑7 | Cooling Efficiency Ratio (CER) | 2020‑11 | · ISO/IEC 30134‑7 |
| DIN EN 50600‑4‑8 | Carbon Usage Effectiveness (CUE) | 2023‑08 | · ISO/IEC 30134‑8:2022 |
| DIN EN 50600‑4‑9 | Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) | 2023‑08 | · ISO/IEC 30134‑9:2022 |
| DIN CLC/TS 50600‑4‑31 | Key performance indicators for resilience (Technical Specification) | 2025‑02 | · ISO/IEC TS 22237‑31 (basis: 2023 edition; second edition 2026) |
| DIN CLC/TS 50600‑5‑1Page to follow | Maturity model for energy management and environmental sustainability (Technical Specification) | 2023‑12 | · no ISO counterpart |
| CLC/TR 50600‑99‑1no page of its own | Recommended practices for energy management | transferred to CLC/TS 50600‑5‑1 | · no ISO counterpart |
| CLC/TR 50600‑99‑2no page of its own | Recommended practices for environmental sustainability | transferred to CLC/TS 50600‑5‑1 | · no ISO counterpart |
| CLC/TR 50600‑99‑3no page of its own | Guidance to the application of EN 50600 series | 2018 | · no ISO counterpart |
| Year | European (EN, CLC/TS, CLC/TR) | International (ISO/IEC) |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | European: EN 50600‑1, first edition | International: |
| 2014 | European: EN 50600‑2‑1, EN 50600‑2‑2, EN 50600‑2‑3, first editions | International: |
| 2015 | European: EN 50600‑2‑4, first edition | International: |
| 2016 | European: EN 50600‑2‑5, EN 50600‑3‑1, EN 50600‑4‑1, 4‑2, 4‑3, first editions | International: |
| 2018 | European: CLC/TR 50600‑99‑3 | International: ISO/IEC TS 22237‑1 to -7 |
| 2019 | European: EN 50600‑1, 2‑2, 2‑3 (second editions), 4‑2 and 4‑3 with amendment A1 | International: |
| 2020 | European: EN 50600‑4‑6, EN 50600‑4‑7 | International: |
| 2021 | European: EN 50600‑2‑1, EN 50600‑2‑5 (second editions), CLC/TS 50600‑2‑10 | International: ISO/IEC 22237‑1, -3, -4 |
| 2022 | European: CLC/TS 50600‑5‑1, first edition | International: ISO/IEC TS 22237‑30 |
| 2023 | European: EN 50600‑2‑4 (second edition), EN 50600‑4‑8, EN 50600‑4‑9, CLC/TS 50600‑5‑1 (second edition) | International: |
| 2024 | European: | International: ISO/IEC 22237‑2, -6; Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364 links PUE, REF, ERF, WUE to EN 50600‑4‑x and ISO/IEC 30134 |
| 2025 | European: CLC/TS 50600‑4‑31; DIN EN 50600‑3‑1 as a draft (2025‑09) | International: |
| 2026 | European: New editions EN 50600‑3‑1 and EN 50600‑1 (August) published, German editions to follow; drafts prEN 50600‑2‑2 Ed. 3 (January 2026), prEN 50600‑2‑3 | International: ISO/IEC 30134‑2 (second edition, January), ISO/IEC TS 22237‑31 (second edition, February), ISO/IEC 22237‑5 at final draft stage (May) |
Status of the standards
Current editions and ongoing revisions
All parts of the series apply in the edition listed in the table above. New European editions of Part 1 and Part 3‑1 have been published; their German editions are still pending. Parts 2‑2 and 2‑3 are available as drafts. Until the German edition appears, the previous DIN edition remains valid. Last reviewed on 8 October 2026.
- EN 50600‑1
- Current in Germany2019 edition
- New edition or draft: New editionNew edition EN 50600‑1:2026 published at European level in August 2026; German edition pending.
- EN 50600‑2‑2
- Current in Germany2019 edition
- New edition or draft: DraftEdition 3 in draft (prEN 50600‑2‑2:2026, January 2026); comments by the German mirror committee completed in March 2026.
- EN 50600‑2‑3
- Current in Germany2019 edition
- New edition or draft: DraftDraft prEN 50600‑2‑3:2026.
- EN 50600‑3‑1
- Current in Germany2016 edition
- New edition or draft: New editionNew edition EN 50600‑3‑1:2026 published at European level; German edition pending, draft DIN EN 50600‑3‑1:2025‑09.
A draft is not a standard and does not replace the current edition; the section “Who makes the standard” explains why.
Standardization
Who makes the standard
Three levels
International
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 39
ISO/IEC 22237
European
CENELEC CLC/TC 215
EN 50600
National
DKE/GK 719 “Rechenzentren”
DIN EN 50600‑x
Internationally, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 39 continues the content as ISO/IEC 22237.
ISO and IEC continue the content of EN 50600 as the international series ISO/IEC 22237.
The parts first appeared in 2018 as Technical Specifications; since 2021, they have been published step by step as International Standards (ISO/IEC 22237‑1:2021, Foreword).
Five of the seven core parts are now available as International Standards. The indicators of the 4‑x series have their counterpart in the ISO/IEC 30134 series.
At European level, CENELEC Technical Committee CLC/TC 215 develops the series through its working group WG 3; DKE holds the secretariat.
At national level, the German mirror committee DKE/GK 719 “Rechenzentren” (data centers) coordinates the German comments and adopts the parts as DIN EN 50600‑x (VDE 0801‑600‑x).
Five stages to a valid standard
Drafts
- CDCommittee Draftworking draft, commented on by the mirror committees
- prENEnquiry draftsent to all CENELEC members with a comment period
- FprENFinal draftformal vote
Published edition: binding
- ENEuropean Standardratified
- DIN ENNational standardadoption in Germany
A Committee Draft (CD) is a working draft on which the national mirror committees comment.
The enquiry draft prEN goes to all CENELEC members with a comment period; after the comments have been incorporated, the final draft FprEN goes to the formal vote.
If the vote is positive, the text is ratified as an EN and adopted by every member country, in Germany as DIN EN (DIN EN 50600‑1:2019, European foreword).
A “2026 draft” is therefore an interim stage; the published edition remains binding.
DCE academy
Standardization work at DCE academy
DCE academy trainers contribute to the national working groups in which the German position on EN 50600 is developed, including the power supply working group of DKE/GK 719. We therefore know what is on these pages from working on the texts, not only from reading them.
Seminars
Seminars on EN 50600
The part pages in this section explain purpose, structure, and core requirements. Applying them in a project, from the business risk analysis to acceptance, is the subject of our seminars. This saves you from having to piece together the connections between the parts from the standards yourself.
Training path 1/4
DC-21001Data Center – General Principles
3 days · In person · Live webinar · Video course
The introduction to the terms, disciplines, and standards of the data center.
Next date: 23–25 Feb 2027, onlinePrice plus VAT: €4,195Training path 2/4
DC-21002Data Center Design & Implementation
according to EN 50600 and ISO/IEC 22237
5 days · In person · Live webinar
All design parts of the series as they come up in a project, according to EN 50600 and ISO/IEC 22237.
Next date: 23–27 Nov 2026, onlinePrice plus VAT: €6,990- DC-21009
Update – EN 50600 and ISO/IEC 22237‑x
1 day · In person or live webinar by arrangement
The changes from earlier editions and the differences between the European and the international version.
Next date: Date on requestPrice plus VAT: €2,795
All prices plus VAT; the price is the same in every format.
Further reading
Further official sources
- CEN-CENELEC: “Review of standardisation activities: Energy Management and Environmental Viability of Data Centres”, Edition 11 (November 2024), freely available · cencenelec.eu(opens in a new window)
- DKE/GK 719 “Rechenzentren” (data centers), committee page with working groups · dke.de(opens in a new window)
- CLC/TC 215, committee page with work program · standards.cencenelec.eu(opens in a new window)
Glossary
Four terms that recur on every part page: Availability Class (four qualitative levels from single path to fault tolerant), Protection Class (four levels of physical security per space and supply path), granularity level (how finely energy consumption is measured), and prEN (an enquiry draft, not a valid standard).
- DIN EN 50600‑1:2019‑08, Introduction, European foreword, Clauses 1, 4, 5.3, 6.1, 7.1 to 7.4, national annex NA.2, title page
- DIN EN 50600‑2‑1:2021‑09, DIN EN 50600‑2‑2:2019‑08, DIN EN 50600‑2‑3:2019‑08, DIN EN 50600‑2‑4:2023‑09, DIN EN 50600‑2‑5:2021‑09, DIN EN 50600‑4‑1:2017‑06, DIN EN 50600‑4‑2:2019‑08, DIN EN 50600‑4‑3:2019‑08, DIN EN 50600‑4‑6:2020‑07, DIN EN 50600‑4‑7:2020‑11, DIN EN 50600‑4‑8:2023‑08, DIN EN 50600‑4‑9:2023‑08: European and national forewords, introductions
- DIN CLC/TS 50600‑4‑31:2025‑02, Introduction, national and European foreword
- ISO/IEC 22237‑1:2021, Foreword and Introduction
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364 of 14 March 2024, Articles 1 and 3, Annex III
- German Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) of 13 November 2023, § 3 No. 24, § 13, Annex 3 (gesetze-im-internet.de, retrieved 2 October 2026)
- Standards catalogs (as of 17 September 2026): iTeh (prEN 50600‑1:2026, prEN 50600‑2‑3:2026, EN 50600‑3‑1:2026), DIN Media (DIN EN 50600‑3‑1:2025‑09 draft, DIN CLC/TS 50600‑5‑1:2023‑12, CLC/TR 50600‑99‑3:2018), ISO catalog (22237-5, 22237-7, TS 22237‑30, TS 22237‑31), IEC Webstore (ISO/IEC 30134‑2:2026), CEN-CENELEC announcement of 1 December 2023 (99‑1/99‑2)
- DKE committee page GK 719 (retrieved 17 September 2026); CENELEC committee page CLC/TC 215 (retrieved 17 September 2026); CENELEC BOSS “Enquiry” and “Formal Vote” (retrieved 17 September 2026)
- DCE academy seminar practice: Data Center Design & Implementation (held November 2025), Data Center – General Principles (held April 2026)
Last reviewed on 17 September 2026 · DCE academy
