IEC 80416-1:2001 80416 series establishes principles and guidelines for the creation of symbol originals and the use of graphical symbols on equipment developed within the ISO and IEC frameworks.

Part 1 of this standard delineates the fundamental principles for designing symbol originals intended for equipment. It includes design rules regarding aspects such as shape and size, as well as guidelines for preparing accompanying text based on the intended meaning of the symbols.

IEC 80416-1:2001 is applicable to graphical symbols that are used to:

Identify the equipment or its components (such as controls or displays);
Indicate operational states or functions (for example, on, off, alarm);
Specify connections (such as terminals or filling points);
Provide packaging information (including content identification and handling instructions);
Offer operational guidance for the equipment (for example, usage limitations).

However, this standard does not apply to symbol originals intended for:

Safety signs;
Use in drawings and diagrams;
Technical documentation of products and associated technical product documentation;
Public information purposes.