ECLASS Releases

With Release 16.0, the ECLASS Standard has been extensively expanded, particularly in the following segments:

• Segment 23 "Machine element, fastener, fixing, mounting"
  • New commodity classes in 23-30 "Linear motion technology, Rotary systems", e.g.
    • 23-30-17-00 "Linear motion module, Linear motion axis"
    • 23-30-18-00 "Electromechanical cylinder"
    • 23-30-24-00 "Electromechanical rotary actuator"
  • And new commodity classes on third level, e.g.
    • 23-01-04-00 "Hand wheel / Crank handle (machine handle)"
    • 23-01-06-00 "Quick release fastener"
    • 23-01-07-00 "Leveling feet, leveling mount"
• Segment 27 "Electric engineering, automation, process control engineering"
  • New classes and enhancement of these with properties in 27-38-03-00 "Gripper (electric)", e.g.
    • 27-38-03-01 "Parallel gripper (electric)"
    • 27-38-03-02 "Angular gripper (electric)"
    • 27-38-03-03 "Rotary gripper (electric)"
  • New classes due to the ETIM Harmonisation, e.g.
    • 27-21-07-17 "Immersion thermostat"
    • 27-21-07-18 "Fancoil thermostat"
    • 27-21-07-19 "Zone controller"
• Segment 36 "Machine, apparatus"
  • 36-64-14-00 “Machine Vision System”
• Segment 50 "Interior furnishing", e.g.
  • 50-11-09-25 "Rolling pin"
• Segment 51 "Fluid power"
  • New main group 51-58 "Electronics and software (hydraulics)", with new classification classes, e.g.
    • 51-58-01-01 “Valve amplifier with feedback (hydraulics)”
    • 51-58-01-02 "Valve amplifier without feedback (hydraulics)"

With version 16.0, ECLASS sets new standards for transparency and sustainability in product classification. A key highlight is the expansion of the “material declaration” aspect, which is now available for all classification classes—with the exception of service classes.

This extension enables:

• Comprehensive information on critical ingredients in products to better meet regulatory requirements and sustainability goals.
• The declaration of substances or materials subject to labeling requirements in chemical compounds, which are stored in the new block 0173-1#01-AKA421#001..

In addition, the existing structures for Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) and Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) with their 24 impact categories were revalidated in accordance with ISO 14044. A first draft for recycling information was also integrated and will be further developed in Release 17.

With these innovations, ECLASS supports companies in making their products even more transparent and sustainable—a decisive step toward a circular economy and resource conservation.

With Release 16.0, ECLASS is once again setting new standards in digital standardization. A key highlight is the comprehensive expansion of classification content: around 23,300 new definitions for classification classes were generated using artificial intelligence (ChatGPT). For maximum transparency, all AI-generated definitions are clearly marked with the note “machine generated by GPT-4o mini” in the “source of definition” attribute. This ensures that the origin of each definition remains traceable at all times.

This innovation builds on the first AI-supported enhancements from Release 15.0, which introduced around 250 new definitions that were reviewed by experts from the ECLASS community. With Release 16.0, this approach is now being implemented on a large scale.

In addition, ECLASS continues to offer machine-readable files (TUF and CUF) for each new release. This makes ECLASS the only standard worldwide that enables automatic migrations—a decisive advantage for companies that rely on efficient data integration.

Based on the IDTA specifications for Submodel Templates, ECLASS also provides a range of templates for the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) and the Digital Twin in Release 16.0. In addition to the templates already introduced in earlier releases, the Submodel Template “Provision of Company Data” has been added in Release 16.0.

• “Nameplate”: This Submodel Template provides basic identification data for a product, such as manufacturer, serial number, and model name. It serves as digital nameplate information for unique identification.
• “Handover Documentation”: This template enables the structured provision of handover documents, such as manuals, certificates, or maintenance instructions, to simplify the exchange of information between the manufacturer and operator.
• “Technical Data”: This Submodel Template allows a complete ECLASS product description to be integrated into the AAS. The AAS can thus contain product descriptions from multiple ECLASS versions in ECLASS Basic and ECLASS Advanced simultaneously.
• “Carbon Footprint”: With the “Carbon Footprint” Submodel Template, ECLASS users can integrate information about the environmental impact of products or components into the AAS.
• “Service Request Notification”: To simplify communication about service requests, we have implemented this Submodel Template. It helps integrate information about service requests into the AAS.
• “Contact Information”: We have implemented this aspect for the seamless management and sharing of contact information within your data ecosystem. Whether it's a manufacturer's address, customer service email address, or service provider contact number, ECLASS ensures that important contact information is easily accessible and uniformly structured in your AAS.
• “Provision of Company Data”: This Submodel Template enables the transmission of basic company information, such as company data or company systems, to third parties for informational or administrative purposes.

Detailed information on the release process can be found in our Technical Documentation.

Release Process