This standard applies to surge protectors for application on multiconductor balanced or unbalanced data, communications, and signaling circuits with voltages equal to or less than 1000 V rms, or 1200 Vdc. These surge protectors are designed to limit voltage surges, current surges, or both. This standard describes the methods of testing and criteria for determining the end of life of electrical surge protectors used in low-voltage data, communications, and signaling circuits. The surge protectors covered are multiple-component series or parallel combinations of linear or nonlinear elements, packaged for the purpose of limiting voltage, current, or both. This standard is not intended to cover packaged single gas tube, air gap, varistor, or avalanche junction surge-protective devices, which are included in IEEE Std C62.31-1987 , IEEE Std C62.32-1981 , IEEE Std C62.33-1982 , and IEEE Std C62.35-1987 , respectively. Specifically excluded from this standard are test methods for low-voltage power circuit applications. For protection of wire-line communication facilities under the specialized conditions found at power stations, consult IEEE Std 487-1992 . The tests in this standard are intended as design tests, as defined in IEEE Std 100-1992 , and provide a means of comparison among various multiple-component surge protectors. The test criteria and definitions of this standard provide a common engineering language beneficial to users and manufacturers of multiple-component surge protectors. Because of the voltage and energy levels employed in the majority of tests described herein, all tests should be considered hazardous. Appropriate caution should be taken in their performance.