This part of IEC 60695 provides guidance for assessing and choosing candidate materials, components or sub-assemblies for making an end product based upon preselection testing. It describes how preselection provides comparative fire hazard test methods to evaluate the performance of a test specimen and how preselection can be used in the selection of materials, parts, components and sub-assemblies during the design stage of an end product. It further describes how standardized test methods may be used as one part in the decision making processes directed to minimize the fire hazards from electrotechnical equipment. It states that one should take into account the desired reaction to fire properties of the end product, and that one should consider the possible effects of environmental conditions on the behaviour of the end product. This basic safety publication is intended for use by technical committees in the preparation of standards in accordance with the principles laid down in IEC Guide 104 and ISO/IEC Guide 51. One of the responsibilities of a technical committee is, wherever applicable, to make use of basic safety publications in the preparation of its publications. The requirements, test methods or test conditions of this basic safety publication will not apply unless specifically referred to or included in the relevant publications.