Measurement categories (CATI, CATII, CATIII, CATIV)

Electrical test & measurement tools that interact with electricity are designed for specific applications and conditions. Exceeding or deviating from application parameter can lead to inaccurate measurements or injury. Therefore there are four primary measurement categories for electrical tools: CATI, CATII, CATIII, and CAT IV.

Measurement Categories are used to rate test instruments on their ability to resist a voltage spike, which is applied through a specific resistance. The higher the category, the more risk there that a high voltage can overload a circuit and cause electrical and physical damage. Usually, the higher the CAT (category) rating, the safer the rating.

CATI:
This category is for measurements of voltages from specially protected secondary circuits. Such voltage measurements include signal levels, special equipment, limited-energy parts of equipment, circuits powered by regulated low-voltage sources, and electronics.

CATII:
This category refers to local-level electrical distribution, such as that provided by a standard wall outlet or plug in loads (for example, 115 AC voltage for U.S. or 200 AC voltage for Europe). Examples of Measurement Category II are measurements performed on household appliances, portable tools, and similar modules.

CATIII:
This category refers to measurements on hard-wired equipment in fixed installations, distribution boards, and circuit breakers. Other examples are wiring, including cables, bus bars, junction boxes, switches, socket outlets in the fixed installation, and stationary motors with permanent connections to fixed installations.

CATIV:
This category refers to origin of installation or utility level measurements on primary over-current protection devices and on ripple control units.

Find more in National Instruments’ tutorial.