Compare NBR 5419-1:2015 with the 2026 edition and understand confirmed changes in scope, series structure, risk assessment, references, and application to SPDA designs.
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The ABNT NBR 5419-1:2026 is the second edition of Part 1 of the Brazilian lightning-protection series and cancels and replaces the 2015 edition. Therefore, content developed based on NBR 5419-1:2015 should now be read as a historical and comparative reference, not as current normative guidance.
The 2026 revision preserves the overall architecture of the series — general principles, risk assessment, physical damage and life hazards, and internal electrical and electronic systems — but updates scope, terminology, organization of requirements, normative references, and several technical elements used in developing and reviewing lightning-protection designs.
The practical impact is not limited to changing the year of the standard. New designs, renovations of existing systems, and construction, usage, or electrical-installation changes that may affect protection should be evaluated in light of the current edition. At the same time, previously designed installations need to be analyzed considering the original documentation and changes that have occurred since conception.
This comparison presents only differences confirmed by reading both editions of Part 1. It does not replace consultation of the current standard and does not attempt to reproduce its full content.
The 2026 Edition Formally Replaces NBR 5419-1:2015
The foreword of the 2026 edition expressly states that ABNT NBR 5419-1:2026 cancels and replaces ABNT NBR 5419-1:2015, which was technically revised.
This changes the role of this content within the cluster: to understand the currently applicable general principles, the primary editorial reference becomes the article NBR 5419-1: General Principles of Lightning Protection. This article serves as a bridge between the two editions and helps identify points that deserve review in older designs and documents.
The Scope of Application Became More Explicit
The 2015 edition already established requirements for determining the need for lightning protection and provided input for design. The 2026 edition maintains that purpose but explicitly identifies application situations of major practical importance in engineering existing installations.
Part 1:2026 states that it applies to new designs and installations, to renovations of existing lightning-protection installations and to situations in which existing protection may be affected by changes in construction characteristics, use of the structure, the building, or the electrical-installation design.
The standard itself adds a useful distinction: inspections, tests, and component replacements that do not imply changes to the recommendations of the original design do not necessarily constitute a renovation of the installation.
For asset management, this reinforces the need to distinguish maintenance, inspection, retrofit, and design review. A roof change, expansion, installation of new external equipment, or significant modification of the electrical installation may require a different assessment from simply replacing an equivalent component.
The Organization of the Series Was Updated
The series remains divided into four parts, but the title of Part 2 has changed. In the 2015 edition, Part 2 appears as Risk management. In the 2026 series, Part 2 is presented as Risk assessment.
The current editorial organization of the A3A Engenharia cluster follows this structure:
- NBR 5419: Series Overview;
- NBR 5419-1: General Principles;
- NBR 5419-2: Risk Assessment;
- NBR 5419-3: External SPDA, Air-Termination, Down Conductors, and Grounding;
- NBR 5419-4: Internal Electrical and Electronic Systems.
This separation is important to prevent a single article from trying to cover the entire series and to direct the reader to the appropriate deeper treatment.
The Section on the Need for Protection Now Explicitly Incorporates Risk and Frequency
In NBR 5419-1:2015, Section 6 is titled Need for and Economic Benefit of Lightning Protection and is divided between the need for protection and economic benefit.
In the 2026 edition, the structure of Section 6 was modified. It now addresses the need for lightning protection, with specific subdivisions for risk and frequency, the need for protection to reduce risk R, and the need for protection to reduce damage frequency F.
This structural change is aligned with the role of Part 2 in risk assessment and reinforces that decisions on protection measures should be traceable to the actual conditions of the structure and the criteria of the current series.
In real projects, this means that a calculation report or analysis prepared under a previous edition should not merely be renamed. It is necessary to verify whether the assumptions, variables, and criteria used remain compatible with the edition adopted for the current design.
The Set of Terms and Definitions Was Expanded
The 2026 edition presents a substantially expanded terms-and-definitions section. Among the concepts explicitly introduced near the beginning of the new edition are definitions of rural, suburban, and urban environments, interconnected reinforcement, BEP — Main Equipotential Bonding Bar and BEL — Local Equipotential Bonding Bar.
This expansion is not merely editorial. Standardized terminology improves traceability among design, risk assessment, external SPDA, surge protection measures, and field documentation.
Within the technical cluster, these concepts connect directly to content on equipotential bonding, electrical grounding and SPDs.
Normative References Were Updated
Part 1:2026 updates the references used by the series. References visible in the new edition include ABNT NBR IEC 61643-11 for surge protective devices in low-voltage systems and ABNT NBR IEC 61643-31, specific to SPDs in photovoltaic installations, as well as IEC references related to insulation coordination and protection of telecommunications and signaling networks.
This reinforces an important characteristic of lightning-protection engineering: the SPDA should not be treated in isolation from the electrical installation, electronic systems, signal lines, equipotential bonding, and surge protective devices.
Reviewing older designs should therefore verify not only air-termination systems and down conductors, but also interfaces that may have changed as the building was modernized.
Technical Content in the Annexes Was Expanded and Reorganized
Comparison of the tables of contents confirms the expansion and reorganization of several informative contents in Part 1.
In the 2026 edition, Annex D provides greater detail on mechanical effects, electrodynamic forces, electrohydraulic effects, and soil ionization, in addition to parameters associated with SPDA components. Annex E is also reorganized with a focus on surge currents caused by lightning discharges at different points in the installation.
The new edition also includes specific tables of typical surge currents in low-voltage power lines and signal lines. These elements relate directly to SPD coordination and protection of internal systems.
It is not correct to conclude, based only on the table of contents, that all parameters or methods have changed. For any sizing or quantitative decision, the comparison needs to be made against the specific requirement in the standard.
What Remains Conceptually Continuous Between the Two Editions?
Despite the technical revision, the overall logic of the series remains recognizable. Both editions start from the principle that lightning discharges represent risks to people, structures, contents, installations, and connected systems, and that the need for and selection of protection measures should result from technical assessment.
The functional division also remains between protection intended to reduce physical damage and hazards to life, addressed in Part 3, and measures intended to reduce failures of internal electrical and electronic systems, addressed in Part 4.
This continuity is useful when analyzing historical documentation: a 2015 design does not automatically lose its documentary value, but it needs to be interpreted in the context of the originating standard and compared with the current condition of the structure and with current requirements whenever there is a review, renovation, or new intervention.
What Should Be Reviewed in a Design or Documentation Based on 2015?
A technical review should begin by identifying the normative edition actually used in the original design and comparing it with the as-built condition. The objective is not to replace dates on drawings, but to verify whether the protection rationale remains valid.
Points requiring attention include changes in use, building expansion, new metallic structures or rooftop equipment, photovoltaic systems, new power or signal lines, changes to the electrical installation, modifications to grounding and equipotential bonding, replacement or addition of SPDs, and loss of As-Built traceability.
When the existing installation does not match the documentation, the appropriate sequence may involve a field survey, inspection, update of the Electrical As-Built, a new risk assessment, and revision of the SPDA Design.
How Should This Comparison Be Used Within the NBR 5419 Cluster?
This article should be used to understand the transition between editions and identify documents or designs that require review. To apply the current edition, navigation should follow the current articles in the series and the corresponding in-depth content.
When the issue concerns the installed condition, the most appropriate route is inspection and diagnosis. When there is a construction change or a significant change in assumptions, the process may advance to risk assessment, design, upgrading, verification, and documentation updates.
Conclusion
NBR 5419-1:2026 is not merely a nominal update of the 2015 edition: it cancels and replaces it, explicitly identifies new application situations, reorganizes the risk-and-frequency analysis structure, expands definitions, updates references, and provides greater detail in technical annex content.
For existing designs and installations, the practical consequence is clear: 2015 documentation remains useful as a record of the design basis, but it should not be presented as a current reference without an assessment of compatibility with the 2026 edition. Engineering should preserve historical traceability while applying the current standard to decisions that effectively constitute a new design, renovation, or review.
Technical References
[1] BRAZILIAN ASSOCIATION OF TECHNICAL STANDARDS. ABNT NBR 5419-1:2015 — Lightning protection — Part 1: General principles. Edition replaced by the 2026 revision.
[2] BRAZILIAN ASSOCIATION OF TECHNICAL STANDARDS. ABNT NBR 5419-1:2026 — Lightning protection — Part 1: General principles. Second edition, Mar. 10, 2026.
[3] INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION. IEC 62305 — Protection against lightning. Consult the official series in the IEC Webstore.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. ABNT NBR 5419-1:2026 cancels and replaces the 2015 edition, which was technically revised.
It is not correct to conclude this solely because the edition changed. The original documentation should be preserved, and the need for review depends on the condition of the installation, changes that have occurred, and the scope of the current intervention.
Yes. The scope of Part 1:2026 explicitly applies to renovations and to situations in which construction, usage, or electrical-installation changes may affect existing protection.
In the 2026 series, Part 2 is presented as Risk Assessment. The 2015 edition used the title Risk Management.
The normative reference is the current ABNT edition. Within A3A Engenharia’s cluster, the article NBR 5419-1: General Principles is the main editorial page for the current edition.
