Follow this checklist if you are building or maintaining a PC that must meet ICES-003 Class B standards:
ICES stands for Interference-Causing Equipment Standard. It is a regulatory document published by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), formerly known as Industry Canada. ices 003 class b graphics card driver 2021
Why 2021 matters: In 2020-2021, ISED updated enforcement practices around ICES-003, bringing it closer in alignment with the US FCC Part 15 regulations. As a result, manufacturers of graphics cards (GPUs) and driver developers had to re-certify or re-label products sold in Canada. Follow this checklist if you are building or
If you’ve recently built a PC, installed a new graphics card, or updated your GPU drivers in 2021, you might have stumbled upon a cryptic phrase buried in a readme.txt file, a driver manifest, or a compliance certificate: “ICES 003 Class B.” Why 2021 matters: In 2020-2021, ISED updated enforcement
For the average gamer or creative professional, this phrase seems irrelevant—a piece of legal jargon best left to hardware engineers. However, as 2021 brought a surge in at-home workstations, DIY PC builds, and driver updates (especially for NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel Arc), understanding ICES 003 Class B became surprisingly relevant.
This article will dissect what ICES-003 Class B means, why it matters specifically for graphics card drivers in 2021, how it affects electromagnetic interference (EMI), and what you need to know to keep your system both compliant and high-performing.