IP RATINGS (INGRESS PROTECTION) For Enclosures IP65, IP67, IP68, etc

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WHAT IS IP RATINGS?

The IP ratings’ system was developed to provide general references for the design, materials, usage and safety considerations of electrical enclosures for manufacturing companies in the USA and other countries worldwide.

IP ratings stand for Ingress Protection or International Protection ratings which are from the international standard of EN 60529 (British BS EN 60529:1992, European IEC 60509:1989). As defined in those standards these numbers define degrees of protection against solid and liquid objects.

Solid objects can be dust, body parts (hands and fingers), rocks etc.
Liquid objects are mostly water but can include other liquids, classified by level of intrusion such as:

• Dripping water
• Spraying
• Splashing
• Water jets
• Powerful water jets
• Submersion

If you’re already familiar with IP ratings, see our IP rating compatible enclosure products. Otherwise, please read on for details.

DEFINITIONS AND RATINGS

The IP Code (“international protection rating” or “ingress protection rating”) consists of “IP” followed by two digits (e.g., “65”) and sometimes an optional letter. Per IEC 60529, this defines degrees of ingress protection against solid objects, dust, and water for electrical enclosures and their contents.

IPX PROTECTION CODES

IP 6 5

IP: International Protection
6: First Digit – solid particle protection
5: Second Digit – liquid ingress protection

FIRST DIGIT: SOLID PARTICLE PROTECTION

The first digit defines the level of protection against access to hazardous parts and ingress of solid foreign objects.

IP66

“6” indicates dust-tight: no ingress of dust; complete protection against contact. A vacuum must be applied; test duration up to 8 hours.

LEVEL (FIRST DIGIT)	ENCLOSURE SIZE EFFECTIVE AGAINST	DESCRIPTION
0	–	No protection against contact and ingress of objects
1	> 50 mm	Any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part
2	> 12.5 mm	Fingers or similar objects
3	> 2.5 mm	Tools, thick wires, etc.
4	> 1 mm	Most wires, slender screws, large ants etc.
5	Dust protected	Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment.
6	Dust tight	No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight). A vacuum must be applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on air flow.

SECOND DIGIT: LIQUID INGRESS PROTECTION

The second digit defines the level of protection against harmful ingress of water. Ratings are not cumulative beyond IPX6: a device compliant with IPX7 need not meet IPX5 or IPX6, but can be listed as “IPX5/IPX7.”

IP66

“6” indicates protection against powerful water jets from any direction without harmful effects.

LEVEL (SECOND DIGIT)	PROTECTION AGAINST	DESCRIPTION
0	None	No protection
1	Dripping water	Vertical drops have no harmful effect Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect on the specimen when mounted in an upright position onto a turntable and rotated at 1 RPM.
2	Dripping water, tilted 15°	No harmful effect at 15° tilt Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle of 15° from its normal position. A total of four positions are tested within two axes.
3	Spraying water	Spray up to 60° from vertical; no harmful effect (5 min each position) Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect, utilizing either: a) an oscillating fixture, or b) A spray nozzle with a counterbalanced shield. Test a) is conducted for 5 minutes, then repeated with the specimen rotated horizontally by 90° for the second 5-minute test. Test b) is conducted (with shield in place) for 5 minutes minimum.
4	Splashing	Splash from any direction; no harmful effect (10 min) Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect, utilizing either: a) an oscillating fixture, or b) A spray nozzle with no shield. Test a) is conducted for 10 minutes. Test b) is conducted (without shield) for 5 minutes minimum.
5	Water jets	6.3 mm nozzle, no harmful effects Water projected by a nozzle (6.3 mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
6	Powerful jets	12.5 mm nozzle, no harmful effects Water projected in powerful jets (12.5 mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
6:	Powerful water jets with increased pressure	Water projected in powerful jets (6.3 mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction, under elevated pressure, shall have no harmful effects. Found in DIN 40050, and not IEC 60529.
7	Immersion up to 1 m	No harmful ingress under defined conditions (up to 1 m) Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion).
8	Continuous immersion	Specified by manufacturer; >1 m and sometimes temperature cycling The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects. The test depth and duration is expected to be greater than the requirements for IPx7, and other environmental effects may be added, such as temperature cycling before immersion.
9K	High-pressure, high-temperature jets	Close-range, high-pressure, high-temperature spray; no harmful effects Protected against close-range high pressure, high temperature spray downs. Smaller specimens rotate slowly on a turntable, from 4 specific angles. Larger specimens are mounted upright, no turntable required, and are tested freehand for at least 3 minutes at distance of 0.15–0.2 m. There are specific requirements for the nozzle used for the testing. This test is identified as IPx9 in IEC 60529.