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: dust, body parts (hands and fingers), rocks, etc.
- Liquid objects: 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.
IP Rating 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 CodesExample: IP 6 5
- IP: International Protection
- First Digit (6): Solid particle protection
- Second Digit (5): 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 Example:
- “6” indicates dust-tight: no ingress of dust; complete protection against contact. A vacuum must be applied; test duration up to 8 hours.
Level / 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 Example:
- “6” indicates protection against powerful water jets from any direction without harmful effects.
Level / Protection Against / Description:
- 0 – None – No protection
- 1 – Dripping water – Vertical drops have no harmful effect
- 2 – Dripping water, tilted 15° – No harmful effect at 15° tilt
- 3 – Spraying water – Spray up to 60° from vertical; no harmful effect (5 min each position)
- 4 – Splashing – Splash from any direction; no harmful effect (10 min)
- 5 – Water jets – 6.3 mm nozzle, no harmful effects
- 6 – Powerful jets – 12.5 mm nozzle, no harmful effects
- 6: Powerful water jets with increased pressure – 6.3 mm nozzle, elevated pressure, no harmful effects (Found in DIN 40050)
- 7 – Immersion up to 1 m – No harmful ingress under defined conditions (up to 1 m)
- 8 – Continuous immersion – Specified by manufacturer; >1 m and sometimes temperature cycling
- 9K – High-pressure, high-temperature jets – Close-range, high-pressure, high-temperature spray; no harmful effects
Additional Letters
Extra special letters can be appended behind the two digits to provide additional information related to protection:
- f – Oil resistant
- H – High voltage device
- M – Device moving during water test
- S – Device standing still during water test
- W – Weather conditions
