IP Ratings Explained

Author: Amplex Group  

The IP rating or code of a piece of equipment is an actual rating the equipment is tested to, in a laboratory certified by NATA or a MRA partner.

According to the international standard IEC 60529 (ensconced in Australian Standards AS60529) IP Code classifies and rates the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects, dust, accidental contact, and water in electronic equipment or electrical enclosures.

An IP rating includes two digits preceded by the prefix “IP”. The first digit specifies the protection from solid objects and the second digit the protection from liquids. For example, IP56 means protection from harmful deposits of dust and protection from heavy seas or strong jets of water from all directions. A rating of IP65 would mean complete protection from dust and protection from low pressure jets of water from all directions. Thus IP65 is higher rated for dust and lower rated for water than IP56 (as an example).

 

First
Digit
Level of Protection Diagram  
Second
Digit
Level of Protection Diagram
X Not specified     X Not specified  
0 No Protection     0 No Protection  
1 Protected against solid objects over 50mm in size - back of the hand   1 Protected against drops of water falling vertically
2 Protected against solid objects over 12mm in size - fingers and hands   2 Protected against drops of water falling vertically on object tilted 15 degrees from normal position
3 Protected against solid objects over 2.5mm in size - ball bearings   3 Protected against direct spraying water up to 60 degrees from vertical
4 Protected against solid objects over 1mm in size - small tools or wires   4 Protected against direct spraying water and splashes from all directions
5 Limited protection against dust ingress – no harmful deposits of dust   5 Protected against low pressure jets of water from all directions
6 Complete protection from dust   6 Protected against heavy seas or strong jets of water from all directions
        7 Protected against temporary immersion in water up to 1 metre
        8 Protected against continuous immersion in water up to 1 metre