What is an IP Rating?
The IP Rating is a rating of Ingress Protection – that is a rating on the protection against small solids or liquids getting inside a product. Shown as IP64, the first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against hazardous parts and the ingress of solid foreign objects. The second digit denotes the protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water.
Example
IP67
(Coloured for reference below)
The IP Rating Numbers
Rating for Solids
| Level | Object Size Protected Against | Effective Against |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | N/A | No protection against contact and ingress of objects |
| 1 | >50mm | Any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part |
| 2 | >12.5mm | Fingers or similar objects |
| 3 | >2.5mm | Tools, thick wires, etc |
| 4 | >1mm | Most wires, screws, 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; complete protection against contact |
| 6 | Dust Tight | No ingress of dust, complete protection against contact |
Rating for Liquids
| Level | Protected against | Testing for | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Not protected | N/A | N/A |
| 1 | Dripping water | Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect | Test duration: 10 minutes; Water equivalent to 3-5 mm rainfall per minute |
| 2 | Dripping water when tilted up to 15° | Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15° from its normal position | Test duration: 10 minutes; Water equivalent to 3-5mm rainfall per minute |
| 3 | Spraying water | Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect | Test duration: 5 minutes; Water Volume: 0.7 litres per minute; Pressure: 80-100kN/m2 |
| 4 | Splashing water | Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect | Test duration: 5 minutes; Water Volume: 10 litres per minute; Pressure: 80-100kN/m2 |
| 5 | Water jets | Water projected by a nozzle (6.3mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect | Test duration: at least 3 minutes; Water Volume: 12.5 litres per minutes; Pressure: 30kN/m2 at distance of 3 meters |
| 6 | Powerful water jets | Water projected in powerful jets (12.5mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect | Test duration: at least 3 minutes; Water Volume: 100 litres per minute; Pressure: 100kN/m2 at distance of 3 meters |
| 7 | Immersion up to 1m | 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 1m of submersion) | Test duration: 30 minutes; Immersion at depth of 1 meter |
| 8 | Immersion beyond 1m | The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. Normally, this will mean that the equipment is hermetically sealed. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that produces no harmful effect |