IP Ratings (Ingress Protection)

By: CableOrganizer®

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The protection of enclosures against ingress of dirt or water is defined in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard IEC 60529. Conversely, an enclosure which protects equipment against ingress of particles will also protect a person from potential hazards within that enclosure. Its degree of protection is also defined as a standard.

The degrees of protection are most expressed with the acronym for Ingress Protection "IP," followed by two numbers. The numbers in IP65 define the degree of protection. The first digit (6) represents foreign bodies protection. This shows the extent to which the equipment is protected against particles, or persons are protected from enclosed hazards. The second digit (5) indicates water protection. The wording in the table is not exactly as used in the standards document, but the dimensions are accurate.

The first digit in the rating is the protection against contact and foreign bodies. The second digit in the rating is the water protection factor. The third digit is the impact protection factor. All of them are displayed in the charts below:


IP s l (i)

s = solids, l=liquids and i= impact (optional)


 

FIRST INDEX - FOREIGN BODIES PROTECTION, SOLIDS

 

Index Protection Against Human/Tool Contact Protection Against Solid Objects (foreign bodies)
0 No special protection No special protection
1 Back of hand, Fist Large foreign bodies, diam. >50mm
2 Finger Medium-sized foreign bodies, diam. >12mm
3 Tools and wires etc., with a thickness >2.5mm Small foreign bodies, diam. >2.5mm
4 Tools and wires etc., with a thickness >1mm Granular foreign bodies, diam. >1mm
5 Complete protection, (limited ingress permitted) Dust protected; dust deposits are permitted, but their
volume must not affect the function of the unit.
6 Complete protection Dust-proof
 

 

SECOND INDEX - WATER PROTECTION, LIQUIDS

 

Index Protection Against Water Protection From Condition
0 No special protection No special protection
1 Water dripping/falling vertically Condensation/Light rain
2 Water sprayed at an angle (up to 15º degrees from the vertical) Light rain with wind
3 Spray water (any direction up to 60º degrees from the vertical) Heavy rainstorm
4 Spray water from all directions, (limited ingress permitted) Splashing
5 Low pressure water jets from all directions, (limited ingress permitted) Hose down, residential
6 High pressure jets from all directions, (limited ingress permitted) Hose down, commercial. eg. Ship decks
7 Temporary immersion, 15 cm to 1m Immersion in tank
8 Permanent Immersion, under pressure For use on a watertight application, such as the Titanic recovery vehicle
 

 

THIRD INDEX - IMPACT PROTECTION, IMPACT

 

Index Protection Against Impact Equivalent Mass Impact
0 No special protection No special protection
1 Protected against 0.225J impact eg. .33 pounds/150g weight falling from 5.9 inches/15cm height
2 Protected against 0.375J impact eg. .55 pounds/250g weight falling from 5.9 inches/15cm height
3 Protected against 0.5J impact eg. .55 pounds/250g weight falling from 7.87 inches/20cm height
4 Protected against 2.0J impact eg. 1.1 pounds/500g weight falling from 15.7 inches/40cm height
5 Protected against 6.0J impact eg. 1.35 pounds/0.61183kg weight falling from 3.28 feet/1m height
6 Protected against 20.0J impact eg. 4.5 pounds/2.0394kg weight falling from 3.28/1m height

 

Here are some examples below of common objects and the ingress protection for each item:

 

EXAMPLES

 

Umbrella IP-01 or IP-02 Depending on Umbrella
Chain link fence IP-10
Chicken wire IP-20
Screen IP-30
Kevlar cloth IP-40
Tent (camping) IP-42
Saran wrap IP-51
Bottle of wine IP-67
Submarine IP-68

 

Visit the IEC website for the most updated version of the standard.


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