IP Ratings Leave a comment
IP (Ingress Protection) ratings are defined by IEC60529 published by the International Electrotechnical Commission. They are expressed by the letters “IP” followed by two digits, as follows:
| 1st DIGIT Protection from solid objects or materials | 2nd DIGIT Protection from liquids | ||
| 0 | No protection | 0 | No protection |
| 1 | Protected against solid objects over 50mm e.g. accidental touch by hands | 1 | Protection against vertically falling drops of water |
| 2 | Protected against solid objects over 12mm e.g. fingers | 2 | Protection against direct sprays of water up to 15° from the vertical |
| 3 | Protected against solid objects over 2.5mm e.g. tools, wire | 3 | Protection against direct sprays of water up to 65° from the vertical |
| 4 | Protected against solid objects over 1mm e.g. small tools, thin wire | 4 | Protection against water sprayed from all directions. Limited ingress permitted |
| 5 | Protected against dust, allowing limited ingress (but there must be no harmful deposit) | 5 | Protection against low pressure jets of water from all directions. Limited ingress permitted |
| 6 | Totally protected against dust | 6 | Protection against powerful jets of water from all directions. Limited ingress permitted |
| 7 | Protection against the effect of immersion up to 1m for short periods | ||
| 8 | Protection against long periods of immersion under pressure |
