What is an IP Rating?
Ingress of dust and moisture can lead to degradation or malfunction of electrical and electronic equipment. The Ingress Protection (IP) rating, developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC 60529), defines the degree of protection provided by enclosures against the intrusion of dust and liquids. Today, IP ratings are widely adopted across industries to ensure product durability and reliability in various environmental conditions.
The IEC 60529 standard establishes a classification system to define the degree of protection provided by enclosures of electrical and electronic equipment. It specifies the enclosure’s resistance to the ingress of dust and water, as well as the level of protection against accidental contact with harmful internal components
This standard, issued by IEC Technical Committee 70, assigns IP ratings to indicate the level of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment with a maximum rated voltage of 72.5 kV. It further details the testing protocols to validate that the enclosure adheres to the defined protection standards.
What do the first and second digits of an IP rating mean?
An IP rating (Ingress Protection rating) is a two-digit code that classifies the degree of protection an enclosure offers against solids (like dust) and liquids (like water). It’s defined by the IEC 60529 standard.
The first digit (0–6) shows protection against solid particles, such as fingers, tools, or dust.
The second digit (0–9) shows protection against water, from light splashes to high-pressure jets or submersion.
If a number is replaced with “X”, it means there is no rating for that type of protection.
Examples:
IP5X = Protected against most dust (but not fully sealed), no water rating.
IPX7 = No dust rating, but safe for temporary immersion in water.
optional letters such as K, H, M, S, or F may follow to specify details like mechanical protection, oil resistance, or specific environmental testing.
What does the first digit of the IP rating mean?
The first digit of the IP rating indicates the level of the enclosure’s protection against the ingress from blocking solid foreign bodies such as dust, tools or fingers that could be hazardous if were to come into contact with electrical components, parts or circuitry within the enclosure.
| Level | Effective against | Description |
|---|---|---|
| X | — | X means there is no data available to specify a protection rating with regard to this criterion. |
| 0 | — | No protection against contact and ingress of objects. |
| 1 | > 50 mm (2.0 in) | 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 (0.49 in) | Fingers or similar objects. |
| 3 | > 2.5 mm (0.098 in) | Tools, thick wires, etc. |
| 4 | > 1 mm (0.039 in) | 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 airflow. |
What does the second digit of the IP rating mean?
The second digit of the IP rating indicates the level of the enclosure’s protection from blocking internal components against various forms of moisture (sprays, drips or submersion etc).
| Level | Protection against | Effective against | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| X | — | — | X means there is no data available to specify a protection rating with regard to these criteria. |
| 0 | None | — | No protection against ingress of water. |
| 1 | Dripping water | Vertically falling drops | Shall have no harmful effect on the specimen when mounted upright and rotated at 1 RPM. Test duration: 10 minutes. Water: Equivalent to 1 mm/min rainfall. |
| 2 | Dripping water when tilted at 15° | Dripping water on tilted enclosure | Shall have no harmful effect when tilted 15° from normal in 4 positions. Test duration: 2.5 min each tilt (10 min total). Water: Equivalent to 3 mm/min rainfall. |
| 3 | Spraying water | Spray up to 60° from vertical | Protected against spray using oscillating fixture or spray nozzle. Oscillating tube: 10 min, 0.07 l/min per hole. Spray nozzle: 5+ min, 10 l/min at 50–150 kPa. |
| 4 | Splashing water | From any direction | Protected against splashing water. Oscillating tube: 10 min. Spray nozzle: 5+ min, same as IPX3 without shield. |
| 5 | Water jets | Nozzle 6.3 mm | Test duration: 1 min/m² (min. 3 min). Water: 12.5 l/min at 30 kPa from 3 m. |
| 6 | Powerful water jets | Nozzle 12.5 mm | Test duration: 1 min/m² (min. 3 min). Water: 100 l/min at 100 kPa from 3 m. |
| 6K | High pressure water jets | Nozzle 6.3 mm (DIN 40050) | Test duration: 3+ min. Water: 75 l/min at 1,000 kPa from 3 m. |
| 7 | Immersion up to 1 m | Temporary immersion | Test duration: 30 min. Lowest point 1,000 mm below water or highest point 150 mm below surface. |
| 8 | Immersion 1 m or more | Continuous immersion | Depth/duration set by manufacturer, typically up to 3 m. May include thermal cycling. |
| 9K | High-temp water jets | Close-range high pressure, hot spray | Test duration: 2–3 min depending on method. Water: 14–16 l/min at 8–10 MPa from 0.1–0.2 m. Temp: 80 °C. |
What does the third digit of the IP rating mean?
Sometimes on IP Ratings, there might be a letter at the end of the code IPXX. This is the supplementary letter and it is used to denote supplementary information from the product standard.
Ingress Protection (IP) ratings Chart
The IEC publishes a table of IP certification ratings as a universal standard for worldwide use by manufacturers and consumers.
IP |
PROTECTION FROM SOLIDS (1ˢᵗ Digit) |
PROTECTION FROM LIQUIDS (2ˢᵗ Digit) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | No protection | No protection |
| 1 | Protection against solid objects over 50 mm | Protection against vertically falling water drops |
| 2 | Protection against objects over 12.5 mm | Protection against dripping water when tilted up to 15° |
| 3 | Protection against objects over 2.5 mm | Protection against spraying water (up to 60° from vertical) |
| 4 | Protection against objects over 1 mm | Protection against water splashing from any direction |
| 5 | Dust protected (limited ingress permitted; no harmful deposits) | Protection against water jets from any direction |
| 6 | Dust tight (complete protection against dust) | Protection against powerful water jets |
| 7 | n/a | Protection against the effects of temporary immersion in water |
| 8 | n/a | Protection against the effects of continuous immersion in water |
| 9 | n/a | Protection against high pressure and temperature water jets |
IP Rating Reference Chart
| IP Rating | First Digit (SOLIDS) | Second Digit (LIQUIDS) |
|---|---|---|
| What is IP00 rating? | Not protected | Not protected from liquids |
| What is IP01 rating? | Not protected | Protected from condensation |
| What is IP02 rating? | Not protected | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP03 rating? | Not protected | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP04 rating? | Not protected | Protected from water spray from any direction |
| What is IP05 rating? | Not protected | Protected from low-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP06 rating? | Not protected | Protected from high-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP07 rating? | Not protected | Protected from immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 metre in depth |
| What is IP07 rating? | Not protected | Protected from immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 metre in depth |
| What is IP08 rating? | Not protected | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure |
| What is IP10 rating? | Protected from touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres | Not protected |
| What is IP11 rating? | Protected from touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres | Protected from condensation |
| What is IP12 rating? | Protected from touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP13 rating? | Protected from touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP14 rating? | Protected from touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres | Protected from water spray from any direction |
| What is IP15 rating? | Protected from touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres | Protected from low-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP16 rating? | Protected from touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres | Protected from high-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP17 rating? | Protected from touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres | Protected from immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 metre in depth |
| What is IP18 rating? | Protected from touch by hands greater than 50 millimetres | Protected from water spray from any direction |
| What is IP20 rating? | Protected from touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres | Not protected |
| What is IP21 rating? | Protected from touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres | Protected from condensation |
| What is IP22 rating? | Protected from touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP23 rating? | Protected from touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP24 rating? | Protected from touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres | Protected from water spray from any direction |
| What is IP25 rating? | Protected from touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres | Protected from low-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP26 rating? | Protected from touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres | Protected from high-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP27 rating? | Protected from touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres | Protected from immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 metre in depth |
| What is IP28 rating? | Protected from touch by fingers and objects greater than 12 millimetres | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure |
| What is IP30 rating? | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres | Not protected |
| What is IP31 rating? | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres | Protected from condensation |
| What is IP32 rating? | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP33 rating? | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP34 rating? | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres | Protected from water spray from any direction |
| What is IP35 rating? | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres | Protected from low-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP36 rating? | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres | Protected from high-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP37 rating? | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres | Protected from immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 metre in depth |
| What is IP38 rating? | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimetres | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure |
| What is IP40 rating? | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre | Not protected |
| What is IP41 rating? | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre | Protected from condensation |
| What is IP42 rating? | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP43 rating? | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP44 rating? | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre | Protected from water spray from any direction |
| What is IP45 rating? | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre | Protected from low-pressure water jets in any direction |
| What is IP46 rating? | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre | Protected from high-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP47 rating? | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre | Protected from immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 metre in depth |
| What is IP48 rating? | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimetre | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure |
| What is IP50 rating? | Protected from limited dust ingress | Not protected |
| What is IP51 rating? | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from condensation |
| What is IP52 rating? | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP53 rating? | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP54 rating? | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from water spray from any direction |
| What is IP55 rating? | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from low-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP56 rating? | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from high-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP57 rating? | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 metre in depth |
| What is IP58 rating? | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure |
| What is IP60 rating? | Protected from total dust ingress | Not protected |
| What is IP61 rating? | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from condensation |
| What is IP62 rating? | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP63 rating? | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical |
| What is IP64 rating? | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from water spray from any direction |
| What is IP65 rating? | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from low-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP66 rating? | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from high-pressure water jets from any direction |
| What is IP67 rating? | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from immersion between 15 centimetres and 1 metre in depth |
| What is IP68 rating? | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure |
| What is IP69K rating? | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from steam-jet cleaning |
Why Are IP Ratings Important?
Safety: Ensures devices are safe to use in specific environments.
Durability: Provides assurance of longevity when exposed to dust, rain, or water.
Suitability: Helps consumers choose the right product for indoor, outdoor, industrial, or marine use.