IP Enclosure Ratings & Standards Explained
Posted by Two Way Direct on 29th Jan 2019
IP rating is also known as Ingress Protection or International Protection ratings which are defined to the international standard of EN 60529 (British BS EN 60529:1992, European IEC 60509:1989). These standards are used to define the levels of sealing effectiveness of electrical enclosures against intrusion from foreign bodies such as dirt and water.
The rating consists of the letters IP followed by 2 digits, the first digit stands for the level of protection that the enclosure provides against solid bodies, the second digit describes the degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against water.
IP65 = First Digit - SOLIDS
IP65 = Second Digit - LIQUIDS
Below is an easy to follow chart to help you decide which IP rating / IP Codes you may require for your electrical enclosure.
IP Rating Reference Chart
| IP Rating | First Digit - SOLIDS | Second Digit - LIQUIDS |
| IP54 | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from water spray from any direction, limited ingress protection |
| IP55 | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from low pressure water jets from any direction, limited ingress protection |
| IP56 | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from high pressure water jets from any direction, limited ingress protection |
| IP57 | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth, limited ingress protection |
| IP58 | Protected from limited dust ingress | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure, limited ingress protection |
| IP60 | Protected from total dust ingress | Not protected from liquids, limited ingress protection |
| IP61 | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from condensation, limited ingress protection |
| IP62 | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical, limited ingress protection |
| IP63 | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical, limited ingress protection |
| IP64 | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from water spray from any direction, limited ingress protection |
| IP65 | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from low pressure water jets from any direction, limited ingress protection |
| IP66 | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from high pressure water jets from any direction, limited ingress protection |
| IP67 | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth, limited ingress protection |
| IP68 | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure, limited ingress protection |
| IP69K | Protected from total dust ingress | Protected from steam-jet cleaning, limited ingress protection |
