The IP Code, International Protection Marking, IEC standard 60529, sometimes interpreted
as Ingress Protection Marking, classifies and rates the degree of protection provided
against the intrusion, dust, accidental contact, and water by mechanical casings and electrical
enclosures. It is published by the International Electrotechnical Commission.
The standard aims to provide users more detailed information than vague marketing terms such
as waterproof. The digits indicate conformity with the conditions summarized in the tables
below. Where there is no protection rating with regard to one of the criteria, the digit
is replaced with the letter X. For example, an electrical socket rated IP22
is protected against insertion of fingers and will not be damaged or become unsafe during
a specified test in which it is exposed to vertically or nearly vertically dripping water.
Another example is the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, one of the first cellular phones to be IP-rated;
it is rated at IP58 and marketed as "dust resistant" and can be "immersed in 1.5 meters
of freshwater for up to 30 minutes". Other examples include the Samsung Galaxy S5 and
the Fluke 27 II & 28 II Digital Multimeters, rated at IP67, also with a high degree of
resistance to dust and water. IP22 or 2X are typical minimum requirements for the design
of electrical accessories for indoor use.
Code breakdown Solid particle protection
The first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access
to hazardous parts and the ingress of solid foreign objects.
Liquid ingress protection The second digit indicates the level of protection
that the enclosure provides against harmful ingress of water.
Additional letters The standard defines additional letters that
can be appended to classify only the level of protection against access to hazardous
parts by persons: Further letters can be appended to provide
additional information related to the protection of the device:
Mechanical impact resistance An additional number has sometimes been used
to specify the resistance of equipment to mechanical impact. This mechanical impact
is identified by the energy needed to qualify a specified resistance level, which is measured
in joules. This has now been superseded by the separate 'IK code' specified in EN 62262.
Although dropped from the 3rd edition of IEC 60529 onwards, and not present in the EN version,
older enclosure specifications will sometimes be seen with an optional third IP digit denoting
impact resistance. Newer products are likely to be given an IK rating instead. However
there is not an exact correspondence of values between the old and new standards.
IPXX Codings The letter X is used in any place in the code
where specifying a digit is meant to be avoided. There may be various reasons for choosing
this coding variant, such as marketing considerations. Thus, e.g., an IPX7 rating for a consumer
device specifies that the device has water protection up to limited immersion, but deliberately
gives no information as to whether the device has any protection against mechanical ingress
or dust. In the case of an IPX7 rating, however, a considerable level of protection against
the ingress of solids can be assumed, as where a liquid ingress protection rating equals
7, the rating of the protection against solids is rarely below 6, e.g., IP67. Among other
common IP ratings using the letter X are IPX4. IP2X is frequently used on electrical items
to specify that the item must prevent finger access to live terminals, i.e., electrical
sockets are IP2X. IP69K
German standard DIN 40050-9 extends the IEC 60529 rating system described above with an
IP69K rating for high-pressure, high-temperature wash-down applications. Such enclosures must
not only be dust-tight, but it must also be able to withstand high-pressure and steam
cleaning. The test specifies a spray nozzle that is
fed with 80°C water at 8–10 MPa and a flow rate of 14–16 L/min. The nozzle is
held 10–15 cm from the tested device at angles of 0°, 30°, 60° and 90° for 30 seconds
each. The test device sits on a turntable that rotates once every 12 seconds.
The IP69K test specification was initially developed for road vehicles, especially those
that need regular intensive cleaning, but it also finds use in other areas.
NEMA rating North American enclosure rating systems are
defined in NEMA 250, UL 50, UL 508, and CSA C22.2 N°. 94.
See also ISO 20653
EN 62262 – IK code on resistance to mechanical impacts
MIL-STD-810 National Electrical Manufacturers Association
U.S. Military connector specifications for military equivalents
Water Resistant mark on wrist watches and eye bands
References
External links USA IP ratings
Australian IP ratings NEMA vs IP Rating
IP Rating information IP Rating Illustrated Chart
IP Ratings Explained Rugged Electronic Devices and Measurement
of Ruggedness: A guide to deciphering ruggedness claims in cell phones, Smart Phones, PDAs
&c, Airo Wireless . A demonstration of an IP test being carried
out, YouTube .