An IP rating is shorthand for an Ingress Protection mark, sometimes referred to synonymously as an International (or Internal) Protection mark. An IP rating is usually a two-digit grading system that’s applied to the enclosure of a mechanical or electrical item, giving customers a clear indication of the item’s resistance to various types of unwanted intrusion.
‘Intrusion’ in the context of an IP rating has a threefold definition: IP codes signify the level of protection to users (hands, fingers etc) from mechanical or electrical parts; the degree of protection an enclosure offers those key components against dust, dirt and other damaging foreign bodies; and its overall resistance to moisture.
While you might encounter slight differences in IP ratings depending on where in the world you’re buying from, they are standardised in most regions: in the UK, IP codes are assigned in accordance with British standard BS EN 60529:1992. In Europe, they fall in line with IEC standard 60509:1989, and internationally they conform to EN 60529 certification.
What does an IP rating measure?
As noted briefly above, IP rating denotes three key metrics:
-Resistance to ingress, accidental or otherwise, by the user
-Resistance to ingress from foreign bodies (dust, dirt etc)
-Resistance to moisture ingress
In general, an IP rating will consist of two digits, occasionally followed by a letter denoting specific materials, hazards or testing scenarios. The most common way you’ll see such a rating given will be in the format ‘IP43’, ‘IP67’, or similar.
The first digit will be a number between 0-6, and indicates the degree of protection from ingress of solid objects (the user themselves, and other potentially harmful particulates such as dust or dirt).
The second digit in an IP rating will be a number between 0-9, denoting the quality of resistance to moisture ingress at varying intensities, angles, depths and pressures of exposure or immersion.
In some cases, an additional letter may be appended to the end of an IP rating, e.g. ‘IP67M’. This is done to indicate either certified resistance to specific materials/hazards, such as oil or high voltages, or a particular scenario in which the IP testing was conducted (for example in moving water). This is relatively unusual in most day-to-day applications, however. For more information on any additional letters you see appended to an IP code。
In the following sections, we’ll explore the specifics of what each of the numbers in these codes means in practical terms.
IP ratings chart and table
The IP ratings table below tells you what each digit in a standard IP code means. You can use this ingress protection chart to get a clear picture of the specific hazards and scenarios a given item’s mechanical or electrical components should be protected against, and to what extent in what sort of environments.
First digit - protection from foreign body and particulate ingress:
Second digit - protection from moisture ingress:
