Ingress Protection (IP) and what it means
Informational content provided by Jamie at ImmersionHeaters.uk.
The IP Code (or International Protection Rating, sometimes also interpreted as Ingress Protection Rating) consists of the letters IP followed by two digits and an optional letter. As defined in international standard IEC 60529, it classifies the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water in electrical enclosures. The standard aims to provide users more detailed information than vague marketing terms such as waterproof.
The digits (usually numerals) indicate conformity with the conditions summarized in the tables below. 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. IP22 or 2X are typical minimum requirements for the design of electrical accessories for indoor use.
First Digit: Solids
The first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts (e.g., electrical conductors, moving parts) and the ingress of solid foreign objects.
- 0 – No special protection.
- 1 – Protection from a large part of the body such as a hand (but no protection from deliberate access); from solid objects greater than 50mm in diameter.
- 2 – Protection against fingers or other object not greater than 80mm in length and 12mm in diameter.
- 3 – Protection from entry by tools, wires, etc., with a diameter of thickness greater than 1.0mm.
- 4 – Protection from entry by solid objects with a diameter or thickness greater than 1.0mm
- 5 – Protection from the amount of dust that would interfere with the operation of the equipment.
- 6 – Dust tight.
Degrees of Protection – Second Digit
The second digit indicates the degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against the harmful entry of various forms of moisture (e.g. dripping, spraying, submersion, etc.)
- 0 – No special protection.
- 1 – Protection from dripping water.
- 2 – Protection from vertically dripping water.
- 3 – Protection from sprayed water.
- 4 – Protection from splashed water.
- 5 – Protection from water projected from a nozzle.
- 6 – Protection against heavy seas, or powerful jets of water.
- 7 – Protection against immersion.
- 8 – Protection against complete, continuous submersion in water.