In some cases, an additional letter may be appended to the end of an IP rating, e.g. 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. 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 most common way you’ll see such a rating given will be in the format ‘IP43’, ‘IP67’, or similar. In general, an IP rating will consist of two digits, occasionally followed by a letter denoting specific materials, hazards or testing scenarios. Resistance to ingress from foreign bodies (dust, dirt etc).Resistance to ingress, accidental or otherwise, by the user.What does an IP rating measure?Īs noted briefly above, IP rating denotes three key metrics: Unlike more vague marketing terms such as ‘waterproof’ - which don’t necessarily give a clear definition of precisely where and to what extent an item can resist moisture ingress - an IP rating is designed to provide a far more specific account.Īs we’ll see further on in this guide, each of the digits in an IP rating reveals detailed information about the exact level of protection/resistance the item in question can be expected to deliver. The reason for having a universal IP rating system is so that buyers and users can be confident of how safe it is to use certain electrical or mechanical goods in specific environments and applications.
In Europe, they fall in line with IEC standard 60509:1989, and internationally they conform to EN 60529 certification. 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. ‘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. 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. An IP rating is shorthand for an Ingress Protection mark, sometimes referred to synonymously as an International (or Internal) Protection mark.
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