This article summerizes a combination of IEC 60529, EN 60529, ISO 20653 and others. Each digit or part of the IP code represents:
| IPXx | 1st characteristic | Solid particle protection | |
| IPxX | 2nd characteristic | Liquid ingress protection |
1st digit
Solid particle protection
IP0x
No Protection
IP1x
>50.0mm
Protected against objects greater than 50mm diameter
IP2x
>12.5mm
Protected against objects greater than 12.5mm diameter
IP3x
>2.5mm
Protected against objects greater than 2.5mm diameter
IP4x
>1.0mm
Protected against objects greater than 1.0mm diameter
IP5x
Dust protected
Ingress of dust is not totally prevented but dust does not enter in harmful quantities to interfere with the correct operation or impair safety
IP6x
Dust tight
No ingress of dust permitted
IPx0
No Protection
IPx1
Volume: Ø1mm rainfall
Vertically falling waterdrops
Duration: 10 minutes
IPx2
Volume: to 3mm rainfall per minute
Vertically falling waterdrop, tilted 15°.
Duration: 2,5 minutes for every direction of tilt (10min. total)
IPx3
Volume: 10 liter per minute
Sprays at any angle up to 60°.
Duration: 1 minute met m³ for 5 minutes
IPx4
Volume: 10 liter per minute
Water splashed from all directions.
10 minutes, oscillating tube
IPx5
Volume: 12,5 liter per minute (30kPa)
A 6.3mm nozzle from any direction.
IPx6
Volume: 100 liter per minute (100kPa)
No ingress of water permitted
IPx7
30 minutes
Temporary submersible at minimal 15cm up to 1 meter depth for at east 30 minutes.
IPx8
To be agreed with manufacturer
Immersion, 1 meter depth or more, specified by manufacturer.
IPx9
80°C - 14-16 liter per minute
(8-10MPa - 80-100 bar)
High temperature, high pressure water and steam.
Curiously, IPx7 and IPx8 do not “stack” with lower ratings. So a product that’s IPX7 or IPX8 rated can live underwater for a while but might still get damaged by a spray of water from the side and vice versa. If a product can survive both scenarios, it gets a dual rating – e.g. IPx6/IPx8.
IK Rating or “Impact Protection” (the K is from ‘Kinetic’ to differentiate from IP rating) are an international numeric classification to indicate the degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against external mechanical impacts. It provides a means of specifying the capacity of an enclosure to protect its contents from external impacts in accordance with IEC 62262:2002 and IEC 60068-2-75:1997.
IK00
No Protection
IK01
0,14 joules
Protected against 0.14 joules of impact (the equivalent to the impact of a 0.25kg mass dropped from 56mm above the impacted surface)
IK02
0,2 joules
Protected against objects greater than 12.5mm diameter
IK03
0,35 joules
Protected against objects greater than 2.5mm diameter
IK04
0,5 joules
the equivalent to the impact of a 0.25kg mass dropped from 200mm above the impacted surface)
IK05
0,5 joules
the equivalent to the impact of a 0.25kg mass dropped from 200mm above the impacted surface)IK05
IK06
1 joules
equivalent to the impact of a 0.25kg mass dropped from 400mm above the impacted surface
IK07
2 joules
equivalent to the impact of a 0.5kg mass dropped from 400mm above the impacted surface
IK08
5 joules
equivalent to the impact of a 1.7kg mass dropped from 300mm above the impacted surface
IK09
10 joules
equivalent to the impact of a 5kg mass dropped from 200mm above the impacted surface
IK10
20 joules
equivalent to the impact of a 5kg mass dropped from 400mm above the impacted surface