Brief explanation of what the digits in the IP rating mean

What is an IP rating?

IP (or "Ingress Protection") ratings are defined in the international standard EN 60529 (British BS EN 60529:1992, European IEC 60509:1989). They are used to define levels of sealing effectiveness of electronic equipment against the intrusion of foreign bodies (tools, dirt, etc.) and humidity.

IP means, which correspond to the English words "Ingress Protection". This degree of protection is regulated under the international standard IEC 60529, which is used in most countries in the world. It is mandatory that the products have the IP protection degree indicated, in this way we will know if a spotlight, a lamp or a hood are suitable for installation in a certain environment.

There is a third digit that corresponds to the IP Protection Degree against impacts, but its use is limited to some countries such as France. This data is regulated under the UTE C20 010 standard, and shows on a scale from 1 to 9, the different forces, masses and distances with which a product can be impacted.

What do the numbers mean in an IP rating?

The numbers that follow IP have a specific meaning. The first indicates the degree of protection of moving parts, as well as the protection of closed equipment against foreign bodies. The second defines the level of protection that the enclosure enjoys from various forms of humidity (drips, aerosols, immersion, etc.).

First digit (intrusion protection)

Normally in all automatic identification equipment we find an IP65 to IP68 rating. Therefore the first digit (6) is common to most teams and means the maximum degree since this scale goes from 1 to 6.

Below 6 will depend on whether you have protection against solid objects of different diameters from 80mm to 1mm.

The number 6 in IP means totally dust tight. Total protection against dust and other particles, tested against continuous airflow.

Second digit (protection against moisture)

No. 0 or X : No protection.

• No. 1 : Protection against vertically falling drops, such as condensation. ensuring that no damage or disrupted function of components will be incurred when an item is in an upright position.
• No. 2 : Protection against drops of water deflected up to 15 ° from the vertical
• No. 3 : Protected against spraying up to 60° from the vertical.
• No. 4 : Protected against splashing water from all directions. Tested for a minimum of 10 minutes with a spray.
• No. 5 : Protection against low pressure jets (6.3 mm) of water directed from any angle.
• No. 6 : Protection against direct high pressure jets.
• No. 7 : Protection against total immersion for up to 30 minutes at depths between 15 cm and 1 meter.
• No. 8 : Protection against prolonged immersion under higher pressure (ie greater depths).
• No. 9 : Protection against high pressure and high temperature jet sprays, wash downs or steam cleaning procedures.
• Protection range of equipment such as scanners, readers, terminals and handheld computers:

IP65: Dust-tight equipment and protected against projected water.

IP66: Dust-tight equipment and protected against powerful water jets.

IP 67 : Dust tight equipment and protected against immersion. for 30 minutes at depths 150 mm - 1000 mm.

IP 68 : Dust tight equipment and protected against complete and continuous immersion in water.

Click here to find how IP rating and washdown construction is used in the packaging machinery industry.

Zixin Yuan - Digital Marketing Coordinator at ÉLITER Packaging Machinery Website: https://www.eliter-packaging.com