IP Rating for Electrical 

Enclosure
MAY 26, 2014 7 COMMENTS

IP rating:
  IP letters stand for “International Protection” rating or “Ingress Protection” rating. IP ratings are defined
in international standard (British BS EN 60529, IEC 60509).
 It is used to explain levels of sealing effectiveness of electrical enclosures against foreign bodies (tools,
dirt etc) and moisture.
 
Meaning of IP Rating:
 The IP rating code is a two-digit (or optionally three-digit) designator to standardize the rating of
protection level against intrusion of solids and liquids into mechanical and electrical enclosures. An
enclosure can be a piece of equipment, an assembly unit, a cable or simply a connector.
 The numbers of IP of each have a specific meaning.
 First Number: The first Number indicates the degree of protection from moving parts, as well as the
protection of enclosed equipment from foreign bodies.
 Second Number: The second Number indicates the protection level that the enclosure enjoys from
various forms of moisture (drips, sprays, submersion etc).
 Third Number: The third digit in the designator is not part of the official IEC standard and is sometimes
included (but more often omitted) to reference additional protections.
Abbreviation of IP Rating:
 
                                                                IP Rating Digits

IP First Digit Second Digit Third Digit (Optional)

Rating Solid Objects Protection Liquids Protection Mechanical impacts
0 No special protection No protection. No protection.
Protected against solid objects
Protection against Protects against impact of
greater than 50mm in diameter
1 vertically falling drops of 0.225 joule (150 g weight
( such as large part of the body
water e.g. condensation. falling from 15 cm height)
like hand)
Protected against impact
Protected against solid objects Protection against direct
of 0.375 joule (250 g
2 over 12 mm in diameter sprays of water up to
weight falling from 15 cm
(person’s fingers) 15° from the vertical.
height)
Protected against solid objects Protected against impact
Protected against direct
not greater than 80mm in length of 0.500 joule (250 g
3 sprays of water up to
and 12mm in diameter (tools and weight falling from 20 cm
60° from the vertical.
wires). height)
Protected against solid objects Protection against water Protected against impact
4 larger than 1 mm diameter sprayed from all directions of 2.0 joule (500 g weight
(tools, wires, and small wires). (limited ingress permitted). falling from 40 cm height)
Protected against low
Protected against impact
Protected against dust limited pressure jets of water
5 of 6.0 joule (1.5 kg weight
ingress (no harmful deposit). from all directions (limited
falling from 40 cm height)
ingress).
6 Totally dust tight. Protected against Protected against impact
temporary flooding of of 20.0 joule (5 kg weight
water, e.g. for use on ship falling from 40 cm height)
 decks (limited ingress
permitted).
Protected against the
7 N/A effect of immersion N/A
between 15 cm and 1 m.
Protects against long
8 N/A periods of immersion N/A
under pressure.
 
Example:
 IP65 Enclosure: IP rated as protection against dust (6) and protection from low water pressure (5). 
 IP66 Enclosure – IP rated as protection against dust (6) and protected against heavy seas or powerful
jets of water (6)