IP Code

By - Davender Singh

The IP Code defined ininternational standard IEC 60529

classifies the level of protection that electrical appliances
provide against the intrusion of solid objects or dust,
accidental contact, and water. It consists of the letters IP
(for "International Protection rating" sometimes also
interpreted as "Ingress Protection rating") followed by two
digits and an optional letter.
The digits ('characteristic numerals') indicate conformity
with the conditions summarized in the tables below. Where
there is no protection rating with regard to one of the
criteria, the digit is replaced with the letter X.
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 IP2X
are typical minimum requirements for the design of electrical
accessories for in-door use. The standard aims to provide
users more detailed information than vague marketing terms
such as "waterproof"& “Dustproof”

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First digit
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.

Object size
Level Effective against
protected against

0 — No protection against contact and ingress of objects

Any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no
1 >50 mm
protection against deliberate contact with a body part

2 >12.5 mm Fingers or similar objects

3 >2.5 mm Tools, thick wires, etc.

4 >1 mm Most wires, screws, etc.

Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in

5 Dust protected sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of
the equipment; complete protection against contact

6 Dust tight No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact

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Second digit
Protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water.

Protected
Level Details
against
Not
0 —
protected
Dripping
1 Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect.
water
Dripping
water when Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the
2
tilted up to enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15° from its normal position.
15°
Spraying Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall
3
water have no harmful effect.
Splashing Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no
4
water harmful effect.
Water projected by a nozzle against enclosure from any direction shall
5 Water jets
have no harmful effects.
Powerful Water projected in powerful jets against the enclosure from any
6
water jets direction shall have no harmful effects.
Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the
Immersion up
7 enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and
to 1 m
time (up to 1 m of submersion).
The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under
conditions, which shall be specified by the manufacturer.
Immersion NOTE: Normally, this will mean that the equipment is hermetically
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beyond 1 m sealed. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that
water can enter but only in such a manner that produces no harmful
effects.

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Additional letters
The standard defines additional letters that can be appended to classify only the level of
protection against access to hazardous parts by persons:
Level Protected against access to hazardous parts with
A Protected against access with The Back of hand
B Protected against access with Finger
C Protected against access with Tool
D Protected against access with Wire
Further letters can be appended to provide additional information related to the protection
of the device:
Letter Meaning
H High voltage device
M Device moving during water test
S Device standing still during water test
W Weather conditions

IP69K
German standard DIN 40050-9 extends the IEC 60529 rating system described above with
an IP69K rating for high-pressure, high-temperature wash-down applications. Such
enclosures must not only be dust tight (IP6X), but also able to withstand high-pressure and
steam cleaning. The test specifies a spray nozzle that is fed with 80 °C water at 8–
10MPa(80–100 bar) and a flow rate of 14–16 L/min. The nozzle is held 10–15 cm from the
tested device at angles of 0°, 30°, 60° and 90° for 30 s each. The test device sits on a
turntable that rotates once every 12 s (5 rpm).
The IP69K test specification was initially developed for road vehicles, especially those that
need regular intensive cleaning (dump trucks, cement mixers, etc), but also finds use in other
areas (e.g., food industry).

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