ENCLOSURE PROTECTION RATINGS

UL and NEMA Enclosure Ratings

National Electrical Manufacturer's Association (NEMA) standard #250 designates the degree of
protection provided by electrical enclosures, and UL has a similar designation. The G-Series
Heavy-Duty Foot Switches are certified to NEMA Enclosure Types 2, 4, and 13. The following
NEMA definitions describe these enclosure ratings. See also the following links: NEMA
Enclosure Types or UL Environmental ratings for enclosures.

Definitions (from NEMA 250-2003):

In Non-Hazardous Locations, the specific enclosure Types, their applications, and the
environmental conditions they are designed to protect against, when completely and properly
installed, are as follows:

Type 1 - Enclosures constructed for indoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel
against access to hazardous parts and to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside
the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects (falling dirt).

Type 2 - Enclosures constructed for indoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel
against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment, to provide a degree of protection against
falling dirt, and to provide a degree of protection against dripping and light splashing of non-
corrosive liquids.

Type 4 - Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection
to personnel against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment; to provide a degree of
protection against falling dirt, rain, sleet, snow, windblown dust, splashing water, and hose-
directed water; and that will be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure.

Type 13 - Enclosures constructed for indoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel
against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment; to provide a degree of protection against
falling dirt; against circulating dust, lint, fibers, and flyings; and against the spraying, splashing,
and seepage of water, oil, and non-corrosive coolants.

IEC 60529 - Degree of Protection Provided by Enclosures (IP Ratings)

The ability of an enclosure to protect a device from outside elements (such as rain, or to keep
fingers away from electrical circuits) is often specified by "IP" ratings (standing for "ingress
protection"), which are specified by European Standard IEC 60529. This European standard is
often used or referenced in the United States when evaluating enclosures.

Naturally, higher degrees of protection can increase the cost of a product, and should be applied
only when necessary to ensure safe and functional operation of the product in the environmental
conditions and application in which it will be used. Refer to the appropriate sections of IEC 60529
for complete information on the standard. The following is a brief summary of the IP rating
system.

The first digit of the IP designation describes the degree of protection against access to
hazardous parts.

The second digit designates the degree of protection against water.

The third digit describes the degree of protection against mechanical impact, and is often not
specified.

Example: A rating of IP-21 indicates that the enclosure offers protection from objects greater
than 12-mm in diameter, such as a typical person's finger or a metal rod (indicated by the first
digit being "2"), and protection from water dripping vertically onto the unit without the unit
becoming electrically unstable or unsafe through shorting or other loss of insulation effectiveness
(indicated by the second digit being "1"). The third digit is often not specified.

1st Protection against 2nd Protection against water 3rd Protection against
foreign objects mechanical impacts

0 Not protected 0 Not protected 0 Not protected

Protected against objects Protected against water

1 greater than 50 mm 1 dripping vertically onto the 1 Impact 0.225 joule
diameter unit

Protected against objects Protected against dripping

2 greater than 12 mm 2 water when tilted up to 15 2 Impact 0.375 joule
diameter degrees

Protected against objects

Protected against spraying
3 greater than 2.5 mm 3 3 Impact 0.60 joule
water
diameter

Protected against objects

Protected against
4 greater than 1.0 mm 4 n/a -----
splashing water
diameter

Protected against water

5 Dust protected 5 5 Impact 2.00 joule
jets

Protected against heavy

6 Dust tight 6 n/a -----
seas

Protection against the

n/a ----- 7 7 Impact 6.00 joule
effects of immersion

Protection against
n/a ----- 8 n/a -----
submersion

n/a ----- n/a ----- 9 Impact 20.00 joule