IP Code
IP Code
IP Code
The IP Code, Ingress Protection Rating,[1] [2] sometimes also interpreted as International Protection Rating,[3] classifies and rates the degree of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water in mechanical casings and with electrical enclosures.[4] The standard aims to provide users more detailed information than vague marketing terms such as waterproof. However, no edition of the standard is openly published for unlicensed readers. 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 2X are typical minimum requirements for the design of electrical accessories for indoor use.
Code breakdown
IP indication Solid particle protection Liquid ingress protection Mechanical impact resistance Other protections IP Mandatory Single numeral: 0-6 Mandatory Single numeral: 0-8 Mandatory Single numeral: 0-9 No longer used Single letter Optional
0 1
No protection against contact and ingress of objects Any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part Fingers or similar objects Tools, thick wires, etc. Most wires, screws, etc. Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact
2 3 4 5
Dusttight
IP Code
Level
Testing for
Details
0 1
Test duration: 10minutes Water equivalent to 1mm rainfall per minute Test duration: 10minutes Water equivalent to 3mm rainfall per minute Test duration: 5minutes Water volume: 0.7litres per minute Pressure: 80100kPa Test duration: 5minutes Water volume: 10litres per minute Pressure: 80100kPa
Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15 from its normal position.
Spraying water
Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60 from the vertical shall have no harmful effect.
Splashing water
Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect.
Water jets
Water projected by a nozzle (6.3mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful Test duration: at least effects. 3minutes Water volume: 12.5litres per minute Pressure: 30kPa at distance of 3m Water projected in powerful jets (12.5mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. Test duration: at least 3minutes Water volume: 100litres per minute Pressure: 100kPa at distance of 3m Test duration: 30minutes Immersion at depth of 1m Test duration: continuous immersion in water Depth specified by manufacturer
Immersion up to 1m
Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1m of submersion).
Immersion beyond 1m
The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. Normally, this will mean that the equipment is hermetically sealed. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects.
IP Code
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 B C D Back of hand Finger Tool Wire
Further letters can be appended to provide additional information related to the protection of the device:
Letter H M S W Meaning High voltage device Device moving during water test Device standing still during water test Weather conditions
IP Code
IK number
Impact energy (joules) Unprotected 0.15 0.2 0.35 0.5 0.7 1 2 5 10 20 No test
Equivalent impact
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
Drop of 200g object from 7.5cm height Drop of 200g object from 10cm height Drop of 200g object from 17.5cm height Drop of 200g object from 25cm height Drop of 200g object from 35cm height Drop of 500g object from 20cm height Drop of 500g object from 40cm height Drop of 1.7kg object from 29.5cm height Drop of 5kg object from 20cm height Drop of 5kg object from 40cm height
IPX Coding
The letter X is used in any place in the code where specifying a digit is meant to be avoided. There may be various reasons for choosing this coding variant, such as marketing considerations. Thus, e.g. an IPX7 rating for a consumer device specifies that the device has water protection up to limited immersion, but gives deliberately no information as to whether the device has any protection against mechanical ingress or dust. Among other common IP ratings using the letter X are IPX4. IP2X is frequently used on electrical items to specify the item must prevent finger access to live terminals i.e plug sockets are IP2X.
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.[6] 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 80C water at 810 MPa (80100 bar) and a flow rate of 1416 L/min. The nozzle is held 1015cm from the tested device at angles of 0, 30, 60 and 90 for 30s each. The test device sits on a turntable that rotates once every 12s (5rpm). 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, car wash centres).
NEMA rating
IP Code
IP Code Min. NEMA Enclosure rating to satisfy IP Code IP20 IP54 IP66 IP67 IP68 1 3 4, 4X 6 6P
The United States National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) also publishes protection ratings for enclosures similar to the IP rating system published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). However, it also dictates other product features not addressed by IP codes, such as corrosion resistance, gasket aging, and construction practices. Thus, while it is possible to map IP Codes to NEMA ratings that satisfy or exceed the IP Code criteria, it is not possible to map NEMA ratings to IP codes, as the IP Code does not mandate the additional requirements. The table above indicates the minimum NEMA rating that satisfies a given IP code, but can only be used in that way, not to map IP to NEMA.[7] North American enclosure rating systems are defined in NEMA 250, UL 50, UL 508, and CSA C22.2 N. 94.
References
[1] Understanding the IP (Ingress Protection) Ratings (http:/ / www. maximintegrated. com/ app-notes/ index. mvp/ id/ 4126) [2] Interpreting the acronym officially in the standard text (http:/ / www. iso. org/ iso/ iso_catalogue/ catalogue_tc/ catalogue_detail. htm?csnumber=39578) [3] IEC 60529 (ed2.1), clause 4.1. [4] IEC 60529: Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code). International Electrotechnical Commission, Geneva. [5] Ingress Protection: The System of Tests and Meaning of Codes (http:/ / www. ce-mag. com/ archive/ 06/ ARG/ bisenius. htm), . [6] DIN 40050-9: Straenfahrzeuge; IP-Schutzarten; Schutz gegen Fremdkrper, Wasser und Berhren; Elektrische Ausrstung [Road vehicles; degrees of protection (IP-code); protection against foreign objects, water and impact; electrical equipment], May 1993. An English translation of the German original is available from DIN. [7] "FAQ Enclosures" (http:/ / www. nema. org/ stds/ aboutstds/ upload/ FAQ-Enclosures. doc). NEMA. . Retrieved 2010-03-03.
External links
IEC Home Page (http://www.iec.ch) IEC Web Store (buy IEC standards online) (http://webstore.iec.ch) Australian IP ratings (http://www.accesscomms.com.au/reference/ip.htm) NEMA vs IP Rating (http://www.lcdenclosure.co.uk/ip-rating.html) IP Rating information (http://www.lcdtvenclosure.com/ip-rating-standards.html) IP Rating Illustrated Chart (http://www.2mcctv.com/blog/2011_10_11-ip-rating-chart/) (PDF) Rugged Electronic Devices and Measurement of Ruggedness: A guide to deciphering ruggedness claims in cell phones, Smart Phones, PDAs &c (http://www.airowireless.com/docs/Ruggedized.pdf), Airo Wireless. A demonstration of an IP test being carried out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be_VKMPmN0c), YouTube.
License
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