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IP Code
The IP Code, International Protection Marking, IEC standard 60529, sometimes interpreted as Ingress
Protection Marking, classifies and rates the degree of protection provided against intrusion (body parts such as
hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water by mechanical casings and electrical enclosures. It is published
by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The equivalent European standard is EN 60529.

The standard aims to provide users more detailed information than vague marketing terms such as waterproof. For
example, a cellular phone rated at IP68 is "dust resistant" and can be "immersed in 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to
30 minutes". Similarly, 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 indoor use.

The digits indicate conformity with the conditions summarized in the tables below. The digit 0 is used where no
protection is provided. The digit is replaced with the letter X when insufficient data has been gathered to assign a
protection level.

There are no hyphens in a genuine IP code. IPX-8 (for example) is thus an invalid IP code.[1]

This page contains a combination of IEC 60529 (also EN 60529) and other standards, such as ISO 20653. The original
documents are available for purchase, and have important and specific requirements that cannot be fully reprinted
due to copyright restrictions. This often includes drawings specifying the required test equipment, such as the shape of
water nozzles used for water jet testing. Additional standards are often referenced that may contain important
information. One must refer to the latest revision of the required standard when conducting tests for agency
certification.

Contents
Code breakdown
First digit: Solid particle protection
Second digit: Liquid ingress protection
Additional letters
IP69K
North America (NEMA rating)
Ingress Protection for consumer electronics
See also
References
External links

Code breakdown
This table shows what each digit or part of the IP code represents.

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Second
First digit: Third digit: Additional
digit:
IP Solid Mechanical letter:
Liquid
indication particle impact Other
ingress
protection resistance protections
protection
Single Single
Single IPX Codes Explanation Chart
IP numeral: numeral: 0– Single letter
numeral: 0–9
0–6 9
No longer
Mandatory Mandatory Mandatory Optional
used

First digit: Solid particle protection

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.[2]

Level Effective
Description
sized against
X means there is no data available to specify a protection rating with regard to one of
X —
the criteria.
0 — 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
1 >50 mm
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, slender screws, large ants etc.
Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to
5 Dust protected
interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment.
No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight). A vacuum must be
6 Dust tight
applied. Test duration of up to 8 hours based on air flow.

Second digit: Liquid ingress protection

The second digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against harmful ingress of water.[3] The
ratings for water ingress are not cumulative beyond IPX6. A device which is compliant with IPX7, covering immersion
in water, need not be compliant with IPX5 or IPX6, covering exposure to water jets. A device which meets both tests is
indicated by listing both tests separated by a slash, e.g. IPX5/IPX7.

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Level Protection against
0 None
1 Dripping water
Dripping water
2 tilted at an angle of 15° from its
when tilted at 15°
3 Spraying water
4 Splashing of water
5 Water jets
6 Powerful water jets
Powerful water jets
6K with increased
pressure
7 Immersion, up to
1 m depth
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IP Code - Wikipedia
Effective against Details
— —
Dripping water (vertically falling Test duration: 10 minutes
drops) shall have no harmful effect on
Water equivalent to 1 mm rainfall per
the specimen when mounted in an
upright position onto a turntable and minute
rotated at 1 RPM.
Test duration: 2.5 minutes for every
Vertically dripping water shall have no
direction of tilt (10 minutes total)
harmful effect when the enclosure is
Water equivalent to 3 mm rainfall per
normal position. A total of four
minute
positions are tested within two axes.
Water falling as a spray at any angle For a spray nozzle:
up to 60° from the vertical shall have
Test duration: 1 minute per square meter
no harmful effect, utilizing either: a)
an oscillating fixture, or b) A spray for at least 5 minutes[4]
nozzle with a counterbalanced shield. Water volume: 10 litres per minute
Test a) is conducted for 5 minutes, Pressure: 50–150 kPa
then repeated with the specimen
rotated horizontally by 90° for the For an oscillating tube:
second 5-minute test. Test b) is
Test duration: 10 minutes
conducted (with shield in place) for 5
minutes minimum. Water volume: 0.07 l/min per hole
Water splashing against the
enclosure from any direction shall
have no harmful effect, utilizing
either: a) an oscillating fixture, or b) A
spray nozzle with no shield. Oscillating tube: Test duration: 10
minutes, or spray nozzle (same as IPX3
Test a) is conducted for 10 minutes. spray nozzle with the shield removed)
Test b) is conducted (without shield)
for 5 minutes minimum.
Test duration: 1 minute per square meter
for at least 15 minutes
Water projected by a nozzle (6.3 mm)
against enclosure from any direction Water volume: 12.5 litres per minute
shall have no harmful effects.
Pressure: 30 kPa at distance of 3 m
Test duration: 1 minute per square meter
Water projected in powerful jets for at least 3 minutes
(12.5 mm nozzle) against the
Water volume: 100 litres per minute
enclosure from any direction shall
have no harmful effects. Pressure: 100 kPa at distance of 3 m
Water projected in powerful jets
Test duration: at least 3 minutes
(6.3 mm nozzle) against the
enclosure from any direction, under Water volume: 75 litres per minute
elevated pressure, shall have no Pressure: 1000 kPa at distance of 3 m
harmful effects. Found in DIN 40050,
and not IEC 60529.
Ingress of water in harmful quantity Test duration: 30 minutes.[5]
shall not be possible when the
enclosure is immersed in water under Tested with the lowest point of the
defined conditions of pressure and enclosure 1000 mm below the surface of
time (up to 1 m of submersion).
the water, or the highest point 150 mm
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below the surface, whichever is deeper.

The equipment is suitable for

continuous immersion in water under
conditions which shall be specified by
the manufacturer. However, with
Test duration: agreement with
certain types of equipment, it can
manufacturer
mean that water can enter but only in
Immersion, 1 m or
8 such a manner that it produces no Depth specified by manufacturer,
more depth
harmful effects. The test depth and generally up to 3 m
duration is expected to be greater
than the requirements for IPx7, and
other environmental effects may be
added, such as temperature cycling
before immersion.
Protected against close-range high
pressure, high temperature spray
downs.
Smaller specimens rotate slowly on a
turntable, from 4 specific angles.
Test duration: 30 seconds in each of 4
Larger specimens are mounted angles (2 minutes total)
upright, no turntable required, and Water volume: 14–16 litres per minute
Powerful high
9K temperature water are tested freehand for at least 3 Pressure: 8–10 MPa (80–100 bar) at
jets minutes at distance of 0.15–0.2 m. distance of 0.10–0.15 m
Water temperature: 80 °C
There are specific requirements for
the nozzle used for the testing.

This test is identified as IPx9 in IEC

60529.

(All tests with the letter "K" are defined by ISO 20653 (replacing DIN 40050-9) and are not found in IEC 60529,
except for IPx9 which is the same as the IP69K water test.)

Additional letters
Further letters can be appended to provide additional information related to the protection of the device:

Letter Meaning
D Wire
f Oil resistant
H High voltage device
M Device moving during water test
S Device standing still during water test
W Weather conditions

The letter K is specified in DIN 40050-9, and not in IEC 60529.

IP69K
IP codes with the letter "K" are from ISO 20653:2013 Road Vehicles-Degrees of protection (IP code), which states that
it is in accordance with IEC 60529 except for the "K" tests, which describe special requirements for road vehicles.

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The test specifies a spray nozzle that is fed with 80 °C water at 8–10 MPa (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 seconds each.
The test device sits on a turntable that completes a rotation once every 12 seconds (5 rpm). The IPx9 specification in
IEC 60529 has details for testing larger specimens that will not fit on a turntable test fixture (see table above).

The IP69K test specification was initially developed for road vehicles, especially those that need regular intensive
cleaning (dump trucks, cement mixers, etc.), but it also finds use in other areas (for example, the food industry and car
wash centers).

German standard DIN 40050-9 extended the older IEC 60529 rating system with an IP69K rating for high-pressure,
high-temperature wash-down applications.[6] DIN 40050-9 has been replaced by ISO 20653:2013 Road Vehicles-
Degrees of protection (IP code).[7] Such enclosures must not only be dust-tight (IP6X), but it must also be able to
withstand high-pressure and steam cleaning. By 2013 IEC 60529 added level 9 water ingress testing, with IPx9 being
essentially the same spray test as IP69K, also adding a drawing of a fixture to verify the water pressure.

North America (NEMA rating)

In the USA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association defines NEMA enclosure types in NEMA standard
number 250. The following table outlines which IEC 60529 IP code each respective NEMA rating meets. Ratings
between the two standards are not directly equivalent: NEMA ratings also require additional product features and
tests (such as functionality under icing conditions, enclosures for hazardous areas, knock-outs for cable connections
and others) not addressed by IP ratings.

NEMA enclosure[8] IP Code

1 IP20
2 IP22
3, 3X, 3S, 3SX IP55
3R, 3RX IP24
4, 4X IP66
5 IP53
6 IP67
6P IP68
12, 12K, 13 IP54

Ingress Protection for consumer electronics

The inclusion of an Ingress Protection rating has become increasingly common for use in the consumer electronics
market with devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers and cameras now being sold as water resistant,
waterproof and dustproof.

Some manufacturers have produced IP rated smartphones, aimed at consumers who are concerned about their
handsets getting submerged in liquids or getting covered in dust.

With the availability of portable devices, and the desire to get outside with active lifestyles, portable speakers have
become popular with the rugged consumer market for those who enjoy outdoor recreation, extreme sports as well.

See also
EN 62262 – IK code on resistance to mechanical impacts (Revoked 2002)

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MIL-STD-810
U.S. Military connector specifications for military equivalents
Reference Chart (http://www.dsmt.com/resources/ip-rating-chart/) - Downloadable PDF reference chart for offline
use.
Water Resistant mark on wrist watches

References
1. IEC 60529, Edition 2.2, 2013, page 19
2. IEC 60529, Edition 2.2, 2013, page 21
3. Ingress Protection: The System of Tests and Meaning of Codes (https://www.webcitation.org/6DGYoRMwp?url=ht
tp://www.ce-mag.com/archive/06/ARG/bisenius.htm), archived from the original (http://www.ce-mag.com/archive/0
6/ARG/bisenius.htm) on 2012-12-29.
4. Table 8, IEC 60529, Edition 2.2, 2013
5. IEC 60529, table 8
6. DIN 40050-9: Straßenfahrzeuge; IP-Schutzarten; Schutz gegen Fremdkörper, Wasser und Berühren; Elektrische
Ausrüstung [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. ISO 20653:2013 Road Vehicles-Degrees of protection (IP code) Protection of electrical equipment against foreign
objects, water and access
8. "NEMA Enclosure Types" (https://www.nema.org/Products/Documents/nema-enclosure-types.pdf) (pdf). National
Electrical Manufacturers Association. November 2005. pp. 7–9. Retrieved 10 January 2017.

External links
2001 edition of the standard (https://archive.org/details/gov.in.is.iec.60529.2001/)

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