The IP Code (or International Protection Rating, sometimes also interpreted as Ingress Protection Rating) consists of the letters IP followed by two digits and an optional letter. As defined in international standard IEC 60529, it classifies the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water in electrical enclosures. The standard aims to provide users more detailed information than vague marketing terms such as “waterproof”. Also known as index protection.
| Level | Object protected against: | Water Protected against: | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | No protection against contact and ingress of objects. | Not protected | 0 | |
| 1 | Any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part. (>50 mm) | Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect. | 1 | |
| 2 | Fingers or similar objects(>12 mm) | Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15° from its normal position. | 2 | |
| 3 | Tools, thick wires, etc. (>2,5 mm) | Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect. | 3 | |
| 4 | Most wires, screws, etc. (>1 mm) | Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect. | 4 | |
| 5 | Must protected 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 | Water projected by a nozzle against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. | 5 | |
| 6 | Dust tight No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact | Water projected in powerful jets against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. | 6 | |
| 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 1 m of submersion). | 7 | |||
| The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. NOTE: 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 produces no harmful effects. |
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