Ingress Protection (IP Ratings)
Degrees of Protection Provided by Enclosures.
The IP (Ingress Protection) standard is is a European classification system under direction of CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) and defined in international standard IEC 60529. It describes of degrees of protection provided by an enclosure of electrical equipment. The rating system consists of the letters IP followed by two numbers.
- The first number indicates the degree of protection against solid foreign object ingress.
- The second number indicates the degree of protection against liquid ingress.
The following table summarises the types of environment and a general definition for these types:
| First Numeral | Brief Description | Definition 1 |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Not protected | - |
| 1 | Protected against solid foreign objects of 50mm diameter and greater. | The object probe, sphere of 50mm diameter, shall not fully penetrate. |
| 2 | Protected against solid foreign objects of 12.5mm diameter and greater. | The object probe, sphere of 12.5mm diameter, shall not fully penetrate. |
| 3 | Protected against solid foreign objects of 2.5mm diameter and greater | The object probe, sphere of 2.5mm diameter, shall not penetrate at all. |
| 4 | Protected against solid foreign objects of 1mm diameter and greater. | The object probe, sphere of 1mm diameter, shall not penetrate at all. |
| 5 | Dust-protected. | Ingress of dust is not totally prevented, but dust shall not penetrate in a quantity to interfere with satisfactory operation of the apparatus or to impair safety. |
| 6 | Dust-tight. | No ingress of dust. |
1 The full diameter of the object shall not pass through an opening of the enclosure
Description and definition of the first number in the IP rating system. This number indicates the degree of protection from Solids. Armagard enclosures typically comply with IP54, IP65 or IP66.
| Second Numeral | Brief Description | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Not protected | - |
| 1 | Protected against vertically falling water drops. | Vertically falling drops shall have no harmful effects. |
| 2 | Protected against vertically falling water drops when enclosure is titled up to 15°. | Vertically falling drops have no harmful effects when the enclosure is tilted at any angle up to 15° on either side of the vertical. |
| 3 | Protected against spraying water. | Water sprayed at an angle up to 60° degrees on either side of the vertical shall have no harmful effects. |
| 4 | Protected against splashing water | Water splashed against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. |
| 5 | Protected against water jets. | Water projected in jets against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. |
| 6 | Protected against powerful water jets. | Water projected in powerful jets against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. |
| 7 | Protected against the effects of temporary immersion in water. | Ingress of water in quantities causing harmful effects shall not be possible when the enclosure is temporarily immersed 1 meter in water under standardized conditions of pressure and time. |
| 8 | Protected against the effects of continuous immersion in water. | Ingress of water in quantities causing harmful effects shall not be possible when the enclosure is continuously immersed in water under conditions which shall be agreed between manufacturer and the user, but are more severe than for number. |
Description and definition of the second number in the IP rating system. This number indicates the degree of protection from liquids. Armagard enclosures typically comply with IP54, IP65 or IP66.
![NEMA 4X waterproof computer enclosure | SENC-700 [small image]](https://www.armagard.com/images/senc-700/waterproof-computer-enclosure-senc-700.jpg)
![NEMA 4X waterproof touch screen | SENC-750 [small image]](https://www.armagard.com/images/senc-750/ip65-waterproof-touchscreen.jpg)
![NEMA 4X Compact waterproof enclosure | SENC-300 [small image]](https://www.armagard.com/images/senc-300/compact-waterproof-enclosure-senc-300.jpg)
