The protection of enclosures against ingress of dirt or water is defined in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard IEC 60529. Conversely, an enclosure which protects equipment against ingress of particles will also protect a person from potential hazards within that enclosure. Its degree of protection is also defined as a standard.
The degrees of protection are most expressed with the acronym for Ingress Protection "IP," followed by two numbers. The numbers in IP65 define the degree of protection. The first digit (6) represents foreign bodies protection. This shows the extent to which the equipment is protected against particles, or persons are protected from enclosed hazards. The second digit (5) indicates water protection. The wording in the table is not exactly as used in the standards document, but the dimensions are accurate.
The first digit in the rating is the protection against contact and foreign bodies. The second digit in the rating is the water protection factor. The third digit is the impact protection factor. All of them are displayed in the charts below:
IP s l (i)
s = solids, l=liquids and i= impact (optional)
FIRST INDEX - FOREIGN BODIES PROTECTION, SOLIDS
| Index | Protection Against Human/Tool Contact | Protection Against Solid Objects (foreign bodies) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | No special protection | No special protection |
| 1 | Back of hand, Fist | Large foreign bodies, diam. >50mm |
| 2 | Finger | Medium-sized foreign bodies, diam. >12mm |
| 3 | Tools and wires etc., with a thickness >2.5mm | Small foreign bodies, diam. >2.5mm |
| 4 | Tools and wires etc., with a thickness >1mm | Granular foreign bodies, diam. >1mm |
| 5 | Complete protection, (limited ingress permitted) | Dust protected; dust deposits are permitted, but their volume must not affect the function of the unit. |
| 6 | Complete protection | Dust-proof |
SECOND INDEX - WATER PROTECTION, LIQUIDS
| Index | Protection Against Water | Protection From Condition |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | No special protection | No special protection |
| 1 | Water dripping/falling vertically | Condensation/Light rain |
| 2 | Water sprayed at an angle (up to 15º degrees from the vertical) | Light rain with wind |
| 3 | Spray water (any direction up to 60º degrees from the vertical) | Heavy rainstorm |
| 4 | Spray water from all directions, (limited ingress permitted) | Splashing |
| 5 | Low pressure water jets from all directions, (limited ingress permitted) | Hose down, residential |
| 6 | High pressure jets from all directions, (limited ingress permitted) | Hose down, commercial. eg. Ship decks |
| 7 | Temporary immersion, 15 cm to 1m | Immersion in tank |
| 8 | Permanent Immersion, under pressure | For use on a watertight application, such as the Titanic recovery vehicle |
THIRD INDEX - IMPACT PROTECTION, IMPACT
| Index | Protection Against Impact | Equivalent Mass Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | No special protection | No special protection |
| 1 | Protected against 0.225J impact | eg. .33 pounds/150g weight falling from 5.9 inches/15cm height |
| 2 | Protected against 0.375J impact | eg. .55 pounds/250g weight falling from 5.9 inches/15cm height |
| 3 | Protected against 0.5J impact | eg. .55 pounds/250g weight falling from 7.87 inches/20cm height |
| 4 | Protected against 2.0J impact | eg. 1.1 pounds/500g weight falling from 15.7 inches/40cm height |
| 5 | Protected against 6.0J impact | eg. 1.35 pounds/0.61183kg weight falling from 3.28 feet/1m height |
| 6 | Protected against 20.0J impact | eg. 4.5 pounds/2.0394kg weight falling from 3.28/1m height |
Here are some examples below of common objects and the ingress protection for each item:
EXAMPLES
| Umbrella | IP-01 or IP-02 Depending on Umbrella |
|---|---|
| Chain link fence | IP-10 |
| Chicken wire | IP-20 |
| Screen | IP-30 |
| Kevlar cloth | IP-40 |
| Tent (camping) | IP-42 |
| Saran wrap | IP-51 |
| Bottle of wine | IP-67 |
| Submarine | IP-68 |
Visit the IEC website for the most updated version of the standard.
