Ingress Protection Levels
Solid particle Ingress Protection
The first digit indicates the level of ingress protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts (e.g., electrical conductors, moving parts) and the ingress of solid foreign objects.
Level |
Object size protected against |
Effective against |
0 |
— | No protection against contact and ingress of objects |
1 |
>50 mm | Any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against 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, screws, etc. |
5 |
Dust 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 |
6 |
Dust tight | No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact |
Liquid Ingress Protection
The second digit indicates the level of ingress protection that the enclosure provides against harmful ingress of water.
Level |
Protected against |
Effective against |
Details |
0 |
Not protected | Not Necessary | Not Necessary |
1 |
Dripping water | Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect. | Test duration: 10 minutesWater equivalent to 1 mm rainfall per minute |
2 |
Dripping water when tilted up to 15° | Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15° from its normal position. | Test duration: 10 minutes. Water equivalent to 3 mm rainfall per minute |
3 |
Spraying water | Wate falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect. | Test duration: 5 minutesWater volume: 0.7 litres per minute Pressure: 80–100 kPa |
4 |
Splashing water | Watersplashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect. | Test duration: 5 minutesWater volume: 10 litres per minute Pressure: 80–100 kPa |
5 |
Water jets | Water projected by a nozzle (6.3 mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. | Test duration: at least 3 minutesWater volume: 12.5 litres per minute Pressure: 30 kPa at distance of 3 m |
6 |
Powerful water jets | Water projected in powerful jets (12.5 mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. | Test duration: at least 3 minutesWater volume: 100 litres per minute Pressure: 100 kPa at distance of 3 m |
7 |
Immersion up to one meter | 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). | Test duration: 30 minutesImmersion at depth of at least 1 m measured at bottom of device, and at least 15 cm measured at top of device |
8 |
Immersion beyond one meter | 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. | Test duration: continuous immersion in waterDepth specified by manufacturer |
Additional Ingress Protection 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 |
Back of hand |
B |
Finger |
C |
Tool |
D |
Wire |
Further letters can be appended to the code to indicate additional information:
Letter |
Meaning |
H |
High voltage device |
M |
Device moving during water test |
S |
Device standing still during water test |
W |
Special Weather conditions |
ExVeritas can test to most Ingress Protection Levels, please see our IP Testing services here