The IP (Ingress Protection) rating system is published by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and classifies the degree of protection that the enclosure provides against solid objects and liquids in order to operate the enclosed electrical equipment.
Protection Class
 |
 Protection Against Solid Objects Protection Against Liquids |
|---|
| Protection Against Solid Objects | |
|---|---|
| 0 | No Protection |
| 1 | Protected Against Solid Objects Bigger than 50mm e.g. Hands |
| 2 | Protected Against Solid Objects Bigger than 12 mm, e.g. Persons Fingers |
| 3 | Protected Against Solid Objects Bigger than 2.5 mm e.g. Tools, Thick Wires |
| 4 | Protected Against Solid Objects Bigger than 1 mm e.g. Wires, Screws |
| 5 | Protected Against Dust Limited Ingress (no Harmful Deposit) |
| 6 | Totally Protected Against Dust |
| Protection Against Liquids | |
|---|---|
| 0 | No Protection |
| 1 | Protection Against Vertically Falling Dripping Water |
| 2 | Protection Against Dripping Water up to 15° from Vertical |
| 3 | Protected Against Direct Sprays of Water up to 60° from Vertical |
| 4 | Protected Against Water Splashing from any Direction |
| 5 | Protected Against Low Pressure Water Jets from any Direction |
| 6 | Protected Against High Pressure Water Jets from any Direction |
| 7 | Protected Against Immersion up to 1 m |
| 8 | Protected Against Long Periods of Immersion under Pressure |
IP69K
IP69K is a rating of the German standard DIN 40050-9 extending the IEC 60529 rating system described above. IP69K is developed for areas where extra protection is needed against high-pressure and high-temperature. Typical applications that require this rating are mobile machinery and food industry where equipment is cleaned intensively with high pressure or steaming water.
Comparing NEMA and IP Enclosure Ratings
This is a cross reference for comparing NEMA and IP enclosure ratings. This comparison is only approximate, and it is the responsibility of the user to verify the enclosure rating necessary for the given application.
