The IP Code, Ingress Protection Rating, sometimes also interpreted as International Protection Rating, classifies and rates the degree of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water in mechanical casings and with electrical enclosures.
The standard aims to provide users more detailed information than vague marketing terms such as waterproof. However, no edition of the standard is openly published for unlicensed readers.
The digits (characteristic numerals) indicate conformity with the conditions summarized in the tables below. Where there is no protection rating with regard to one of the criteria, the digit is replaced with the letter
For example, an electrical socket rated IP22 is protected against insertion of fingers and will not be damaged or become unsafe during a specified test in which it is exposed to vertically or nearly vertically dripping water. IP22 or 2X are typical minimum requirements for the design of electrical accessories for indoor use.
Solid particle protection
The first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts (e.g., electrical conductors, moving parts) and the ingress of solid foreign objects.
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Level
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Object size protected against
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Effective against
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0
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—
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No protection against contact and ingress of objects
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1
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>50 mm
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Any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part
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2
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>12.5 mm
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Fingers or similar objects
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3
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>2.5 mm
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Tools, thick wires, etc.
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4
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>1 mm
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Most wires, screws, etc.
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5
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Dust protected
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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
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6
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Dust tight
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No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact
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Liquid ingress protection
The second digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against harmful ingress of water
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Level
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Protected against
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Testing for
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Details
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0
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Not protected
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—
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—
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1
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Dripping water
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Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect.
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Test duration: 10 minutes
Water equivalent to 1 mm rainfall per minute
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2
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Dripping water when tilted up to 15°
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Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15° from its normal position.
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Test duration: 10 minutes
Water equivalent to 3 mm rainfall per minute
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3
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Spraying water
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Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect.
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Test duration: 5 minutes
Water volume: 0.7 litres per minute
Pressure: 80–100 kPa
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4
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Splashing water
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Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect.
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Test duration: 5 minutes
Water volume: 10 litres per minute
Pressure: 80–100 kPa
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5
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Water jets
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Water projected by a nozzle (6.3 mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
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Test duration: at least 3 minutes
Water volume: 12.5 litres per minute
Pressure: 30 kPa at distance of 3 m
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6
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Powerful water jets
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Water projected in powerful jets (12.5 mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
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Test duration: at least 3 minutes
Water volume: 100 litres per minute
Pressure: 100 kPa at distance of 3 m
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7
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Immersion up to 1 m
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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).
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Test duration: 30 minutes
Immersion at depth of 1 m
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8
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Immersion beyond 1 m
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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.
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Test duration: continuous immersion in water
Depth specified by manufacturer
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