The IP Code (or Ingress Protection Rating, sometimes also interpreted as International Protection Rating) consists of the letters IP followed by two digits or one digit and one letter and an optional letter. As defined in international standard IEC 60529, IP Code classifies and rates the degrees 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, hence leaving space for varying interpretation.
For example: IP64 IP65 IP66 IP67 IP68
First Digit – Solids
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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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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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The second digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts and the 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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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 1mm rainfall per minute |
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2
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Dripping water when tilted up to 15
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