If you’re wondering about what an IP rating is and where to find it, you don’t have to wonder any longer. We will explain everything you need to know.
In premise, IP ratings are developed to reference the protection capacity of an object or device. And in most cases, the rating can be found on the exterior or interior enclosure of the device.
In this article, we will cover what an IP rating is, what it measures, why it’s important. As well as examine some of the ratings in detail.
So whenever you’re ready to ensure your device can survive certain conditions, keep reading.
What Is an IP Rating?
In short, an IP rating stands for Ingress Protection mark, also referred to as the Internal Protection mark.
An IP rating is based on a 2-digit grading system that is applied to the enclosure of an electrical or mechanical device, giving a customer a clear indication of its resistance to various factors. This means you can find the IP rating on the inside or outside of your device.
Intrusion in the context of the rating has a definition in three notions:
- IP ratings portray the level of protection to users from electrical/mechanical parts
- The degree of protection the enclosure has against dirt, dust, and other foreign bodies
- The total resistance to moisture
While you might find there are some differences in IP rating depending on the location in which you buy the device, they are standardized for the most part.
For instance, in Europe, they are under the IEC standard of 60509:1989. In the UK, they are under the BS END 60529:1992 standard. On an international scale, they are under EN 60529 certification.
What Does It Measure?
As mentioned earlier, the IP rating denotes some very important metrics.
The first is the resistance to ingress by user or accident. The second is ingress from foreign bodies. The third is ingress from moisture.
The IP rating will consist of two numbers, following by a letter which usually denotes the hazards, materials, or testing circumstances. The most common format in which the rating is portrayed will look like this: IP##.
The first number is between 0 and 6, it indicates the degree of protection from ingress of the first class. The second number is between 0 and 9, it indicates the quality of resistance to moisture in various scenarios of exposure and immersion.
In some cases, another letter might be appended to the end of the rating, such as IP##M. This is done to denote the certified resistance against special hazards or a particular circumstance in which the testing was performed.
This is quite unusual in regular applications, so it’s unlikely that you will see such ratings on a phone or other electronic devices.
Why Have This System?
The reason for a standardized IP rating is so that consumers can be confident in the safety of the mechanical and electrical goods that they purchase.
Unlike vague terminology such as waterproof, which does not indicate the precise performance capacity and extent of the item, an IP rating is designed to be very specific.
Solid Object Protection in Detail
A product’s protection against solid objects refers to their access to hazardous parts inside of the device. The system goes from 0-6, where 0 stands for no protection.
If the device has solid protection from 1-4, it’s protected against elements of over 1m, from gingers and hands to wires and small tools.
The minimum protection advised is IP3X. For protection against dust, the product must have an IP5X at least. Ingress of dust is a serious concern for electronics, so if the product is meant to be used in such locations, the IP6X is the protection that companies should strive for.
This is also referred to as intrusion protection. It’s important to select the most useful IP rating for your product as this will influence its resistance to charged electricity, which leads to product damage over time.
Electronic parts covered in thin polymeric films resist dust for greater lengths of time.
Here are the definitions for each IP rating class in this protection segment.
- 0 – no protection
- 1 – protection against objects over 50mm
- 2 – protection against objects over 12.5mm
- 3 – protection against objects over 2.5mm
- 4 – protection against objects over 1mm
- 5 – protection against any quantity of dust that would interfere with regular product operation when not sealed tight, entire protection against objects of solid-state
- 6 – dust-tight and fully protected against solid objects
And that’s about it. Now let’s do the same for liquids ingress.
Liquids Ingress Protection in Detail
Liquids ingress protection ranges between 0 and 8. An additional 9K value has been added to this code as well.
As in the protection mentioned above, 0 refers to the product not being protected at all from the intrusion of liquids. Waterproof products do not necessarily have to resist being underwater for extended periods of time.
Exposure to small quantities of water is more than enough to damage some products that have a low IP rating. You might have come across ratings such as IPX7, IPX4, IPX5. As mentioned prior, the first number refers to object protection, but manufacturers rarely test their products for dust ingression.
That’s why the first number is replaced with the X. However, that also does not mean it’s not protected from dust. If it has moderate protection against water, it’s likely to have greater protection against dust as well.
The 9K value refers to devices that can be cleaned via steam, and supper the regression of high-pressure water jets, regardless of where they come from. As mentioned earlier, for a product with a rating of IP##, no tests were run to find out if the product is dust or water-resistant.
It’s important that if the device has an XX rating, it also does not mean it’s not protected at all. Contacting the manufacture and reading the user’s manual is critical before placing your electronic devices into special conditions.
IP Rating Elaborated
Now that you know what an IP rating is, you are well on your way to ensure that your device is capable of the harmful circumstances you want to place it in.
As long as you find the IP rating and understand what it references, there is no reason that your device will not be able to survive the regarded conditions.
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