In Europe, in accordance with standard IEC 60529, the designation used to indicate the Ingress Protection of mechanical and electrical enclosures consists of the letters IP (standing for Ingress Protection), followed by two (2) ''Characteristic Numbers''.
The first ''Characteristic Number'' lists the degree of protection against intrusion of solid particles. It can take values from 0 to 6 (the higher the value the bigger the protection), each value bearing the following meaning :
IP 0X: No protection against solids
IP 1X: Protection against solids greater than 50mm
IP 2X: Protection against solids greater than 12.5 mm
IP 3X: Protection against solids greater than 2.5 mm
IP 4X: Protection against solids greater than 1 mm
IP 5X: Dust protected
IP 6X: Dust tight
The second ''Characteristic Number'' lists the degree of protection against ingress (entry) of water.
It can take values from 0 to 8 (the higher the value the bigger the protection), each value bearing the following meaning:
IP X0: No protection against ingress (entry) of water
IP X1: Protection against vertically dripping water
IP X2: Protection against angled dripping water
IP X3: Protection against splashed water (at angles up to 60 degrees from the vertical)
IP X4: Protection against splashed water (from any direction)
IP X5: Protection against water jets
IP X6: Protection against powerful water jets - heavy seas
IP X7: Protection against effects of immersion in water (up to 1 minute)
IP X8: Protection against indefinitie immersion
As an extension to IEC 60529 rating system, DIN standard 40050-9 has also adopted the IP69K rating for high-pressure, high-temperature immersion applications. In order to meet the IP69K rating, enclosures must not only be dust tight (IP6X), but also able to withstand high-pressure and steam cleaning.
IP ratings table
