What is an IP Rating in Electrical

IP Rating in Electrical

IP ratings known as Ingress Protection rating or International Protection ratings are defined to the international standard of EN 60529 British Standared (BS EN 60529:1992). This BS standard is used to define the quality of sealing effectiveness of electrical enclosures against intrusion from outside bodies such as tools, dust moisture and liquid.

How to find IP rating

IP Ratings (Ingress Protection) is two digit number providing for a equipment or enclosure by the International Electro Technical Commission. IP rating means the amount of the protection a device from dust and liquid. The two digit number indicate the first value indicate solid object and second one for liquid in IP rating of electrical equipment. Ingress Protection (IP) rating means right of entry solid or liquid in a device.

The IP rating consists followed by two digits and two letters, the higher value of the number giving better the protection for device.  Sometimes IP Rating number is indicates by X , which indicates that the enclosure or device is not rated for that specification. 

High the value of each digit in IP rating, giving the device greater the protection. As an example, same product rated IP55 would be better protected against environmental factors than another company product rated as IP54. 

IP Rating Reference;

IP56 : First Digit (5) represented by Solids

IP56 : Second Digit (6) represented by Liquids

The IP rating has two digit represented by various number of environmental impacts:

•  The representation of the first digit (to the left) is defense the Intrusion against of solid objects.
•  The representation of the second digit (to the right) represents the ingress protection against of fluids.

IP Rating Chart

IP 1st Digit     Protection Aginst Solid Intrusion 

   0                  No protection

   1                  Protected against over 50mm solid objects, example: accidental touch by                                                                    hands.

   2                  Protected against over 12.5mm solid objects, example: fingers.

   3                  Protected against over 2.5mm solid objects, example: 2.5mm tools and wires.

   4                  Protected against solid objects over 1mm, example: wires and nails.

   5                  Protected against dust limited ingress, no harmful dust deposits.

   6                  Totally Protected against micron dust particles.

IP 2nd Digit     Protection Against Liquid

   0                  No protection

   1                  Protected against vertically falling water drops, example: condensation.

   2                  Protected against direct spraying of water up to 15 degree from the vertical.

   3                  Protected against direct water spraying up to 60 degree from the vertical.

   4                  Protected against water splashed from all directions, permitted for ingress limited.

   5                  Protected against low pressure jets of water from any directions, permitted for ingress                                               limited.

   6                  Protected against powerful nozle jets of water, permitted for ingress limited.

   7                    Protected for temporary submersion up to 1 metre for 30 minutes in water.

   8                    Protected for confinous submersion up to 30 meter depth at long period in water.

   9K                 Completly protected against high temperature poerful water jets.

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