Ingress Protection and
Water Resistance Ratings
Ingress protection (IP) rating to
BS EN 60529: 1992 (also IEC 60529), recognised in most European
countries. A standardisation system for connectors and enclosures.
The classification consists of the letters "IP" followed by two digits,
as follows:
|
First
Number
Protection against solid objects |
Second
Number
Protection against liquids |
0 |
No protection |
No protection. |
1 |
Inaccesible to objects larger than 50mm diameter, eg.,
hands. |
Protected from vertically falling water. |
2 |
Inaccesible to objects larger than 12mm, eg., fingers. |
Protected from falling water up to 15° from
vertical. |
3 |
Inaccesible to objects larger than 2.5mm, eg., tools
and wires. |
Protected from falling water up to 60° from
vertical. |
4 |
Inaccesible to objects larger than 1mm. |
Limited ingress of water sprayed from any direction. |
5 |
Limited protection against dust (sufficient to prevent
malfunction). |
Limited ingress when sprayed by low-pressure water jets. |
6 |
Complete protection against dust. |
Limited ingress when sprayed by strong water jets. |
7 |
- |
Protected against immersion to a depth of 15cm to 1m
for 30 minutes. |
8 |
- |
Protection against long periods of immersion under
pressure. |
X |
Not certified |
Not certified |
JIS Ratings
An IPX rating (IPX0 - 8), is identical to a JIS (Japanese Industry
Standard) water resistance rating (JIS Class 0 - 8).
From the above it should be obvious that, if a rating is given, only
connectors and enclosures rated to IP68, IPX8, or JIS Class 8 are
suitable for use underwater at diving depths. Manufacturers who use the
IP rating system for underwater equipment also usually state the
pressure or immersion depth to which the product has been tested, eg.,
IP68 1bar (10 metres).
For information on IP ratings for road vehicles (IP69K etc.) see:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Code .