IP rating - what it really means

April 2001 Enclosures, Cabling & Connectors

When searching for the right enclosure for the application at hand, people often ask for a certain size enclosure that 'must be IP65' ('sixty-five') when it may not be necessary. IP rating is a measure of the degree of protection an enclosure provides against ingress by foreign matter, expressed in terms of two or three digits, eg IP65-9 ('six-five-nine').

The first digit refers to protection against solid matter, eg dust. A rating of 6 means the enclosure is totally dust-tight even under conditions of an internal vacuum. Rating 5 protects against dust, 'allowing no harmful deposits'. In many applications where there is not a prevalence of large quantities of fine dust this rating would be sufficient.

The second digit is the degree to which the enclosure is protected against ingress of liquids. A rating of 5 provides protection from low-pressure water jets from all directions, such as a common hose. Rating 6 protects against high pressure hosing or sea waves.

A third, less commonly used digit refers to the enclosure's mechanical impact strength. The most common rating of nine withstands an impact of 10 Joules.

When considering the most suitable enclosure for a specific application or environment, an understanding of IP ratings can save one a lot of time and money.

For further information contact Andy Kapral, Elen Enclosures, (011) 472 2220, [email protected]

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