The IP (Ingress Protection) rating indicates the level of protection against dust and water. For example, IP65 means the light is dust-tight and water-resistant.

A universal IP rating system is needed to ensure the safety of certain electrical and mechanical goods in specific environments and applications.

In contrast to more vague terms such as ‘waterproof’, which can be misleading about a product’s ability to resist moisture infiltration, IP ratings give a much clearer picture.

The ingress protection meaning of each digit provides a detailed description of the specific degree of resistance or protection the product is expected to offer.

What Does an IP Rating Measure?

Ingress protection ratings denote three key factors:

• Resistance to ingress by the user
• Resistance to the ingress of foreign bodies
• Resistance to the ingress of moisture

There are two digits in an IP rating, sometimes followed by a letter indicating specific materials, hazards, or testing scenarios. Typically, a rating is given in the form of ‘IP43’ or ‘IP67’.

The first digit, a number between 0 and 6, indicates the degree of protection against solid objects. This could be an individual or other potentially harmful particles, like dirt or dust.

The second digit of an IP rating is a number between 0 and 9. In this number, you can see how well a material resists moisture ingress at different depths, angles, intensities, and pressures of immersion or exposure.

In some cases, an additional letter may be appended to the end of an IP rating, e.g. ‘IP67’. This is done to indicate either certified resistance to specific materials/hazards, such as oil or high voltages, or a particular scenario in which the IP testing was conducted (for example, in moving water). This is relatively unusual in most day-to-day applications, however. For more information on any additional letters appended to an IP code, you can contact our support team.