The ingress protection ratings (short form: IP ratings or also called IP codes) classify the degree of protection that an electrical appliance provides against the ingress of solid objects, dust, accidental contact, and water. The different IP ratings are included in the IEC 60529 standard developed through the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

An IP rating consists of two digits followed by optional letters to provide additional information related to the protection of the device. The first digit stands for the protection against solid objects (including body parts such as hands or fingers) and the second one for the protection against water. Find an overview chart describing the two digits by clicking the screenshot on the right.

There also exists a second standard, the NEMA 250. IP ratings are primarily used in Europe, whereas the NEMA ratings are used in the USA. IP and NEMA ratings are not identical, but similar and can be compared. IP ratings only consider the protection against the ingress of solid objects and water, whereas NEMA ratings also consider other characteristics such as corrosion protection, construction details, and environmental requirements.

Find an IP ratings chart and a NEMA ratings chart with IP rating equivalents in the PDF to compare these two ratings. For more in depth information on the NEMA 250 standard, please visit the following website http://www.nema.org/. Also visit the website of the IEC to find more details about the IEC 60529 standard: http://www.iec.ch/.

INDUSTRONIC uses the European IP ratings for its products. The digital explosion-proof (hazardous area) intercom stations of the DX/DXE 0x5 series are rated IP66, for example. The first digit means that the intercom station is dust tight. There is no ingress of dust and it is completely protected against contact. The second digit indicates that powerful water jets against the housing don’t have a harmful effect.