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IP Ratings, or Ingress Protection Ratings, can be somewhat confusing at first. The below IP Ratings Chart clarifies for you the different IP ratings, what each IP rating means, and how the IP Rating system works.
What are IP Ratings?
IP stands for ingress protection. IP ratings are a scale that determines an object’s ability to prevent solid or liquid materials from entering itself.
These IP ratings are prescribed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
The code that lays out the standard for IP ratings is the IEC 60529 IP CODE.
IP ratings are determined by the preceding “IP” and the two numbers that follow. The first is a number indicating the amount of protection from solids. The second number determines the protection from liquids.
For example, an object rated IP67 rating on the IP Rating chart would be a product that is (6) dust-tight and (7) protected from temporary water immersion.
Use the IP chart from the IEC below to determine the multitude of ratings that can be obtained for varying products.
If you are looking for the IPX Rating Chart for waterproofing only and products that have not been tested on solids, keep reading.
IP Ratings Chart
What Do IP Ratings Mean?
The degree of water or solids protection is indicated by an item’s IP rating, which is sometimes graded with an IPX rating, such as IPX5.
The X in IPX ratings means that the product has not been tested on solids, and therefore the X takes the place of the first number in the IP rating chart.
The number that follows the X is the waterproof rating.
The IPX rating is also dictated by the international code published by the IEC.
As previously stated, ingress simply means going in or entering. Therefore, IP refers to the level of protection needed to prevent entry.
Now that you have a full understanding of what IPX references, let’s go through the IPX Rating itself.
We will discuss what level of protection each numeric level provides and how it was tested.
IP Waterproof Rating Chart
IPX0 Rating
It offers no water protection at all.
IPX1 Rating
(Dripping Water)
Products in the IPX1 Waterproof protection category should be able to withstand vertically dripping water without harmful effects.
Protection at this level was tested for a period of 10 minutes under vertically dripping water equivalent to 1 mm of water volume and was found to have no ingress of water.
IPX2 Rating
(Dripping water at an angle)
Products in the IPX2 Waterproof protection category should be able to withstand vertically dripping water when tilted to 15° of their normal position without harmful effects.
Protection at this level was tested for a period of 10 minutes under vertically dripping water equivalent to 3 mm of water volume, and the protective enclosure was tilted at 15°.
IPX3 Rating
(Spraying Water)
Products in the IPX3 Waterproof Rating protection category should be able to withstand vertically falling water in the form of a spray out to a 60° angle from the vertical without harmful effects, such as this Solar Hand Crank Emergency Weather Radio.
Protection at this level was tested for a period of 10 minutes at a volume of about 1.84 gallons per minute at a pressure of between 11.6 psi and 14.5 psi.
IPX4 Rating
(Splashing Water)
Products in the IPX4 water resistance rating protection category should be able to withstand water splashing against the protective layer from any direction without harmful effects.
Protection at this level was tested for a period of 5 minutes at a volume of about 2.64 gallons per minute at a pressure of between 11.6 psi to 14.5 psi.
IPX5 Rating
(Water Jets)
Products in the IPX5 Waterproof Rating protection category should be able to withstand water from about a one-quarter-inch nozzle against the protective layer from any angle.
Protection at this level was tested for a period of 15 minutes at a volume of about 1.84 gallons per minute at a pressure of 4.35psi from a distance of 9.84ft.
IPX6 Rating
(Powerful Water Jets)
Products in the IPX6 Waterproof Rating protection category should be able to withstand water from about a one-quarter-inch nozzle against the protective layer.
Protection at this level was tested for a period of 3 minutes at a volume of about 26 gallons per minute at a pressure of 14.5 psi from a distance of 9.84 ft.
IPX6-K Rating
(Increasing Pressure of Powerful Water Jets)
Products in the IPX6-K Waterproof Rating, a rarely used subcategory of protection, should be able to withstand water from about a one-quarter-inch nozzle against the protective layer.
Protection at this level was tested for a period of 3 minutes at a volume of about 19 gallons per minute at a pressure of 145 psi from a distance of 9.84ft.
IPX7 Rating
(Immersion of up to 3 ft.)
Products in the IPX7 Waterproof Rating protection category should be able to withstand submersion of the product in up to 3 feet of water for a period of 30 minutes or less.
Protection at this level was tested for a period of 30 minutes at a depth of at most 3.28 ft to the bottom of the product and at least 5.9 ft from water level to the top of the protective layer.
IPX8 Rating
(Immersion of beyond 3 ft.)
Warning: Equipment that qualifies for continuous immersion should be specifically stated by the manufacturer to ensure warranty validity.
This generally means that the product should be hermetically sealed (air-tight).
With certain products or equipment, this can mean that “some” water can enter the protective enclosure, but the protection level should still prevent any harmful effect.
Products in the IPX8 Waterproof Rating protection category should be able to withstand vertically falling water in the form of a spray out to a 60° angle from the vertical.
Protection at this level was tested in the continuous immersion of water at a depth specified by the manufacturer, generally up to 9.84ft.
