IP Ratings

The degrees of protection are most commonly expressed as "IP" followed by two numbers, e.g. IP65, where the numbers define the degree of protection. The first digit (Foreign Bodies Protection)shows the extent to which the equipment is protected against particles, or to which persons are protected from enclosed hazards. The second digit (Water Protection) indicates the extent of protection against water.

First number (Protection against solid objects)	Definition	Second number (Protection against liquids)	Definition
0	No protection	0	No protection
1	Protected against solids objects over 50mm (e.g. accidental touch by hands	1	Protected against vertically falling drops of water
2	Protected against solids objects over 12mm (e.g. fingers)	2	Protected against direct sprays up to 15o from the vertical
3	Protected against solids objects over 2.5mm (e.g. tools and wires)	3	Protected against direct sprays up to 60o from the vertical
4	Protected against solids objects over 1mm (e.g. tools, wires and small wires	4	Protected against sprays from all directions - limited ingress permitted
5	Protected against dust - limited ingress (no harmful deposit)	5	Protected against low pressure jets if water from all directions - limited ingress permitted
6	Totally protected against dust	6	Protected against strong jets of water e.g. for use on shipdecks - limited ingress permitted
		7	Protected against the effects of temporary immersion between 15cm and 1m. Duration of test 30 minutes
		8	Protected against long periods of immersion under pressure