What is IP Rating?
An IP Rating (Ingress Protection Rating) is the basic indicator that classifies different levels of sealing effectiveness provided by a control panel manufacturer for a particular cabinet against foreign bodies such as objects, water, dirt, etc.
The international standard EN 60529 defines IP indicators (British BS EN 60529: 1992, European IEC 60509: 1989). They are used to determine how successful an electrical box is at keeping foreign objects (tools, dirt, etc.) away from entering into it.
What do an IP Rating’s two digits mean?
The rating consists of the letters of the IP followed by a two-digit number. The higher the number more powerful the protection will be. Numbers may be replaced by X. Which indicates that the case is not suitable for that specification.
The below sections describe the significance of each digit in a IP rating numeric representation
First Digit (Intrusion protection)
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(X - See the section below): No particular safeguards are in place. For protection against this type of infiltration, it is not rated (or no rating is provided).
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Protection from various body parts such as a hand (However, there is no safeguard against unauthorized access); On hard objects with a diameter of 50 mm or more.
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Other objects and fingers with a maximum length of 80mm and a diameter of 12mm are protected.
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Protection from tools, wires, and other objects with a diameter of 2.5 mm or more.
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Protection from solid objects bigger than 1mm like wires, nails, screws.
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Partially protects equipment from dust that could harm it.
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Completely dust-proof. Complete dust and particulate protection, including a vacuum seal, tested against continuous airflow.
Second Digit (moisture protection)
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(See the section below): No protection.
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Protection against vertical drops such as condensation. Make sure that there is no damage or disruption to the operation of the components when the object is in an upright position.
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Protection against water drops that deviate up to 15° from vertical.
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Protection against splashing at an angle of up to 60° from vertical.
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Protected against splashing water from all directions. Tested with vibrating spray for a minimum of 10 minutes (allowing limited penetration without harmful effects).
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Protection against low-pressure water jets (6.3 mm) directed at any angle (allowing limited penetration without harm).
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Protection against direct high-pressure jetting.
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Protect against full immersion for up to 30 minutes at depths of 15 cm to 1 m (limited penetration is allowed without harmful consequences).
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Avoid prolonged immersion at higher pressures (i.e. deeper water depths). The exact parameters of this test are established and published by the manufacturer and may include additional factors such as temperature fluctuations and flow rates depending on the type of equipment.
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(K): Protection against high-pressure, high-temperature jet sprays, wash-downs, or steam-cleaning treatments - most commonly found in specialized road vehicle applications (standard ISO 20653:2013 Road Vehicles - Degrees of Protection).
# Brief Idea About Ingress Protection: How to rate IP
IP RATING TABLE
| IP Rating | First Digit - SOLIDS | Second Digit - LIQUIDS |
|---|---|---|
| IP00 | Solids are not protected. | Not protected from liquids. |
| IP01 | Solids are not protected. | Protected from condensation. |
| IP02 | Solids are not protected. | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical. |
| IP03 | Solids are not protected. | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical. |
| IP04 | Solids are not protected. | Protected from water spray from any direction. |
| IP05 | Solids are not protected. | Protected from low pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP06 | Solids are not protected. | Protected from high pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP07 | Solids are not protected. | Protected from immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth. |
| IP08 | Solids are not protected. | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure. |
| IP10 | Hands with a length of more than 50 mm are shielded from contact. | Not protected from liquids. |
| IP11 | Hands with a length of more than 50 mm are shielded from contact. | Protected from condensation. |
| IP12 | Hands with a length of more than 50 mm are shielded from contact. | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical. |
| IP13 | Hands with a length of more than 50 mm are shielded from contact. | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical. |
| IP14 | Hands with a length of more than 50 mm are shielded from contact. | Protected from water spray from any direction. |
| IP15 | Hands with a length of more than 50 mm are shielded from contact. | Protected from low pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP16 | Hands with a length of more than 50 mm are shielded from contact. | Protected from high pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP17 | Hands with a length of more than 50 mm are shielded from contact. | Protected from immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth. |
| IP18 | Hands with a length of more than 50 mm are shielded from contact. | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure. |
| IP20 | Fingers and things larger than 12 mm are not allowed to contact it. | Not protected from liquids. |
| IP21 | Fingers and things larger than 12 mm are not allowed to contact it. | Protected from condensation. |
| IP22 | Fingers and things larger than 12 mm are not allowed to contact it. | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical. |
| IP23 | Fingers and things larger than 12 mm are not allowed to contact it. | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical. |
| IP24 | Fingers and things larger than 12 mm are not allowed to contact it. | Protected from water spray from any direction. |
| IP25 | Fingers and things larger than 12 mm are not allowed to contact it. | Protected from low pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP26 | Fingers and things larger than 12 mm are not allowed to contact it. | Protected from high pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP27 | Fingers and things larger than 12 mm are not allowed to contact it. | Protected from immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth. |
| IP28 | Fingers and things larger than 12 mm are not allowed to contact it. | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure. |
| IP30 | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimeters. | Not protected from liquids. |
| IP31 | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimeters. | Protected from condensation. |
| IP32 | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimeters. | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical. |
| IP33 | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimeters. | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical. |
| IP34 | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimeters. | Protected from water spray from any direction. |
| IP35 | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimeters. | Protected from low pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP36 | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimeters. | Protected from high pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP37 | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimeters. | Protected from immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth. |
| IP38 | Protected from tools and wires greater than 2.5 millimeters. | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure. |
| IP40 | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimeter. | Not protected from liquids. |
| IP41 | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimeter. | Protected from condensation. |
| IP42 | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimeter. | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical. |
| IP43 | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimeter. | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical. |
| IP44 | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimeter. | Protected from water spray from any direction. |
| IP45 | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimeter. | Protected from low pressure water jets in any direction. |
| IP46 | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimeter. | Protected from high pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP47 | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimeter. | Protected from immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth. |
| IP48 | Protected from tools and small wires greater than 1 millimeter. | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure. |
| IP50 | Protected against limited dust ingress. | Not protected from liquids. |
| IP51 | Protected against limited dust ingress. | Protected from condensation. |
| IP52 | Protected against limited dust ingress. | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical. |
| IP53 | Protected against limited dust ingress. | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical. |
| IP54 | Protected against limited dust ingress. | Protected from water spray from any direction. |
| IP55 | Protected against limited dust ingress. | Protected from low pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP56 | Protected against limited dust ingress. | Protected from high pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP57 | Protected against limited dust ingress. | Protected from immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth. |
| IP58 | Protected against limited dust ingress. | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure. |
| IP60 | It is protected from complete ingress of dust. | Not protected from liquids. |
| IP61 | It is protected from complete ingress of dust. | Protected from condensation. |
| IP62 | It is protected from complete ingress of dust. | Protected from water spray less than 15 degrees from vertical. |
| IP63 | It is protected from complete ingress of dust. | Protected from water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical. |
| IP64 | It is protected from complete ingress of dust. | Protected from water spray from any direction. |
| IP65 | It is protected from complete ingress of dust. | Protected from low pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP66 | It is protected from complete ingress of dust. | Protected from high pressure water jets from any direction. |
| IP67 | It is protected from complete ingress of dust. | Protected from immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth. |
| IP68 | It is protected from complete ingress of dust. | Protected from long term immersion up to a specified pressure. |
| IP69K | It is protected from complete ingress of dust. | Protected from steam-jet cleaning. |
What types of the panel needs IP Rating?
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Indoor Control system Panels – DCS control system panels in a controlled environment like DCS Rack room
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Indoor Machine Control Centre Panels – Electrical panels like feeders, UPS panels in a controlled environment like MCC rooms
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Outdoor Panels – All external panels placed outside in harsh environment like Light Distribution box (LDB), Junction Box (JB), Third Party system panels like Compressor panels, RTU Mounting Panels, etc.,
Ex: Rittal manufacturer supplies the majority of DCS/PLC Control system-oriented Rittal panels with multiple choices of IP ratings as per the specification of the customer. Rittal panels IP ratings will also follow the standards explained above.