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Home / Technical Articles / IP Protection Degree (IEC 60529) Explained

IP Protection Degree (IEC 60529) ExplainedThe protection of enclosures against ingress of dirt or against the ingress of water is defined in IEC529 (BSEN60529:1991). Conversely, an enclosure which protects equipment against ingress of particles will also protect a person from potential hazards within that enclosure, and this degree of protection is also defined as a standard.

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 shows the extent to which the equipment is protected against particles, or to which persons are protected from enclosed hazards. The second digit indicates the extent of protection against water.

The wording in the table is not exactly as used in the standards document, but the dimensions are accurate.

IP Degree of Protection according to EN/IEC 60529

First FigureSecond Figure
0No protection0No protection
1Protected against a solid object 50 mm or greater1Protected against vertically dripping water
2Protected against a solid object 12 mm or greater2Protected against vertically dripping water, when tilted 15 degrees
3Protected against a solid object 2,5 mm or greater3Protected against water spraying at an angle up to 60 degree
4Protected against a solid object 1 mm or greater4Protected against water splashing from any direction
5Dust protected5Protected against jets of water from any directions
6Dust tight6Protected against powerful jets of water from any directions
7Protected against immersion between a depth of 150 mm and 1000 mm
8Protected against submersion

Correlations between IP (IEC) and NEMA 250 standards

  • IP10 -> NEMA 1
  • IP11 -> NEMA 2
  • IP54 -> NEMA 3 R
  • IP52 -> NEMA 5-12-12 K
  • IP54 -> NEMA 3-3 S
  • IP56 -> NEMA 4-4 X
  • IP67 -> NEMA 6-6 P

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Edvard Csanyi

Electrical engineer, programmer and founder of EEP. Highly specialized for design of LV/MV switchgears and LV high power busbar trunking (<6300A) in power substations, commercial buildings and industry facilities. Professional in AutoCAD programming.

9 Comments


  1. [email protected]
    May 09, 2022

    please provide us with technical and financial IP testing according to IEC 60529 training course .


  2. Vikas Godbole
    Nov 12, 2021

    Is there any clause in IEC 60529 regarding the using the canopy for outdoor Distribution Board OR Junction Box. (i.e. below IP 54 canopy to be used OR above IP 65 canopy is not required something like that)


  3. Joshua Bashans
    Oct 28, 2021

    Can I change the IP rates of a device by taping or applying shrink tubing to terminals to prevent people from coming into physical contact with energized electrical connections?


  4. sethuraman
    Nov 15, 2018

    What is IP55W and what is the difference between IP55 and IP55W….kindly help me out.

    Thanks


    • Kevin Moynihan
      Jan 27, 2022

      The “W” is a qualifier that stands for Weather conditions. The specific weather conditions would be specified by the manufacturer of the device.


  5. Gracie
    May 28, 2018

    Thanks for the information, i’m wondering how do companies get the right to declare that their products are rated ‘IP67’? Is there a governing body that runs the tests, or do the companies do the test on their own and submit the results somewhere?


  6. gustavo cordoba
    Oct 21, 2015

    I want to know if a product (multimeter) rated with Ip 65 can work properly under condictions of 90% of (HR) relative Humitdity in the amazon?
    Thanks and best regards,


  7. shailesh
    Aug 31, 2015

    i have one query..
    do I need to carry out on each starter cum control panel IP test ?
    can you confirm in relation with IS/IEC standard.


  8. shelesh Tiwari
    Dec 31, 2014

    corelation between IP and NEMA is just a comparison i guess. i am interested to know whether this corelation is provided by standard.
    to put in other words “can a assembly certified to IP 56 be declared to be certified for NEMA 4-4X, based on IP 56 Testing only?

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