Ingress Protection (IP) Testing
Ingress protection (IP) testing is a test method that measures the ability of device enclosures to withstand exposure to dust, water, and other solid objects. Testing is performed in accordance with the international standard IEC 60529. It is used to determine the level of protection that an enclosure offers against the ingress of liquids, as well as objects of varying sizes, to ensure that the device will continue to function when exposed to environmental factors.
IP testing is broken up into two main test categories: Solid Ingress testing and Liquid Ingress testing. All device enclosures are rated for both solid and ingress protection, which are presented in the format “IPXY”, where X is the solid ingress rating, and Y is the liquid ingress rating. For example, a device enclosure rated for IP56 implies an IP5X Solid ingress rating, and an IPX6 liquid ingress rating.
IP Standard Codes
Water Ingress Codes
IPX1: Protected against falling water equivalent to 3-5mm rainfall per minute for a duration of 10 minutes.
IPX2: Protected against falling water when tilted up to 15 degrees – Same as IPX1 but unit is tested in 4 fixed positions – tilted 15 degrees in each direction from normal operating position.
IPX3: Protected against spraying water – Water spraying up to 60 degrees from vertical at 10 liters/min at a pressure of 80-100kN/m2 for 5 min.
IPX4: Protected against splashing water – Same as IPX3 but water is sprayed at all angles.
IPX5: Protected against water jets – Water projected at all angles through a 6.3mm nozzle flow rate of 12.5 liters/min at a pressure of 30kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.
IPX6: Protected against heavy seas – Water projected at all angles through a 12.5mm nozzle at a flow rate of 100 liters/min at a 100kN/m2 pressure for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.
IPX7: Protected against water immersion – Immersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.
IPX8: Protected against water submersion – Equipment suitable for continual submersion in water under conditions as specified by manufacturer.
Solid Ingress Codes
IP1X: Protected against solid foreign objects of 50 mm diameter and greater.
IP2X: Protected against solid foreign objects of 12.5 mm diameter and greater.
IP3X: Protected against solid foreign objects of 2.5 mm diameter and greater.
IP4X: Protected against solid foreign objects of 1.0 mm diameter and greater.
IP5X: Dust-protected – Ingress of dust is not totally prevented, but dust shall not penetrate in a quantity to interfere with satisfactory operation of the apparatus or to impair safety.
IP6X: Dust-tight – No ingress of dust.
