IP Rating

Ingress Protection Rating (also International Protection Rating) rates the degrees of protection against the penetration of objects into electrical equipment.

The IP rating is a helpful guide to consider when selecting a lighting fixture that will be situated in damp conditions such as bathrooms or outdoors. Most outdoor lights will have an associated IP rating so it comes down to selecting the correct lighting fixture for your desired location.

The IP rating is represented with two numbers indicating the level of protection against solids and liquids. The first number defines the level of protection against the penetration of Solid Objects into the housing of the product. The second number defines the level of prote ction against the penetration of Liquids in the housing of the product.

IP Table

  First Number   Second Number
  Protection from entry of solid objects   Protection from entry of Liquids
0 No Protection 0 No Protection
1 Protection against objects larger than 50mm 1 Protection against drops of water falling vertically
2 Protection against objects larger than 12mm 2 Protection against drops of water falling vertically when fixture is tilted up to 15o
3 Protection against objects larger than 2.5mm 3 Protection against water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60o(rain)
4 Protection against objects larger than 1mm 4 Protection against splashes of water from any direction
5 Dust Protected 5 Protection from low pressure jet of water from any direction
6 Dust Tight 6 Protection from high pressure jet of water from any direction
    7 Protection from submersion up to 1m
    8 Protection from submersion beyond 1m

Common IP Ratings:

IP20 Ordinary
IP22 Drip Proof
IP23 Rain Proof
IP44 Splash Proof
IP55 Dust Proof, Jet Proof
IP64 Dust Tight, Splash Proof
IP65 Dust Tight, Jet Proof
IP67 Dust Tight, Watertight
IP68 Dust Tight, Pressure Watertight