Ingress Definition - Ground Control

The IP Code - International Protection Rating

This rating classifies the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water in electrical enclosures. The standard aims to provide users more detailed information than vague marketing terms such as waterproof.

The first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts (e.g., electrical conductors, moving parts) and the ingress of solid foreign objects.

The second digit shows the protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water.

1st Digit – Protection against solid objects

Level	Object Size Protected Against	Effective Against
0	___	No protection against contact and ingress of objects.
1	Less than 50mm	Any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part.
2	Less than 12.5mm	Fingers or similar objects.
3	Less than 2.5mm	Tools, thick wires, etc.
4	Less than 1mm	Most wires, screws, etc.
5	Dust-protected	Ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact.
6	Dust-tight	No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact.

2nd Digit – Protection against liquids

Level	Protected Against	Details
0	Not protected	Not protected
1	Dripping water	Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect.
2	Dripping water when tilted up to 15°	Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15° from its normal position.
3	Spraying water	Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect.
4	Splashing water	Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect.
5	Water jets	Water projected by a nozzle against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect.
6	Powerful water jets	Water projected in powerful jets against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect.
7	Immersion up to one meter	Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to one meter of submersion for 30 minutes).
8	Immersion beyond one meter	The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. NOTE: Normally, this will mean that the equipment is hermetically sealed. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that produces no harmful effects.