Ingress Protection (IP) Ratings
These codes indicate the level of protection an item of electrical equipment has against the ingress of both solid objects and moisture. The fittings featured on this web site generally have their IP ratings shown in the product description.
For example: A fitting with an IP rating of IP43 would mean that any live part is protected from physical objects greater than 1mm in diameter and would be pretty much water-resistant if sprayed with a water jet at upto 60 degrees from vertical. For outside light fittings this would be equivalent to very heavy rain.
A fitting with an IP rating of IP56 would be considered water-proof, whereas an IP rating of IP68 would be considered submersible to depths below 1 metre.
| Protection Against Solids | Protection Against Water | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Number | Description | Second Number | Description |
| 0 | Not protected | 0 | Not protected |
| 1 | Protected against objects greater than 50 mm | 1 | Protected against vertically dripping water |
| 2 | Protected against objects greater than 12.5 mm | 2 | Protected against direct sprays up to 15 deg from vertical |
| 3 | Protected against objects greater than 2.5mm | 3 | Protected against direct sprays up to 60 deg from vertical |
| 4 | Protected against objects greater than 1 mm | 4 | Protected against direct sprays from all angles |
| 5 | Dust-protected (no harmful deposit) | 5 | Protected against low-pressure water jets |
| 6 | Dust-tight | 6 | Protected against high-pressure water jets |
| 7 | Immersible in water up to 1 m | ||
| 8 | Immersible in water beyond 1 m | ||