Many of the products designed and manufactured by Intricon meets various Ingress Protection (or IP ratings), such as IP45, IPX5, or IP67, etc., depending on the requirements from the customer or the industry the product is serving in. But just what is an IP rating?
IP ratings are usually a two-digit grading system, defined in international standard EN 60529 (British BS EN 60529:1992, European IEC 60509:1989). They are used to define levels of sealing effectiveness of electrical enclosures against intrusion from foreign bodies (tools, dirt etc) and moisture.
The IP ratings table below tells you what each digit in a standard IP code means.
First Digit – Protection From Foreign Body And Particulate Ingress:
| Level Sized | Effective Against | Description |
| X | — | Not rated (or no rating supplied) for protection against ingress of this type. |
| 0 | — | No protection against contact and ingress of objects |
| 1 | >50 mm 2.0 in |
Protection against solid objects larger than 50mm (accidental hand contact with open palm), but not against deliberate body contact. |
| 2 | >12.5 mm 0.49 in |
Protection against solid objects larger than 12mm (accidental finger contact). |
| 3 | >2.5 mm 0.098 in |
Protection against solid objects larger than 2.5mm (tools and wires). |
| 4 | >1 mm 0.039 in |
Protection against solid objects larger than 1mm (fine tools and wires, nails, screws, larger insects and other potentially invasive small objects) |
| 5 | Dust protected | Partial protection against dust and other particulates, such that any ingress will not damage or impede the satisfactory performance of internal components. |
| 6 | Dust-tight | Full protection against dust and other particulates, including a vacuum seal, tested against continuous airflow. |
Second Digit – Protection From Moisture/Fluid Ingress:
| Level Sized | Protect Against | Description |
| X | — | Not rated (or no rating supplied) for protection against ingress of this type. |
| 0 | — | No protection against contact and ingress of water |
| 1 | Dripping water | Test duration: 10 minutes
Water equivalent to 1 mm (0.039 in) rainfall per minute |
| 2 | Dripping water when tilted at 15° | Test duration: 2.5 minutes for every direction of tilt (10 minutes total)
Water equivalent to 3 mm (0.12 in) rainfall per minute |
| 3 | Spraying water | For a spray nozzle: Test duration: 1 minute per square meter for at least 5 minutes Water volume: 10 litres per minute (0.037 impgal/s) Pressure: 50–150 kPa (7.3–21.8 psi)
For an oscillating tube: Test duration: 10 minutes Water volume: 0.07 litres per minute (0.00026 impgal/s) per hole |
| 4 | Splashing of water | Oscillating tube: Test duration: 10 minutes, or spray nozzle (same as IPX3 spray nozzle with the shield removed) |
| 5 | Water jets | Test duration: 1 minute per square meter for at least 3 minutes
Water volume: 12.5 litres per minute Pressure: 30 kPa (4.4 psi) at distance of 3 meters (9.8 ft) |
| 6 | Powerful water jets | Test duration: 1 minute per square meter for at least 3 minutes
Water volume: 100 litres per minute (0.37 impgal/s) Pressure: 100 kPa (15 psi) at distance of 3 meters (9.8 ft) |
| 6K | Powerful water jets with increased pressure | Test duration: at least 3 minutes
Water volume: 75 litres per minute (0.27 impgal/s) Pressure: 1,000 kPa (150 psi) at distance of 3 meters (9.8 ft) |
| 7 | Immersion, up to 1 meter depth | Test duration: 30 minutes
Tested with the lowest point of the enclosure 1,000 mm (39 in) below the surface of the water, or the highest point 150 mm (5.9 in) below the surface, whichever is deeper. |
| 8 | Immersion, 1 meter or more depth | Test duration: agreement with manufacturer
Depth specified by the manufacturer, generally up to 3 meters (9.8 ft) |
| 9K | Powerful high temperature water jets | Test duration: Fixture: 30 sec. in each of 4 angles (2 min. total), Freehand: 1 min/m2, 3 min. minimum
Water volume: 14–16 litres per minute (0.051–0.059 impgal/s) Pressure: 8–10 MPa (80–100 bar) at distance of 0.10–0.15 meters (3.9 in–5.9 in) Water temperature: 80 °C (176 °F) |
Do contact Intricon Asia for your specific IP rated product or microphone.