Understanding Ingress Protection (IP) Ratings As we become more reliant on technology for critical applications such as telematics, so the devices that power such systems need to be located in ever more diverse environments. However, because making devices resistant to water, dust or other harsh conditions adds cost, not every device can have the same level of environmental resistance. This makes sense, if data loggers are located in a warm, closed room with little chance of exposure to any harsh conditions, then you want the cheapest option, but if it is to be mounted on heavy machinery and exposed to inclement weather, mining dust and so forth, you need something highly resistant to ingress for reliability. So that we can easily see what sort of protection a device has, it is assigned an IP rating, consisting of two digits. The first digit shows how resistant the device is to ingress by solid objects such as dust, and the second shows how resistant it is to liquids. Each number has a precise definition of resistance as can be seen in the chart below, but in general, the higher the number, the more resistant to that type of contamination the device is. IP Ratings Chart First Digit (x) Protection Against Solids Second Digit (y) Protection Against Liquids 0 No protection 0 No protection 1 Protected against solid objects up to 50mm 1 Protected against vertically falling drops 2 Protected against solid objects up to 12mm 2 Protected against direct sprays up to 15° from vertical 3 Protected against solid objects up to 2.5mm 3 Protected against direct sprays up to 60° from vertical 4 Protected against solid objects up to 1mm 4 Protected against water sprayed from all directions 5 Dust protected - limited ingress (no harmful deposit) 5 Protected against low-pressure water jets from all directions 6 Dust tight - no ingress of dust 6 Protected against strong water jets and waves - - 6K Protected against powerful water jets and heavy seas - - 7 Protected against immersion up to 1m depth - - 8 Protected against long periods of immersion under pressure - - 9K Protected against high-pressure, high-temperature jet sprays, wash-downs or steam-cleaning procedures For instance, if a device has an IP rating of 68, it would be dust tight, and able to withstand long periods of immersion under pressure. You may sometimes see additional letters after IP appear before the numbers. This is a way of displaying additional information and is defined by various product standards. Conclusion For reliable, cost-effective operation it is crucial that you select the most suitable device for any environment, so that whether in a room or exposed on heavy machinery, it will provide reliable operation and avoid contamination by its environment. The Ingress Protection Rating provides simple, at a glance understanding of a device’s capabilities in terms of resistance to harsh environments, and is a standardized approach that makes it much easier to find the right tool for every task.
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