What does this IP code mean?
Type the code from the label or the spec sheet. Each digit is read from the definitions in IEC 60529, the standard behind IP codes. Nothing you type leaves this page.
How an IP code is built
- IP, then the first digit (0 to 6) for solid objects and for touching hazardous parts, then the second digit (0 to 9) for water.
- X stands in for a digit that is not specified. IPX4 rates splashing water and says nothing either way about dust.
- Optional letters can follow: one of A–D for protection against touching, then H, M, S or W for extra information.
- Water ratings stop adding up at 6. 7 and 8 do not: an IPX7 or IPX8 item is not rated for water jets (5 or 6) unless it is dual-coded, for example IPX6/IPX7.
- The water tests use fresh water. IEC 60529 warns that protection may not be satisfactory under high-pressure cleaning or solvents.
IP69K comes from ISO 20653, the road-vehicle standard, not from IEC 60529. Codes with a K (IPX9K, IP6K9K, IP69K) use their own tests. In ISO 20653, 9K means water during high-pressure or steam-jet cleaning must have no harmful effect. IEC 60529 has its own numeral 9 for high-pressure, high-temperature water jets, added in 2013.
Worked examples
- IP20: 2 — Protected against solid objects of 12.5 mm and larger (a 12.5 mm sphere must not fully get in), and against touching hazardous parts with a finger. 0 — Not protected against water.
- IP44: 4 — Protected against solid objects of 1.0 mm and larger (a 1.0 mm probe must not get in at all), and against touching hazardous parts with a wire. 4 — Protected against splashing water: water splashed against the enclosure from any direction must have no harmful effect.
- IP67: 6 — Dust-tight: no ingress of dust. Protected against touching hazardous parts with a wire. 7 — Protected against the effects of temporary immersion in water. The standard test: 30 minutes with the lowest point 1 m under water (or the top 0.15 m under, for enclosures 850 mm or taller).
- IPX4: X — Not specified: the maker gives no rating for solid objects. IEC 60529 writes X where a numeral is not required to be specified; it does not mean zero protection, and it does not mean tested. 4 — Protected against splashing water: water splashed against the enclosure from any direction must have no harmful effect.
IP99 and IP7X are rejected: the first digit only goes to 6.
First digit: solids and touch
| Digit | Meaning |
|---|---|
| X | Not specified: the maker gives no rating for solid objects. IEC 60529 writes X where a numeral is not required to be specified; it does not mean zero protection, and it does not mean tested. |
| 0 | Not protected against solid objects or against touching hazardous parts. |
| 1 | Protected against solid objects of 50 mm and larger (a 50 mm sphere must not fully get in), and against touching hazardous parts with the back of a hand. |
| 2 | Protected against solid objects of 12.5 mm and larger (a 12.5 mm sphere must not fully get in), and against touching hazardous parts with a finger. |
| 3 | Protected against solid objects of 2.5 mm and larger (a 2.5 mm probe must not get in at all), and against touching hazardous parts with a tool. |
| 4 | Protected against solid objects of 1.0 mm and larger (a 1.0 mm probe must not get in at all), and against touching hazardous parts with a wire. |
| 5 | Dust-protected: dust is not totally kept out, but must not get in in a quantity that interferes with operation or impairs safety. Protected against touching hazardous parts with a wire. |
| 6 | Dust-tight: no ingress of dust. Protected against touching hazardous parts with a wire. |
Second digit: water
| Digit | Meaning |
|---|---|
| X | Not specified: the maker gives no rating for water. IEC 60529 writes X where a numeral is not required to be specified; it does not mean the item is waterproof, or that it is not. |
| 0 | Not protected against water. |
| 1 | Protected against vertically falling water drops: they must have no harmful effect. |
| 2 | Protected against vertically falling water drops when the enclosure is tilted up to 15° either side of vertical. |
| 3 | Protected against spraying water: water sprayed at up to 60° either side of vertical must have no harmful effect. |
| 4 | Protected against splashing water: water splashed against the enclosure from any direction must have no harmful effect. |
| 5 | Protected against water jets: water projected in jets (6.3 mm nozzle) from any direction must have no harmful effect. |
| 6 | Protected against powerful water jets: water projected in powerful jets (12.5 mm nozzle) from any direction must have no harmful effect. |
| 7 | Protected against the effects of temporary immersion in water. The standard test: 30 minutes with the lowest point 1 m under water (or the top 0.15 m under, for enclosures 850 mm or taller). |
| 8 | Protected against the effects of continuous immersion in water, under conditions agreed between maker and user that must be more severe than for 7. Ask the maker what depth and time it means. |
| 9 | Protected against high-pressure and high-temperature water jets (added to IEC 60529 by amendment 2 in 2013). |
Optional letters
| Letter | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A | Protected against access to hazardous parts with the back of a hand (50 mm sphere). |
| B | Protected against access to hazardous parts with a finger (jointed test finger, 12 mm × 80 mm). |
| C | Protected against access to hazardous parts with a tool (2.5 mm probe, 100 mm long). |
| D | Protected against access to hazardous parts with a wire (1.0 mm probe, 100 mm long). |
| H | High-voltage apparatus. |
| M | Water test done with moving parts (for example a motor’s rotor) in motion. |
| S | Water test done with moving parts stationary. |
| W | Suitable for use under specified weather conditions, with additional protective features or processes. |
What this page cannot do
- It reads the code. It cannot check that a product passed the test: an IP code is the maker’s statement.
- For IPX8 the depth and time are agreed between maker and user, so only the maker can tell you what its 8 means.
- The indoor-use-only house symbol is a separate mark, not an IP code: it says what the maker designed the item for, not what it was tested against.
Sources
- Public.Resource.Org (Bureau of Indian Standards): IS/IEC 60529:2001 — Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code), the identical Indian adoption of IEC 60529 edition 2.1 (PDF) — Clause 4: first numeral 0 to 6 or X, second 0 to 8 or X; X replaces a numeral not required to be specified. Tables 1–3: the digit definitions used here. Clause 6: up to 6 a water rating includes lower ones, 7 or 8 alone is unsuitable for jets unless dual coded; fresh-water tests. 14.2.7: 30 min immersion, lowest point 1 000 mm down (top 150 mm down if 850 mm or taller). Table 4 and clause 8: letters A–D and H, M, S, W. Checked 2026-09-24.
- iTeh Standards (publisher preview): IEC 60529 edition 2.2 (2013-08), consolidated with amendment 2 — preview pages (PDF) — Edition 2.2 contains amendment 2 (2013); contents list “14.2.9 Test for second characteristic numeral 9 with a spray nozzle” and figures for “protection against high-pressure and temperature water jet, degree of protection against ingress of water IP X9”. Checked 2026-09-24.
- iTeh Standards (publisher preview): ISO 20653:2023 Road vehicles — Degrees of protection (IP code) — preview pages (PDF) — “The IP codes used in this document are in accordance with IEC 60529, except in the case of codes ‘K’, which describe special requirements for road vehicles that are not covered by IEC 60529.” Table 4: 9K — water during high-pressure/steam-jet cleaning shall not have any harmful effects. Checked 2026-09-24.
Digit wording is ours, condensed from the standard’s tables; test details are the standard’s.