Ingress Protection ratings are defined by IEC 60529, and they are one of the few product specs where guessing has real consequences. A fitting that survives a splash will not survive a hose-down. Here is what the digits mean and how to pick.
How to read an IP rating
An IP rating has two digits. The first covers solids, the second covers liquids. Higher is more protective, and each level includes the ones below it.
First digit — solids and dust
- 0 — no protection
- 1 — objects over 50mm (a hand)
- 2 — objects over 12.5mm (a finger)
- 3 — objects over 2.5mm (a tool)
- 4 — objects over 1mm (a wire)
- 5 — dust protected: some ingress permitted, but not enough to interfere
- 6 — dust tight: no ingress at all
Second digit — liquids
- 0 — no protection
- 1 — dripping water, vertical
- 2 — dripping water, tilted up to 15°
- 3 — spraying water up to 60° from vertical
- 4 — splashing water from any direction
- 5 — low pressure water jets from any direction
- 6 — powerful water jets
- 7 — temporary immersion
- 8 — continuous immersion, conditions specified by the manufacturer
An X in either position means that characteristic has not been tested or rated. IPX4 tells you it handles splashing, and tells you nothing about dust.
The ratings you will actually meet
- IP44 — protected against wires and splashing. Sheltered outdoor and damp indoor locations.
- IP54 — dust protected, splashing. A common minimum for general outdoor weatherproof accessories.
- IP55 — dust protected, low pressure jets. Exposed outdoor.
- IP65 — dust tight, low pressure jets.
- IP66 — dust tight, powerful jets. The workhorse rating for industrial, washdown, coastal and fully exposed installations.
- IP67 — dust tight, temporary immersion. Anywhere that might briefly flood.
Where the mistakes happen
"Weatherproof" is marketing, not a rating
A product described as weatherproof with no IP number attached has told you nothing measurable. If the rating matters to the install, buy on the number.
The rating applies to the assembly, not the box
An IP66 enclosure fitted with an unrated gland, or with a knockout left open, is not an IP66 installation. Glands, blanking plugs and conduit entries all need to match. This is the single most common way a correctly specified enclosure ends up not performing.
Mounting orientation matters
Ratings are tested in the manufacturer's intended orientation. An enclosure mounted with its gland plate facing upward collects water in a way the test never simulated.
Higher is not automatically better
A fully sealed enclosure cannot breathe. In an environment with big temperature swings, that means condensation forming inside the box. Sometimes a lower ingress rating with proper ventilation, or a drain and breather, is the correct answer.
Filtering by IP rating
Every product in our catalogue with a verified IP rating carries it as a filterable specification, so you can narrow a category to the rating you need rather than reading datasheets one at a time. Our IP66 Weatherproof range collects the isolators, industrial sockets, enclosures and terminal boxes rated to IP66 in one place.
This is general guidance only. Installation requirements in Australia are set by AS/NZS 3000 and related standards, and electrical work must be carried out by a licensed electrician. Where an installation has specific ingress requirements, work from the standard and the manufacturer's documentation.