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What is an IP rating and What Does it Mean?

An IP rating is "a system for classifying the degrees of protection provided by enclosures of electrical equipment for two conditions: 1) the protection of persons against access to hazardous parts and protection of equipment against the ingress of solid foreign objects and 2) the ingress of water. The degree of protection against these two conditions is designated by an IP Code." (https://www.nema.org/Standards/ComplimentaryDocuments/ANSI-IEC-60529.pdf).

An IP rating is listed as "IP" followed by two numbers that indicate what level of protection a product has from both foreign objects, the first number, and water, the second number, ie. IP67. The below charts indicate the level of protection offered by each rating.

Solids

IP ratings begin at 0 meaning no protection. Levels 1-4 are used in reference to body parts, tools, wires, screws, and other solid man made objects. MTX products begin at level 5, which is where the following chart starts. For more information on levels 0-4 reference NEMA.org

Level of Protection	Protects Against Foreign Object Size	Effective Description
5	Dust Protected	Dust intrusion is not entirely protected but amount of dust will not interfere with operation of product.
6	Dust Tight	No dust intrusion, complete protection.

Water

IP ratings begin at 0 meaning no protection. Levels 1-4 are used in reference to water dripping or splashing. MTX products begin at level 5 referencing water jets, which is where the following chart starts. For more information on levels 0-4 reference NEMA.org

Level of Protection	Protects Against	Effective Description
5	Water Jets	Protected against water sprayed from a nozzle with a diameter of 6.3mm from any direction with no damaging effect.
6	Powerful Water Jets	Protected against water sprayed from a nozzle with a diameter of 12.5mm from any direction with no damaging effect.
7	Immersion up to 1 Meter	Protected against water intrusion when immersed up to 1 meter under defined pressure and time conditions.
8	Immersion Beyond 1 Meter	Protected against water intrusion when continuously immersed up to a defined pressure. Water may enter but will not affect product operation.