Ingress Protection and Water Resistance Ratings

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Ingress protection (IP) rating to BS EN 60529: 1992 (also IEC 60529), recognised in most European countries. A standardisation system for connectors and enclosures.

The classification consists of the letters "IP" followed by two digits, as follows:

	First Number Protection against solid objects	Second Number Protection against liquids
0	No protection	No protection.
1	Inaccesible to objects larger than 50mm diameter, eg., hands.	Protected from vertically falling water.
2	Inaccesible to objects larger than 12mm, eg., fingers.	Protected from falling water up to 15° from vertical.
3	Inaccesible to objects larger than 2.5mm, eg., tools and wires.	Protected from falling water up to 60° from vertical.
4	Inaccesible to objects larger than 1mm.	Limited ingress of water sprayed from any direction.
5	Limited protection against dust (sufficient to prevent malfunction).	Limited ingress when sprayed by low-pressure water jets.
6	Complete protection against dust.	Limited ingress when sprayed by strong water jets.
7	-	Protected against immersion to a depth of 15cm to 1m for 30 minutes.
8	-	Protection against long periods of immersion under pressure.
X	Not certified	Not certified

JIS Ratings
An IPX rating (IPX0 - 8), is identical to a JIS (Japanese Industry Standard) water resistance rating (JIS Class 0 - 8).

From the above it should be obvious that, if a rating is given, only connectors and enclosures rated to IP68, IPX8, or JIS Class 8 are suitable for use underwater at diving depths. Manufacturers who use the IP rating system for underwater equipment also usually state the pressure or immersion depth to which the product has been tested, eg., IP68 1bar (10 metres).