Mechanical impact resistance
An additional number has sometimes been used to specify the resistance of equipment to mechanical impact. This mechanical impact is identified by the energy needed to qualify a specified resistance level, which is measured in joules (J). This has now been superseded by the separate IK number specified in EN 50102.
Although dropped from the 3rd edition of IEC 60529 onwards, and not present in the EN version, older enclosure specifications will sometimes be seen with an optional third IP digit denoting impact resistance. Newer products are likely to be given an IK rating instead. However there is not an exact correspondence of values between the old and new standards.
OLD IP Level Impact energy Equivalent drop mass and height
0 — —
1 0.225 J 150 g dropped from 15 cm
2 0.375 J 250 g dropped from 15 cm
3 0.5 J 250 g dropped from 20 cm
5 2 J 500 g dropped from 40 cm
7 6 J 1.5 kg dropped from 40 cm
9 20.0 J 5.0 kg dropped from 40 cm
IK
number Impact energy(joules) Equivalent impact
00 unprotected no test
01 0.150 drop of 200 gram object from 7.5 cm height
02 0.200 drop of 200 gram object from 10 cm height
03 0.350 drop of 200 gram object from 17.5 cm height
04 0.500 drop of 200 gram object from 25 cm height
05 0.700 drop of 200 gram object from 35 cm height
06 1.00 drop of 500 gram object from 20 cm height
07 2.00 drop of 500 gram object from 40 cm height
08 5.00 drop of 1.7 kg object from 29.5 cm height
09 10.0 drop of 5 kg object from 20 cm height
10 20.0 drop of 5 kg object from 40 cm height
IP69K
German standard DIN 40050-9 extends the IEC 60529 rating system described above with an IP69K rating for high-pressure, high-temperature wash-down applications.[3] Such enclosures must not only be dust tight (IP6X), but also able to withstand high-pressure and steam cleaning. The test specifies a spray nozzle that is fed with 80°C water at 8–10 MPa (80–100 bar) and a flow rate of 14–16 L/min. The nozzle is held 10–15 cm from the tested device at angles of 0°, 30°, 60° and 90° for 30 s each. The test device sits on a turntable that rotates once every 12 s (5 rpm).
The IP69K test specification was initially developed for road vehicles, especially those that need regular intensive cleaning (dump trucks, cement mixers, etc.), but also finds use in other areas (e.g., food industry).
NEMA Rating
NEMA enclosure ratings have equivalent IP ingress protection ratings as follows. NEMA enclosure standards also dictate other product features not addressed by IP codes (such as submergibility, operation under icing conditions, and others).
NEMA Enclosure IP Code
4, 4X IP66
12 IP52
13 IP54
North American enclosure rating systems are defined in NEMA 250, UL 50, UL 508, and CSA C22.2 No. 94.
