IP RATINGS
IP Rating Chart: IP65 vs IP67 vs IP69K and NEMA Equivalents
A clean IP rating chart for both digits, why IP67 is not automatically better than IP65 or IP66, what IP69K adds for washdown, and how IP codes line up with NEMA enclosure types.
An IP rating chart decodes the two digits after "IP" in an enclosure rating, defined by IEC 60529. The first digit (0 to 6) rates protection against solid objects and dust; the second digit (0 to 9) rates protection against water. So IP65 means dust-tight and protected against water jets, while IP67 means dust-tight and protected against temporary immersion. The two water tests are different, and IP67 does not automatically include IP65 or IP66.
This guide gives the full chart for both digits, explains the IP65 vs IP67 trap that catches buyers, covers IP69K for washdown, cross-references NEMA enclosure types for North American projects, and ends with practical picks for control panels, sensors and connectors.
How do you read an IP code?
An IP code looks like IP65 or IP66/IP67. Read it as:
- IP: International Protection (often called ingress protection).
- First digit: solids, from 0 (no protection) to 6 (dust-tight).
- Second digit: water, from 0 (no protection) to 9 (high-pressure, high-temperature jets).
- X in place of a digit means that property was not tested, so IPX7 is rated for immersion with no dust rating claimed.
- Optional letters can follow: A to D for protection of people against access to hazardous parts, and supplementary letters such as H (high-voltage apparatus) or W (weather conditions).
The standard is IEC 60529, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code). The current consolidated edition is 2.2, which combines the 1989 edition with amendments from 1999 and 2013, and it applies to enclosures for equipment rated up to 72.5 kV. Europe publishes it as EN 60529; many countries have national equivalents.
IP rating chart: the first digit (solids and dust)
| Digit | Protected against | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Nothing | Open equipment |
| 1 | Objects of 50 mm or more | Back of a hand |
| 2 | Objects of 12.5 mm or more | Fingers ("finger-safe" IP20 terminals) |
| 3 | Objects of 2.5 mm or more | Tools, thick wires |
| 4 | Objects of 1 mm or more | Most wires, screws |
| 5 | Dust-protected | Some dust may enter, but not enough to interfere |
| 6 | Dust-tight | No dust ingress, tested under vacuum |
The dust-tight test for 6 draws air through the enclosure in a talcum-powder chamber, with a test duration of up to 8 hours depending on airflow. IP20 is the usual rating for DIN-rail devices inside a panel: safe from fingers, but it relies on the panel for everything else.
IP rating chart: the second digit (water)
The lower water digits (1 to 3) cover dripping and spraying water. The ones that matter for industrial enclosures start at 4:
A few details are worth knowing. The IPX5 and IPX6 jet tests are run from about 3 m for at least 3 minutes (1 minute per square metre of surface). The IPX7 test puts the bottom of the enclosure 1 m below the surface, or the top at least 0.15 m below for tall items, for 30 minutes. IPX8 is not a fixed test: the manufacturer and user agree conditions more severe than IPX7, so read the datasheet for the actual depth and time.
IP65 vs IP67: which is better?
Neither is simply "better", because they test different things. IP65 passes water jets from a 6.3 mm nozzle; IP67 passes immersion. IEC 60529 does not treat the water ratings as cumulative above 6: a product rated IPX7 is not necessarily compliant with IPX5 or IPX6. Immersion is a slow, steady pressure; a jet hits a seal at a point and can push water past a gasket that would stay dry under a metre of water.
That is why good outdoor and washdown products carry dual markings such as IP66/IP67 or IP66/IP67/IP69K, showing they passed each test separately. When you specify:
- Equipment hosed down or exposed to driving rain: ask for IP65 or IP66.
- Equipment that may be submerged (a sensor in a sump, a connector in a cable trench): ask for IP67 or IP68.
- Both: ask for the dual rating, not the bigger number.
What does IP69K mean?
IP69K is for close-range, high-pressure, high-temperature cleaning: water at 80 °C, at 8 to 10 MPa (80 to 100 bar), from 10 to 15 cm, aimed at the product from several angles. It is the rating food, beverage and dairy plants ask for on equipment that is pressure-washed every shift, and it is common on vehicle components.
There are two closely related versions. IP69K comes from the road-vehicle standard ISO 20653 (currently the 2023 edition), which grew out of the German DIN 40050-9. IPX9 was added to IEC 60529 by its 2013 amendment. The tests are very similar, but they are separate standards, so check which one a certificate actually cites. Our guide to food and beverage automation covers hygienic design around washdown.
How do IP ratings compare with NEMA types?
In the US and Canada, enclosures are usually specified by NEMA type (NEMA 250, with UL 50 and UL 50E for listing, and CSA C22.2 No. 94 in Canada), not by IP code. NEMA types test more than ingress: they add requirements such as corrosion resistance, icing, gasket ageing, oil resistance and construction. Testing laboratories such as Element describe NEMA 250 as a product standard and IEC 60529 as a degree-of-protection standard only.
The cross-reference only works one way, as Gore's guide to IP and NEMA ratings explains. A NEMA type meets or exceeds the IP code shown, so a NEMA 4X enclosure can be accepted where IP66 is specified. But you cannot convert the other way: an IP66 enclosure has not been tested for corrosion, so it is not a NEMA 4X. On a North American project, specify the NEMA type; on an IEC project in Europe, the Gulf, Australia or Asia, specify the IP code; on an export machine, ask the enclosure maker for both.
What IP rating does a control panel need?
The empty enclosure's rating is only the starting point. Every hole you cut can lower it.
- Indoor panel in a clean electrical room: IP31 to IP54 is common; IP54 keeps out dust and drips.
- Indoor panel on a dusty or wet production floor: IP54 to IP65.
- Outdoor panel or RTU: IP55 to IP66, UV-stable material or painted steel, a sun shield in hot climates, and an anti-condensation heater with a thermostat. A sealed box in a desert or a tropical climate will still collect condensation as it cools at night.
- Food washdown zone: IP66 or IP69K, stainless steel, sloped tops and hygienic glands.
The weak points are fans and filters (a filter fan is often only IP54, which caps the panel at IP54), cable glands (IP68 glands are only IP68 with the right cable diameter and tightening torque), door seals after years of use, and unused knockouts. Our electrical control panel design guide covers IEC 60204-1 and UL 508A layouts, and process plants have their own picks in our water treatment automation guide.
A worked example: specifying a pump-station panel
Say you are specifying a control panel for an unmanned wastewater pump station, mounted outdoors in coastal Queensland or on the Gulf coast of the US. The site sees driving rain, salt air, strong sun and occasional hosing during cleaning.
- Ingress: at least IP66 (or NEMA 4X on a North American job) for rain and hosing.
- Corrosion: stainless steel 316 or GRP, because salt air attacks painted mild steel. This is exactly where NEMA 4X says more than IP66.
- Heat and sun: a sun shield and a closed-loop cooler or heat exchanger rather than a filter fan, which would cap the panel at the fan's rating.
- Condensation: a thermostatically controlled heater and a breather drain.
- Glands and cables: IP68 glands sized for each cable diameter, and blanking plugs in every unused entry.
The specification therefore reads "IP66, 316 stainless, closed-loop cooling", not just "IP66".
IP ratings on sensors and connectors
Sensors and M12 connectors are commonly IP67, often IP65/IP67 or IP69K for washdown. The rating applies only when the connector is mated and tightened to the specified torque, or capped. An unplugged M12 socket on a sensor is not IP67. The same goes for a transmitter with its cover not fully screwed home. Our process instrumentation guide covers the transmitters themselves.
Hazardous areas: IP is not enough
In explosive atmospheres, the IP rating is only one part of the requirement. Ex standards (the IEC 60079 series, ATEX in Europe, and NEC classes and divisions in North America) set their own construction rules and, for some protection types, minimum IP ratings. Never treat a high IP rating as an Ex rating.
Learn it free
The free Electrical Control Panel Design, Building and Testing course covers enclosure selection, layout and thermal design. Electrical Design Engineering puts enclosures in the context of cables, breakers and distribution, and Hazardous Areas: Ex Equipment, Zones and Inspection covers what changes when the atmosphere is explosive. For what goes inside the enclosure, read contactor vs relay and soft starter vs VFD.
Checked 5 October 2026 against the current IEC 60529 consolidated edition, ISO 20653:2023 and published NEMA and IP comparisons.
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Questions
What is the difference between IP65 and IP67?
Both are dust-tight (first digit 6). IP65 means the enclosure resists water jets from a 6.3 mm nozzle, while IP67 means it survives temporary immersion up to 1 m for 30 minutes. They are different tests, so an IP67 product has not necessarily been tested against jets unless it is also marked IP65 or IP66.
Is IP67 better than IP66?
Not automatically. IEC 60529 does not treat the water digits as cumulative above 6, so IP67 proves immersion resistance but not resistance to powerful jets. For equipment that is hosed down and may also be submerged, look for a dual marking such as IP66/IP67.
What does IP69K mean?
IP69K is the highest water rating, for close-range, high-pressure, high-temperature water jets: water at 80 °C and 8 to 10 MPa (80 to 100 bar) from 10 to 15 cm. The K version comes from the road-vehicle standard ISO 20653, originally German DIN 40050-9; IEC 60529 added a similar IPX9 test in 2013.
What IP rating does an outdoor control panel need?
Commonly IP55 to IP66, depending on exposure to driving rain, hosing and dust, plus UV-resistant materials, a sun shield where needed and condensation control. Remember that fans, filters, glands and door seals all affect the real rating, so the whole assembly must keep the rating, not just the empty enclosure.
What is the NEMA equivalent of IP66?
NEMA Type 4 and 4X enclosures are generally accepted as meeting at least IP66. The comparison only works one way: a NEMA 4X enclosure meets IP66, but an IP66 enclosure is not automatically NEMA 4X, because NEMA types add tests such as corrosion resistance, icing and gasket ageing that IEC 60529 does not cover.
Is IP68 waterproof?
IP68 means the product survives continuous immersion under conditions agreed between manufacturer and user that are more severe than IP67, so the depth and time vary by product. Always read the datasheet for the actual depth and duration tested.
Sources
- IEC webstore: IEC 60529:1989+AMD1:1999+AMD2:2013, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code)
- Estonian Centre for Standardisation: ISO 20653:2023 Road vehicles, degrees of protection (IP code)
- Gore: IP and NEMA ratings and what they mean
- Element: Enclosure testing to IEC 60529 and NEMA 250
- Wikipedia: IP code (test conditions summary)
Written by the EDWartens engineering team for general education. Product names are trademarks of their owners; mentioning them does not imply endorsement. Prices and terms of other providers were checked on the date shown and can change.
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