The Ingress Protection (IP) rating indicates the degree of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects and liquids into an electrical enclosure. The IP rating consists of two digits: the first digit indicates the level of protection against solid objects, while the second digit indicates the level of protection against 1 liquids. A missing digit, indicated by an "X," means that the protection level for that category has not been tested. For example, an IP3X rating means the device is protected against the entry of objects larger than 2.5mm, but there is no specified protection against liquids

First Number: Solid Particle Protection

Level	Protection Against	Description
IP0X	No protection	No protection against contact and ingress of objects
IP1X	Objects > 50mm	Protection against objects larger than 50mm (hands)
IP2X	Objects > 12.5mm	Protection against objects larger than 12.5mm (fingers)
IP3X	Objects > 2.5mm	Protection against objects larger than 2.5mm (tools, wires)
IP4X	Objects > 1mm	Protection against objects larger than 1mm (small wires)
IP5X	Dust protected	Dust ingress limited (no harmful deposit)
IP6X	Dust tight	No ingress of dust

Second Number: Liquid Protection

Level	Protection Against	Description
IPX0	No protection	No protection against water
IPX1	Dripping water	Protected against vertically falling drops of water
IPX2	Dripping water when tilted up to 15°	Protected against direct sprays up to 15° from vertical
IPX3	Spraying water	Protected against direct sprays up to 60° from vertical
IPX4	Splashing water	Protected against water splashed from all directions
IPX5	Water jets	Protected against low-pressure water jets from any direction
IPX6	Powerful water jets	Protected against powerful water jets from any direction
IPX7	Temporary immersion	Protected against water immersion up to 1m for 30 minutes
IPX8	Continuous immersion	Protected against continuous immersion beyond 1m (manufacturer defined)
IPX9K	High-pressure hot water jets	Protected against close-range high pressure, high temperature spray downs

Common Examples of IP Ratings

IP Rating	Common Applications	Example Devices
IP20	Indoor electrical equipment	Home electronics, desktop computers, indoor LED displays
IP44	Outdoor equipment with some weather protection	Outdoor power sockets, electrical junction boxes
IP54	Industrial equipment with dust/splash protection	Control panels, electrical enclosures in non-harsh environments
IP65	Outdoor equipment needing weather protection	CCTV cameras, outdoor lighting fixtures, industrial sensors
IP66	Equipment exposed to strong water jets	Marine equipment, washdown area equipment, outdoor enclosures
IP67	Temporary submersible equipment	Waterproof smartphones, underwater cameras, marine sensors
IP68	Continuous submersion equipment	Underwater lights, submersible pumps, marine equipment
IP69K	High-pressure/steam clean environments	Food processing equipment, chemical plant sensors, brewery equipment