IP standard tutorial
Posted by Christian Fyffe on
As you may have noticed, there are many flashlights that are rated IPXY. This acronym stands for Ingress Protection X Y. The two variables in the acronym stand for solid and liquid protection. For solids, it goes from zero, or X, both of which mean no protection from pebbles and sand, to 6 for being dust proof.
| 0 | No special protection |
| 1 | Protected against solid objects over 50 mm, e.g. accidental touch by persons hands. |
| 2 | Protected against solid objects over 12 mm, e.g. persons fingers. |
| 3 | Protected against solid objects over 2.5 mm (tools and wires). |
| 4 | Protected against solid objects over 1 mm (tools, wires, and small wires). |
| 5 | Protected against dust limited ingress (no harmful deposit). |
| 6 | Totally protected against dust. |
With liquids, the intruder more commonly protected from in flashlights, the range is 0, easily flooded, to 8, meaning it can survive, and be used in, a trip into a pool or lake. Or a shark tank, but why would you drop a flashlight into a shark tank?
| 0 | No protection. |
| 1 | Protection against vertically falling drops of water e.g. condensation. |
| 2 | Protection against direct sprays of water up to 15o from the vertical. |
| 3 | Protected against direct sprays of water up to 60o from the vertical. |
| 4 | Protection against water sprayed from all directions - limited ingress permitted. |
| 5 | Protected against low pressure jets of water from all directions - limited ingress. |
| 6 | Protected against temporary flooding of water, e.g. for use on ship decks - limited ingress permitted. |
| 7 | Protected against the effect of immersion between 15 cm and 1 m. |
| 8 | Protects against long periods of immersion under pressure. |
Most of the flashlights you'll find here have a rating of IPX7 or 8. Only a few go below that, and the lowest you will see is IPX4.
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