IP Testing to Protect Your Product from Dust & Water
Ensure your product performs reliably in any environment. Our ISO 17025 accredited lab provides certified Ingress Protection (IP) testing to prove your product's resistance to environmental hazards and meet global quality standards.
- Guarantee Product Durability: Validate your enclosures and seals against dust, moisture, and high-pressure water jets.
- Meet Global Standards: Certified testing to IEC 60529, NEMA 250, and other international standards.
- Avoid Costly Field Failures: Identify and correct potential weaknesses before they lead to warranty claims and reputational damage.
- Expert Engineering Support: Our team helps you understand the results and provides guidance for improving your product's design.
*A 15-minute introductory call to scope your testing needs. No obligation.
Trusted by Industry Leaders
The team was easy to communicate with, quick to respond, and truly committed to our success. Marty, Vic , Soliman, and even the accounting team provided us with white glove service. Not to mention that their facility is truly impressive!
We wouldn’t hesitate to work with them again, in fact we are looking forward to it!
What is an IP rating?
An Ingress Protection (IP) rating is a two-digit code defined by IEC 60529. The first digit rates how well an enclosure keeps out solid objects and dust, on a scale of 0 to 6. The second rates how well it keeps out water, on a scale of 0 to 9. An IP67 enclosure, for example, is dust tight and withstands temporary immersion.
Getting the right rating keeps a product reliable in the field, and it opens access to the industrial and consumer markets that require one. Testing also finds the weak seal or gasket before your customers do.
What do the two digits in an IP rating mean?
First digit: protection against solids (0 to 6)
This number indicates the level of protection against foreign objects, from large body parts down to microscopic dust. A rating of IP0X offers no special protection, while the highest rating of IP6X means the enclosure is completely dust-tight.
| Code | Protection against solids |
|---|---|
| IP0X | Not protected |
| IP1X | Protected against objects greater than 50 mm |
| IP2X | Protected against objects greater than 12 mm |
| IP3X | Protected against objects greater than 2.5 mm |
| IP4X | Protected against objects greater than 1.0 mm |
| IP5X | Dust protected |
| IP6X | Dust tight |
Second digit: protection against water (0 to 9)
This number indicates the level of protection against moisture, from simple drips to full underwater submersion. A rating of IPX0 means no protection against liquids, while IPX9 protects against powerful, high-temperature water jets.
| Code | Protection against water |
|---|---|
| IPX0 | Not protected |
| IPX1 | Protected against dripping water |
| IPX2 | Protected against dripping water when tilted up to 15° |
| IPX3 | Protected against spraying water |
| IPX4 | Protected against splashing water |
| IPX5 | Protected against water jets |
| IPX6 | Protected against powerful water jets |
| IPX7 | Protected against the effects of immersion |
| IPX8 | Protected against the effects of submersion |
| IPX9 | Protected against high pressure and high temperature water jets |
| IPX9K | High pressure and steam-jet cleaning (defined by ISO 20653, not IEC 60529) |
IPX0 to IPX9 are defined by IEC 60529. IPX9K is defined by ISO 20653, the automotive ingress standard. Megalab is accredited to both.
Which ingress standards can Megalab test to?
Our testing processes are designed to meet a wide range of demanding standards required for market access across the aerospace, defense, automotive, and telecommunications industries. We provide the certified testing data you need to prove compliance and fulfill your contractual obligations.
Other ingress protection test standards
- ISO 20653 (automotive ingress, includes IPX9K)
- NEMA 250, Section 5; UL50; UL50E
- CSA C22.2 No. 94.1, 94.2
- EN50436-1
- EIA/ECA-364-10E
- EIA-364-50B, Fine Sand
- RTCA/DO-160G Sec12.0
Water, rain, icing and freezing rain
- MIL-STD-810, M521, Icing & Freezing Rain
- IEC/EN 60068-2-18
- IEC/EN 60068-2-68
- IEC/EN 60950-22
- MIL-STD-202, M106
- MIL-STD-810, M506.1
- MIL-STD-810, M510.5
- MIL-STD-810, M512.5
- MIL-STD-883, M1002
- RTCA/DO-160 Sec10.0
- RTCA/DO-160, Section 24.0