The IP Code, also known as ingress protection rating or international protection rating, classifies the degree of protection provided against the intrusion of objects and liquid into the device.
Decoding the IP Codes for Ingress Protection
The first digit represents the degree of protection from intrusion by a solid of a particular size while the second digit represents the degree of protection from liquid at various quantities and pressures.
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) is a US-based trade association that publishes more than 700 standards for electrical products. One of these, NEMA-250, details electrical enclosure standards/tests for ingress of solids and liquids, aligning very closely with the IP Code, but goes further to include corrosion protection as well as the construction of the enclosure.
NEMA Electrical Enclosure Standards. Source: NEMA
Aligning very closely with NEMA-250 are UL-50/50E from Underwriters Laboratories and CSA-C22.2 from the Canadian Standards Association. While IEC (IP Code) and NEMA do not test or certify products themselves, both UL and CSA require certification directly from them.
The United States Military Standard for test methodology to determine the environmental effect on equipment is known as MIL-STD-810, with “H” as its latest revision designation (as of Mid-2020). In a nutshell, it’s a series of standards and test methods that define the ruggedness/durability of a device or piece of equipment. It should be noted that the same governing standards group that developed the IP Code, the IEC, also has international standards and testing procedures similar to MIL-810, as defined by IEC-60068. Here’s a chart we put together to summarize MIL-810H
MIL-810H for Rugged Electronics
