Today it is common to see consumer electronic products labeled as dustproof and waterproof, and this is most commonly done via the IP Rating standard, which include ratings such as IP68, IP57, IPX7, IP5X and more. But what is the IP Rating standard? What are the differences between each of the ratings? Let us clear up the confusion for you.

Water contains ions and other substances and thus is able to conduct electricity. Therefore, when water comes in contact with the circuit board of an electronic device, it can cause components to short circuit, and even smolder. Even if not completely immersed in water, the ions in the water can corrode electronic components, leading to unreliable electronic signaling and reduced product performance. If your device encounters liquids such as sweat, rain, or even strong corrosive liquids, these are even more likely to cause product failure.

Why are electronic devices afraid of water?

IP ratings, or ingress protection, were developed by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission). They are used to define levels of sealing effectiveness of electrical enclosures against intrusion from foreign bodies, including dust and moisture. The numbers that follow IP each have a specific meaning. The first indicates the degree of protection of the enclosed equipment from foreign bodies. The second defines the protection level that the enclosure enjoys from various forms of moisture. The tables below will help you make sense of it all - the higher the values, the higher the level of protection.

The higher the values, the higher the level of protection.

IP Ratings and What They Mean

What does IP68 mean?

However, IP68 does not mean a device has full protection!
This is because protection levels are separately certified using different testing methods. From the levels marked in the figure, test certification is performed by dripping, splashing, spraying, and immersion.
For example：
An IPx8 tested product is immersed underwater for 1 hour and protected from water for 1 hour. But sprayed water is not used during testing!
IPx5 devices are tested against a low-pressure water from a 6.3 mm nozzle, spraying 12.5 L / min. of water at a pressure of 30kPa, for 3 minutes. However the testing does not include water immersion.
Moreover, the IP waterproof testing is conducted with pure water, so does not factor in water contaminated with dust and other substances, for example seawater.

But IP68 does not mean invincible

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IP Protection Rating Explained