[1] This is an international numeric classification for the degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against external mechanical impacts.
It provides a means of specifying the capacity of an enclosure to protect its contents from external impacts.
The IK Code was originally defined in European Standard BS EN 50102 (1995, amended 1998).
IK ratings help to classify products by its resistance to impacts by kinetic energy, while EN 62262 specifies the way enclosures should be mounted when tests are carried out, the atmospheric conditions that should prevail, the number of impacts (5) and their (even) distribution, and the size, style, material, dimensions etc.
In 2021 an additional IK code 11 representing the impact energy value of 50 joules was added.