IP code

It is defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) under the international standard IEC 60529[1] which classifies and provides a guideline to the degree of protection provided by mechanical casings and electrical enclosures against intrusion, dust, accidental contact, and water.

The standard aims to provide users more detailed information than vague marketing terms such as waterproof.

[4] In the next editions of the standard, from years 1989 and 1999 respectively, the IP is explained to denote "international protection" on both French and English pages.

According to the Finnish national committee of the IEC, one possibility is that the abbreviation is a combination of English word ingress and French word pénétration which stands for ingress, but finding the correct answer would require doing a historical study on the 1970's standardization, which is difficult because the experts preparing the original standards are likely retired or deceased.

Depth specified by the manufacturer, generally up to 3 meters (9.8 ft) Smaller specimens rotate slowly on a turntable from 4 specific angles.

Larger specimens are mounted in the intended position when used, no turntable required, and are tested freehand for at least 3 minutes at a distance of 0.15–0.2 meters (5.9 in – 7.9 in).

The IPx9K standard was originally developed for road vehicles—especially those that need regular intensive cleaning (dump trucks, concrete mixers, etc.

The test specifies a spray nozzle that is fed with 80 °C (176 °F) water at 8–10 MPa (80–100 bar; 1,200–1,500 psi) and a flow rate of 14–16 litres per minute (3.7–4.2 US gal/min).

The IPx9 specification details a freehand method for testing larger specimens that will not fit on a turntable (see table above).