Alert Electrical

Inline Extractor Fans & Ducting Buying Guide

Measuring for Inline Extractor Fans & Ducting

Analogue & IP CCTV Camera Systems Buying Guide

A guide to electric bathroom heaters

LED bulb buyer's guide

LED Spotlight Buyers Guide

Electric Showers Buying Guide

Smoke Alarms and Heat Alarms Buyer's Guide

Buyers guide to Westinghouse ceiling fans

Burglar Alarm Buyers Guide

Wireless CCTV Buyer's Guide

Buyer's Guide to Wi-Fi Electric Heaters

Storage Heaters Buying Guide

The electric central heating guide

LED Downlights Buyers guide

Buying LED Strip Lights

Electrical socket buyers guide

LED Light Bulbs Lifespan

USB Sockets Buying Guide

Bathroom Extractor Fans Buying Guide

Carbon Monoxide Alarm Buyer’s Guide

Your Guide to Grasslin Optimum Timer Products

Electric Underfloor Heating: Everything You Need to Know

Portable Air Conditioners: Your Complete Buying Guide for Summer 2026

Do I Really Need a Bathroom Extractor Fan? The Honest Truth

Light Up Your Outdoor Space for Spring and Summer

Making sure that your devices, fittings and anything electrical are compliant with rules and regulations is a very important part of owning/working on a home or commercial building. So whether you're the owner of the premises or an electrician taking on a job, you need to know exactly what IP ratings are and why they're important.

IP rating stands for ingress protection which measures the level of resistance a device has against solids and liquids. These ratings are set by the international standard EN 60529 (British BS EN 60529:1992). These standards define the levels of seal effectiveness and the higher the number, the better the ingress protection a device has.

IP ratings were originally established in 1976 by the IEC to help standardise the protection levels. They were provided with explanations and were referred to as characteristic letters. Today we have clear definitions of each IP rating to ensure we know what they mean and how they're categorised.

What do the numbers/digits in an IP rating mean?

As you may have seen, IP (ingress protection) ratings are made up of the letters IP and then usually two numbers following that. As mentioned, the higher the numbers are the better the protection that device has against foreign bodies such as dust and water.

You may see one of the numbers replaced with an X from time to time. This means that the device or the enclosure hasn't been rated for that kind of protection just yet. For example, a device might be labelled as IPX5 which tells us that the enclosure is able to protect the electronics inside from water jets from any direction. Whereas IP5X would suggest that the device is rated to protect against dust there is still a possibility that some particulates will get in as it's not completely dust-tight.

Solids protection - the first number - IP6X

So the first digital/number will refer to the level of protection that a device or enclosure has against solid matter. Things like hands and fingers, tools and even dust. Some or all of these solid items can be hazardous if they are able to come into contact with parts inside the device.

Liquid protection - the second number - IPX6

The second number of an IP rating refers to the level of protection a device has against ingress from liquids. This can be drips, sprays of water from a shower or total submersion.

Additional information - the third digit - IP65X

Sometimes you'll see that an IP rating has 3 digits, this will come in the form of two numbers and a letter at the end. This letter will define additional information.

IP Ratings Explained - what are they and why do they matter?

Read this next

Do I Really Need a Bathroom Extractor Fan? The Honest Truth

Light Up Your Outdoor Space for Spring and Summer