Resources · Reference
Enclosure Rating Selector
Every retrofit sensor, edge gateway and camera needs a suitable enclosure. Select the environment to see the minimum IP code, the nearest NEMA type and the right material. The selector also shows the most common specification mistake in that environment, because that mistake is usually what causes the cost.
Where it goes
UNIT 01Outdoor, tropical
IP65IP code
Minimum IP65 minimum, IP66 preferred
Full sun, daily rain, high humidity, and heating and cooling every day of the year.
The enclosure must be dust-tight and resist rain from any direction. In Singapore, choosing the rating is the easier part of the problem.
- Minimum IP rating
- IP65 minimum, IP66 preferred
- Nearest NEMA type
- Type 3R or Type 4
- Material
- Powder-coated aluminium, stainless steel or UV-stabilised polycarbonate, always with a sunshade.
- Environment
- Outdoor, tropical
The common specification mistake
Condensation causes most failures. The enclosure heats to 60°C in the afternoon, and the air inside expands and escapes. At 3am it cools and draws humid air back in through the same imperfect seal. The moisture condenses on the coldest surface inside, usually a circuit board. A tighter seal makes this worse. The solution is a breather vent with a hydrophobic membrane, plus an anti-condensation heater if the enclosure contains electronics.
The installation needs these measures as well as the right rating
- A hydrophobic breather vent, which seems wrong but is correct
- Anti-condensation heater with a hygrostat where electronics are inside
- A separate sunshade with an air gap, which helps more than a higher IP rating
- Mount clear of standing water and away from splash from below
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IP code decoder
UNIT 02The two digits are separate tests, so a higher number does not include the lower ones
The first digit rates protection against solids, and the second rates protection against water. The tests are independent, so IP69K does not include IP67, and IP67 does not include IP66. A seal that passes temporary immersion can fail a high-pressure jet. A device rated for jets may never have been tested under water. If both hazards apply, state both ratings.
First digit — solids
- IP0x
- No protection.
- IP1x
- Objects over 50 mm, such as the back of a hand.
- IP2x
- Objects over 12.5 mm, such as a finger.
- IP3x
- Objects over 2.5 mm, such as a tool.
- IP4x
- Objects over 1 mm, such as a wire.
- IP5x
- Dust-protected. Some dust enters, but not enough to affect operation.
- IP6x
- Dust-tight. No dust enters.
Second digit — water
- IPx0
- No protection.
- IPx1
- Dripping water, vertical.
- IPx2
- Dripping water, tilted up to 15°.
- IPx3
- Spraying water up to 60° from vertical.
- IPx4
- Splashing water from any direction.
- IPx5
- Water jets, 6.3 mm nozzle.
- IPx6
- Powerful water jets, 12.5 mm nozzle.
- IPx7
- Temporary immersion, 1 m for 30 minutes.
- IPx8
- Continuous immersion, at a depth and duration the manufacturer must state.
- IPx9K
- High-pressure, high-temperature jets: 80 °C at 80–100 bar.
On NEMA equivalence
UNIT 03The NEMA types listed are the nearest equivalents only. The two systems do not convert exactly in either direction. NEMA tests cover hazards that IP does not, such as corrosion, ice and oil. IP gives more detail about the ingress of solids and water. A NEMA type generally meets a given IP rating, but the reverse is not true. A certifying body will not accept an IP rating in place of a NEMA requirement.
If a contract, a classification society or a customer specification names NEMA, buy to NEMA. If it names IP, buy to IP. Converting between them to use existing stock may cause no problems for two years and then fail an audit.
Most enclosure projects fail at installation. The rating applies to the whole assembly. An IP66 enclosure with one oversized gland, one open knockout, or one cable entering through the top without a drip loop is not an IP66 installation. On most sites, the enclosure itself was specified correctly, and the installation is where the rating is lost.
Technical references
UNIT 04These are the sources for the reasoning on this page. We mark standards that you must pay to read. Where a free document covers the same subject better, we list it first.
- IEC 60529Paid standardIEC WebstoreThe IP code standard. It is the definitive source for the test behind each digit, and it explains why an IP67 rating does not mean IP69K.
- NEMA standardsPaid standardNEMAIncludes NEMA 250, the standard for enclosure types. Read it before you treat a NEMA type and an IP rating as equivalent.
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