IP Rating Chart: IP65, IP66, IP67, IP68 and IP69K Explained

An IP (ingress protection) rating is a two-digit code, defined in IEC 60529, that tells you how well an enclosure keeps out solids and liquids. The first digit runs from 0 to 6 for dust and objects, the second from 0 to 9K for water. For industrial computers the ratings that matter are IP65 (low-pressure jets), IP66 (powerful jets), IP67 (temporary immersion), IP68 (continuous immersion) and IP69K (hot, high-pressure washdown), and the IP rating chart below shows every level.

The IP ratings table below lists every level of both digits. Read the first digit from the solids chart and the second from the liquids chart: IP65, for example, is dust-tight (6) and protected against water jets (5).

First Digit: Protection Against Solids

Second Digit: Protection Against Liquids

Ingress protection (IP) ratings are the international standard for classifying how well a sealed enclosure resists dust and water. They are published as IEC 60529 by the International Electrotechnical Commission, adopted in the United Kingdom as BS EN 60529, recognised in the United States as ANSI/IEC 60529, and extended by the German DIN 40050-9 standard for high-pressure, high-temperature wash-downs (the “K” in IP69K).

For industrial computers, displays and panel PCs, the IP rating is the single most consequential specification line item for any deployment outside a controlled office environment. The right rating matches the environment: one step too low and the system fails in the field, one step too high and the budget goes on protection the application will never need.

In North America, the parallel NEMA 250 enclosure type system (published by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association) is widely used alongside IP. The two systems overlap on water and dust ingress but diverge on corrosion, ice and oil — for deployments in food and beverage, marine, outdoor cold climate, or coastal environments, both ratings often appear on the specification line. This guide covers how IP ratings are structured, how each of the five most commonly specified ratings is tested, how they map to NEMA, and how to choose the right rating for an industrial computing deployment.

An IP rating consists of the letters “IP” followed by two digits. The first digit (0 to 6) describes the level of protection against solid particles. The second digit (0 to 9K) describes the level of protection against liquids. A higher digit indicates greater protection.

The two digits are independent. An enclosure can be dust-tight without being waterproof, or vice versa — though in practice, almost all industrial computers specified above IPx5 also achieve IP6x dust-tightness, because the construction that resists water also resists dust.

A rating of IPX5 (with a letter X) means the enclosure has been tested only for the second digit. This is rare on industrial computing equipment, where both digits matter, but appears occasionally on specialised components.

The IP test methodology is set by IEC 60529 (or DIN 40050-9 for IP69K) and is identical across the BS EN and ANSI/IEC adoptions. All tests are performed in controlled laboratory conditions on production-representative samples.

The tests are pass/fail. A product is either IP65 or it is not. There is no “partial IP65” or “IP65 in most conditions” — though front-of-panel and full-enclosure ratings are distinguished separately (see What Is IP65? below).

An IP65 rating means an enclosure is dust-tight and protected against low-pressure water jets from any direction. It is the practical minimum for any “waterproof” claim on an industrial computer, and the most common rating on panel-mount displays and panel PCs.

IP65 Meaning

The first digit, 6, means the enclosure is dust-tight: no dust enters at all during an eight-hour dust chamber test. The second digit, 5, means it is protected against water jets from a 6.3 mm nozzle at any angle. The jets are low pressure, enough to cover rain, hosing and wipe-down cleaning, but not a pressure washer.

IP65 Test Specification

• The unit is sprayed from every practicable direction through a 6.3 mm nozzle.
• Flow is 12.5 litres per minute at about 30 kPa, from 2.5 to 3 m away.
• Spraying lasts at least 3 minutes, and at least 1 minute per square metre of surface.
• Before the water test, the unit spends 8 hours in a dust chamber to prove it is dust-tight.

Front IP65 vs Full IP65

Industrial displays and panel PCs are often specified with a “Front IP65” or “Front IP66” rating rather than full enclosure protection. The distinction matters and is frequently misunderstood.

A Front IP65 panel PC in an outdoor kiosk is correct specification — the back of the unit is inside the kiosk enclosure and never sees weather. A Front IP65 panel PC bolted to the outside of a forestry vehicle is the wrong specification — the back is exposed and the system will fail in months.

When in doubt, check whether the published rating specifies “Front” or “Full”. If the manufacturer doesn’t say, ask. The difference is not cosmetic.

Front IP65/IP66 only. The display is rated when installed in a panel aperture with the front bezel and seal exposed. The back of the unit, where I/O connectors live, is NOT rated — it sits inside the protected enclosure on the dry side of the panel.

Full IP65/IP66. The entire enclosure is rated. All sides, including I/O. This usually requires M12 waterproof connectors instead of standard RJ45, USB, HDMI etc., because conventional connectors compromise the rating.

Our front IP65 panel PCs and front IP65 monitors are sealed at the bezel for panel mounting, and fully sealed units are listed under IP65 computers. The IP65 FAQ covers the rating in brief.

An IP66 rating means an enclosure is dust-tight and protected against powerful water jets from any direction: a 12.5 mm nozzle at 100 kPa, over three times the pressure and eight times the flow of the IP65 test. It is the step up from IP65 for equipment that is hosed down or faces storm-driven rain.

IP66 Meaning

The first digit, 6, is the same as IP65: no dust enters during the eight-hour dust chamber test. The second digit, 6, means protection against powerful water jets from any direction, strong enough to cover hosing, heavy seas washing over a deck and storm-driven rain.

IP66 Test Specification

• The unit is sprayed from every practicable direction through a 12.5 mm nozzle.
• Flow is 100 litres per minute at about 100 kPa, from 2.5 to 3 m away.
• Spraying lasts at least 3 minutes, and at least 1 minute per square metre of surface.
• The same 8-hour dust test as IP65 applies to the first digit.

Our IP66 computers, IP66 panel PCs and IP66 monitors are sealed all round; as with IP65, front IP66 panel-mount units are sealed at the bezel only. The IP66 FAQ covers the rating in brief.

Recent IP66 launches include the sealed, fanless iBOX-650P-IP66 AGX Orin computer, the compact iBOX-602P-IP66 with PoE for cameras and the SBOX-2624P-IP66 waterproof industrial PC.

An IP67 rating means an enclosure is dust-tight and protected against temporary immersion in water to 1 m for 30 minutes. It is the standard rating for vehicles, field equipment and anything that might be dropped in water or caught in a flood.

IP67 Meaning

The 6 is the same dust-tight rating as IP65 and IP66. The 7 means the enclosure keeps water out when fully submerged for a limited time, under test conditions fixed by IEC 60529 rather than set by the manufacturer.

IP67 Test Specification

• The unit is fully submerged in water for 30 minutes.
• Units under 850 mm tall sit with their lowest point 1 m below the surface; taller units with their top 150 mm below it.
• After the test the enclosure is opened and inspected for water ingress.
• The same 8-hour dust test applies to the first digit.

See our IP67 computers, IP67 panel PCs and IP67 monitors. The IP67 FAQ covers the rating in brief.

An IP68 rating means an enclosure is dust-tight and protected against continuous immersion under conditions stated by the manufacturer, typically deeper than 1 m and longer than 30 minutes. Unlike IP65 to IP67, the test is not fixed, so two IP68 products can protect to very different depths.

IP68 Meaning

The 6 is dust-tight, as for every industrial rating. The 8 means protection against continuous immersion, but IEC 60529 leaves the depth and duration to the manufacturer, provided they are more severe than the IP67 test. The rating only means something alongside those stated conditions.

IP68 Test Specification

• The manufacturer sets the depth and duration, which must exceed IP67 (1 m for 30 minutes).
• The conditions are published alongside the rating.
• After immersion the enclosure is opened and inspected for water ingress.
• The same 8-hour dust test applies to the first digit.

IP68 is rarely needed on industrial computers, and our standard range stops at IP67 for immersion. If equipment must work under water permanently, tell us the depth and duration and we will advise. The IP68 FAQ covers the rating in brief.

An IP69K rating means an enclosure is dust-tight and protected against close-range, high-pressure, high-temperature water jets, as defined by DIN 40050-9. It is the food and beverage industry standard for equipment cleaned every shift with hot water, steam and chemical disinfectants.

IP69K Meaning

The 6 is dust-tight. The 9K, from the German standard DIN 40050-9, means protection against close-range, high-pressure, high-temperature water jets: the conditions of a pressure washer or steam cleaner used in food plants and on vehicles.

IP69K Test Specification

• The unit sits on a turntable rotating at 5 rpm.
• Water at 80 °C is sprayed at 8 to 10 MPa (about 1,160 to 1,450 psi) and 14 to 16 litres per minute.
• The nozzle is held 100 to 150 mm from the unit.
• The spray is applied for 30 seconds at each of four angles: 0°, 30°, 60° and 90°.

Benefits of IP69K

• Hygiene. IP69K equipment can be cleaned as thoroughly as the machinery around it, so it never becomes the weak point in a sanitation regime.
• Less downtime. Equipment that survives the daily clean does not need covering, removing or drying out before production restarts.
• Longer life. IP69K enclosures are usually stainless steel with sealed M12 connectors, built to resist the caustic and acidic chemistry of washdown for years.

See our IP69K computers, IP69K panel PCs and IP69K monitors, and our guide to hygienic design. The IP69K FAQ covers the rating in brief.

The five industrial ratings differ only in the second digit, so the choice comes down to what the water does: falls, jets, submerges or blasts.

IP65 vs IP66

Both are dust-tight; the difference is jet strength. IP66 is tested with a larger nozzle at over three times the pressure and eight times the flow, so choose it where equipment is hosed down or faces driving rain.

IP65 vs IP67

IP65 protects against water jets; IP67 against temporary immersion to 1 m. IP67 does not include a jet test, so a unit that may be both submerged and hosed needs both ratings.

IP66 vs IP67

IP66 is for powerful jets, IP67 for brief immersion. They test different things, which is why rugged vehicle and outdoor equipment often carries IP66/IP67 together.

IP67 vs IP68

Both cover immersion. IP67 is fixed at 1 m for 30 minutes; IP68 goes further, to a depth and duration the manufacturer must state, so always read the conditions behind an IP68 claim.

IP55 vs IP65

IP55 allows limited dust ingress; IP65 allows none. Both resist low-pressure jets. IP55 suits indoor enclosures in light dust; IP65 is the minimum for a genuinely waterproof, dust-tight industrial computer.

NEMA — the National Electrical Manufacturers Association — publishes a parallel enclosure rating system used widely in the United States and Canada, defined in NEMA 250. The two systems test slightly different things: NEMA tests cover environmental factors IP does not (corrosion resistance, external ice formation, oil ingress, gasket aging across service life), and IP tests cover precision liquid pressures NEMA does not.

There is no exact one-to-one mapping. The closest practical equivalents are:

The mapping is approximate because NEMA additionally tests against rust, ice, oil and gasket aging — IP does not. For deployments where corrosion or chemical resistance matters (food, pharma, offshore marine), the NEMA 4X or 6P designation may be the more meaningful specification line even where the project nominally uses IP.

For equipment specified into projects that span both the UK and North American markets — common in food and beverage processing, marine, defence, and multinational manufacturing — calling out both ratings on the specification line is the safer approach. “IP66 / NEMA 4X stainless steel” tells UK and US buyers everything they need to verify compliance against their local standard.

The right rating is determined by the environment, not by aspiration. The pattern is to identify the dominant water and dust exposure in the deployment, pick the rating that meets it, and add no more than one step of margin for unknowns.

Margin should be added carefully. An IP67-rated computer specified for an IP65 application costs more, weighs more, and may require more elaborate connector seals — none of which serves the deployment. The right specification is precise to the environment, not maximally protective.