IP Codes, IP Rating or Ingress Protection Codes, are ratings meant to determine and define the effectiveness of a device or container at repelling and preventing foreign objects and moisture from making its way inside of the device.
There are two main IP Rating standards. One made by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), which is the one we are covering now and the one made by the International Standards Organization.
While IP Code requirements are determined by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) under standard 60529, it is up to the manufacturer to determine if they have properly met the requirements for specific IP ratings.
Many new phones, including those from Apple and Samsung, now include a IP rating in their phone marketing. Notably, OnePlus, a popular value phone manufacturer, decided not to have their devices IP tested in order to save money and pass those savings onto the customer.
IP Rating Formatting
IP Ratings have two parts, the first number is intrusion protection and the second is for moisture protection.
| Intrusion Protection | Moisture Protection | |
| X | Not Rated/Not Tested | No Rating/Not Tested |
| 0 | No Protection | No Protection |
| 1 | Ingress of a solid object with a diameter of 50 mm or more is protected | Protected against ingress of vertically dripping water from straight above |
| 2 | Ingress of a solid object with a diameter 12.5 mm or more is protected | Protected against ingress of vertically dripping water when tilted up to 15 degrees. |
| 3 | Ingress of a solid object with a diameter 2.5 mm or more is totally protected | Protected against ingress of spraying water when tilted up to 60 degrees. |
| 4 | Ingress of a solid object with a diameter 1.0 mm or more is totally protected | Protected against ingress of splashing water from any direction. |
| 5 | Protected against harmful dust. | Protected against ingress of splashing or projected water from any direction. (Protected from water jets) |
| 6 | Totally protected against dust and dust-tight | Protected against ingress of powerful water jets. |
| 7 | N/A | Protected against ingress due to being temporarily submerged in water. |
| 8 | N/A | Protected against ingress due to being submerged in water for a limited amount of time. (For longer/higher pressure than level 7) |
Intrusion Protection
Intrusion protection is on a scale from 0 to 6 and is designed to signify the effectiveness of preventing foreign objects from getting inside a device. Level 0 means either no protection or not rated, while level 6 means that the device is completely sealed and dust-proof.
Moisture Protection
Moisture protection is on a scale from 0 to 8 and is designed to signify the effectiveness of preventing moisture and liquid from entering the device. Level 0 means no protection but does not mean that there is no rating since a moisture protection rating is mandatory. Level 8 is complete protection from moistures in all forms and pressures.
