• Designed, assembled and supported in the USA.
  • (574) 264-0711
    The LED Lighting IP Rating GuideThe LED Lighting IP Rating GuideThe LED Lighting IP Rating GuideThe LED Lighting IP Rating Guide
    MENUMENU
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Why Choose Vista
      • Vista News
      • Careers
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Warranty Statement
    • Vista Lighting
      • Products
        • Product Family
          • Addressable
          • Bluetooth
          • Channel
          • Courtesy Lighting
          • DOT Lighting
          • Fiber Lighting
          • Flexi-Tape Accessories
          • Lighting Controls
          • Linear Lighting
          • NMEA2000 Interface
          • Overhead Lighting
          • Power Supplies
          • Rope Lighting
          • Tape Lighting
          • Task Lighting
    • Vista Plastics
    • Industries
      • Appliance
      • Architectural
      • Marine
      • RV
      • Vehicular
    • Capabilities
      • New Product Development
      • Custom-Designed LED Solutions
      • Quality Management System (QMS)
      • IP Rating Chart
    • Contact Us
      • Contact Us
      • Purchase Order Download
    • Lighting Solutions
    • Products by Industry
      • Aftermarket LED Lighting
      • Conversions & Trailers
      • Aviation
      • Utility & Emergency
      • Vista Connect
      • Products
    • Contact
      • General Contact
      • Privacy Policy
      • Purchase Orders
      • Warranty Statement
    • Lighting Resources
      • Spec Sheets
      • LED Glossary
    Contact Us
    ✕
              No results See all results

              Portrait of contemporary engineer wearing glasses speaking by smartphone at workplace, copy space

              The LED Lighting IP Rating Guide

              The LED Lighting IP Rating Guide shows the big difference between waterproof and water-resistant. Not certain what IP Rating you need when it comes to lighting projects? Interpreting charts and labeling can be confusing—especially between a liquid protection rating of 7 or 8. 

              In this article, we’ve made it easy for you to determine the level of enclosure protection you need for any lighting project.

              A concise breakdown of the IP Rating nomenclature.

              In an environment where dust or water could damage electronic components—such as LED strip lighting—a sealed enclosure is used to prevent exposure and protect the electronics. The Ingress Protection or IP rating refers to the level of protection offered by the enclosure against both solids and liquids.

              What do the two digits in an IP Rating mean?

              The rating consists of the letters IP followed by two digits, which indicate the degree of protection offered for both solids and liquids—according to the ANSI/IEC 60529-2020. The higher the number the better the protection. 

              The first digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against the ingress of solid foreign objects that could damage circuitry including tools, fingers, materials, and dust.

              The second digit defines the protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against various forms of moisture (drips, sprays, submersion, etc).

              Sometimes a number is replaced by X, which indicates that the enclosure is not rated for that specification.

              5050 IP20 Flexi-Tape

              Example: IP67 Flexi-Tape

              The first digit represents the protection against solid objects (6) and the second number (7) against water. An IP67 Flexi-Tape enclosure completely prevents ingress of dust (6) and protects from immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth. (7)—based on the reference chart below.

              IP Rating Reference Chart

              First Digit – Protection from SOLIDS

              X – Not rated

              0 – No protection/ No test required

              1 – Protected against objects greater than 50mm diameter

              2 – Protected against objects greater than 12.5mm diameter, such as a finger

              3 – Protected against objects greater than 2.5mm

              4 – Protected against objects greater than 1.0mm

              5 – Protected from limited dust ingress, dust does not enter in harmful quantities to interfere with the correct operation or impair safety

              6 – Total protection from dust ingress

              Second Digit – Protection for LIQUIDS

              X – Not rated

              0 – No protection / No test required

              1 – Protected against vertically falling drops of water

              2 – Protected against vertically falling water drops when enclosure tilted up to 15°l

              3 – Protected from low-pressure water spray less than 60 degrees from vertical

              4 – Protected from low-pressure water splash from any direction

              5 – Protected from low-pressure water jets—similar to a water hose—from any direction

              6 – Protected from high-pressure water jets—similar to a fire hose—from any direction

              7 – Protected from temporary immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth for 30 minutes.

              8 – Protected from continuous immersion for a specified depth and time. Conditions should be more severe than for numeral 7.

              9K – Protected from steam-jet cleaning

              View Table Format

              Choosing the right IP Rated LED lighting solution doesn’t have to be difficult when you utilize the reference chart. If you have any questions regarding which product best fits your project needs or would like to discuss a custom lighting solution, please contact us. When you choose Vista as your lighting partner, you’re adding the expertise of our lighting professionals, engineers, and designers to your team!

              a confident business woman in a warehouse

              Since 1971, Vista has helped manufacturers gain a competitive advantage. We merge quality and innovative lighting products with cost-effective pricing and on-time delivery. To learn more, please contact us or connect with us on LinkedIn.

              (574) 264-0711

              Email Us

              Contact Us
              Visit Us

              53345 Columbia Drive
              Elkhart, IN 46514

              About Us

              We’re an experienced lighting and plastics manufacturer that produces a competitive advantage for our customers by merging quality and innovation with cost-effective pricing and on-time delivery.

              When you choose Vista, you'll build the integrity of your brand with our on-time delivery, and our fully-tested products.


              © Vista Manufacturing. All rights reserved.
              • Privacy Policy
              • Terms & Conditions
              • Careers
              Contact Us
                        No results See all results
                          × product(s) added to cart → ×