IP protection categories
Protection categories to IEC 60 529 (EN 60 529)
The IP protection category is characterised by 2 numerals.
First numeral: Degree of protection against contact and foreign bodies
| First numeral | Description | Explanation |
| 1 | Protected against solid foreign objects with a diameter of 50 mm diameter and greater | The object probe, a sphere 50 mm in diameter,must not penetrate fully 1). |
| 2 | Protected against solid foreign objects with a diameter of 12.5 mm and greater | The object probe, a sphere 12.5 mm in diameter,must not penetrate fully1). The articulated test finger may penetrate up to its length of 80 mm, but adequate distance must be adhered to. |
| 3 | Protected against solid foreign objects with a diameter of 2.5 mm and greater | The object probe, a sphere 2.5 mm in diameter, must not penetrate at all 1). |
| 4 | Protected against solid foreign objects with a diameter of 1.0 mm and greater | The object probe, a sphere 1.0 mm in diameter, must not penetrate at all 1). |
| 5 | Dust-proof | The ingress of dust is not fully prevented, but dust shall not enter to such an extent as to impair satisfactory operation of the device or safety. |
| 6 | Dust-tight | No ingress of dust at a partial vacuum of 20 mbar inside the enclosure. |
1) The full diameter of the object probe must not pass through an opening of the enclosure.
Second numeral: Degree of protection against water
| Second numeral | Description | Explanation |
| 1 | Protected against vertically falling water drops | Vertically falling drops shall have no harmful effects. |
| 2 | Protected against vertically falling water drops when the enclosure is tilted up to 15° | Vertically falling drops shall not have any harmful effects when the enclosure is tilted up to 15° on either side of the vertical. |
| 3 | Protected against spraying water | Water sprayed at an angle of up to 60° on either side of the vertical shall have no harmful effects. |
| 4 | Protected against splashing water | Water splashed on the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects. |
| 5 | Protected against water jets | Water directed at the enclosure from any direction in a jet shall have no harmful effects. |
| 6 | Protected against powerful water jets | Water directed at the enclosure from every direction in a powerful jet shall have no harmful effects. |
| 7 | Protected against the effects of occasional submersion | Water must not ingress to such an extent as to cause harmful effects when the enclosure is temporarily immersed in water under standardised pressure and time conditions. |
| 8 | Protected against the effects of continuous submersion in water | Water must not penetrate to such an extent as to cause adverse effects when the enclosure is permanently immersed in water under conditions agreed between the manufacturer and the user. However, the conditions must be more difficult than for numeral 7. |
| 9 | Protected against high-pressure/steam jet cleaning | Water directed at the enclosure from every direction under greatly increased pressure shall have no harmful effects. |
Example of a protection category, e.g. IP 43:
First numeral = 4: Protected against solid foreign objects with a diameter of 1.0 mm and greater
Second numeral = 3: Protected against spraying water
NEMA protection categories
National Electrical Manufacturers Association
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) is a standards organisation in Washington, USA, which publishes a number of technical standards but does not test or certify products itself.
The NEMA classification below outlines the protection of individuals from accidental contact with equipment and the protection of an enclosure from external factors.
| Protection category | Explanation |
| NEMA 1 | Indoor siting, protected against falling dirt |
| NEMA 2 | Indoor siting, protected against falling dirt and dripping water |
| NEMA 3 | Outdoor siting, protected against rain, sleet and windblown dust; also protected against damage from external formation of ice on the enclosure |
| NEMA 3R | Outdoor siting, protected against rain, sleet; also protected against damage from external icing on the enclosure |
| NEMA 3S | Indoor or outdoor siting, protected against rain, sleet and windblown dust; furthermore, external mechanisms remain operable when ice laden |
| NEMA 4 | Indoor or outdoor siting, protected against windblown dust and rain, splashed water and hosed water; also protected against damage from the external formation of ice on the enclosure |
| NEMA 4X | Indoor or outdoor siting, protected against windblown dust and rain, splashed water, hosed water and corrosion; also protected against damage from the external formation of ice on the enclosure |
| NEMA 5 | Indoor siting, protected from falling dirt, settling airborne dust, as well as dripping, non-corrosive liquids |
| NEMA 6 | Indoor or outdoor siting; protected against falling dirt, hosed water and the ingress of water during occasional, temporary submersion at a certain depth; also protected against damage from external icing on the enclosure |
| NEMA 6P | Indoor or outdoor siting, protected against hosed water and the ingress of water during protracted submersion at a certain depth; also protected against damage from external icing on the enclosure |
| NEMA 12 | Indoor siting, protected against falling dirt, circulating dust and dripping, non-corrosive liquids . |
| NEMA 13 | Interior siting; protected against dust, falling dirt, splashed water and oil as well as non-corrosive coolants. |
Further information on NEMA can be found at www.nema.org
ECB•S certification
More than just component testing
As one of the few suppliers of complete data centres, Rittal’s high-availability room has been certified to ECB•S.
With this certification, the European Certification Body (ECB•S) confirms that the high-availability room meets or exceeds all the criteria of standard EN 1047-2.
Customer benefits of ECB•S certification
- Maximum quality assurance thanks to independent quality monitoring
- Improved rating situation for loan applications and residual risk insurance
- Transparency for banks and insurance companies
- Compliance with European standards on IT security
Further information on ECB•S can be found on the European Security Systems Association website.