IP Rating Chart: The Complete IEC 60529 Digit-by-Digit Reference

An IP code is two digits read independently: the first digit (0–6) states how well an enclosure keeps out solid objects and dust, and the second digit (0–9) states how well it keeps out water, each tested against its own pass/fail criteria under IEC 60529. Manufacturers pick which combination to test and certify — IP20, IP54, IP65, IP67, IP68 and IP69 recur constantly on datasheets, but IP07 or IP61 are valid numbers on paper that almost nobody actually tests. This page is a lookup table for what every digit and letter means; for buying advice on which rating a specific connector, cable gland, or RJ45 jack needs, see the waterproof connector types and IP ratings guide or the heavy duty waterproof connector IP sealing guide.

Quick answer: IP69 and IP69K are not the same standard

This is the detail most charts get wrong. IP69 (no K) was added directly into IEC 60529 by Amendment 2 (2013) as a high-pressure, high-temperature jet test with its own clause. IP69K (with K) has never been part of IEC 60529 at all — it comes from ISO 20653, the automotive-sector standard that replaced Germany’s DIN 40050-9, and it uses a different nozzle geometry and a pressure-based (not force-based) pass criterion. A connector can be rated to one, both, or neither; the letter is not a stylistic variant of the number, it names a different test body. Treat “IP69” and “IP69K” on a datasheet as two separate claims that happen to share three characters.

First digit — solid particle and dust protection (0–6)

Second digit — liquid ingress protection (0–9)

IP69K sits outside this table. It is ISO 20653’s own test, written for automotive and washdown equipment rather than general electrical enclosures. The spray geometry is close to clause 14.2.9’s (same rough nozzle distance and four-angle pattern), but the pass criterion is different: IPX9K adds an explicit water-pressure requirement (8–10 MPa) as part of what the part must withstand, where the base IEC 60529 IPX9 test is judged primarily against an impact-force figure at the nozzle. The two standards converged on very similar hardware because ISO 20653 predates and influenced IEC’s own 2013 addition, which is exactly why the two get conflated — they are close cousins, not the same clause.

Additional and supplementary letters

Two more letter categories can follow the two digits. Additional letters describe protection against access to hazardous parts beyond what the first digit implies; supplementary letters describe the conditions the water test was run under, not an extra protection level.

An IP2XB code, for example, states dust protection level 2 on the first digit and a finger-access guarantee on the second position that is stricter than digit 2 alone would imply — the letter adds information, it does not replace the missing digit.

The rule that catches most buyers: immersion does not imply jet resistance

Up through second digit 6, the scale is genuinely cumulative — a connector rated IP66 has, by definition, also met the requirements for IP65, IP64, and every lower second digit, because each step up the 0–6 scale is a strictly harder version of the same water-jet test family. The rule changes exactly at digits 7 and 8: IEC 60529 states explicitly that an enclosure rated only second digit 7 or 8 is considered unsuitable for water jets (digit 5 or 6) and does not need to meet that requirement unless the datasheet dual-codes it. The standard’s own dual-coding table only recognizes four “versatile” combinations — IPX5/IPX7, IPX6/IPX7, IPX5/IPX8, IPX6/IPX8 — each meaning the part was tested against both the jet test and the immersion test independently. A part marked IPX7 or IPX8 alone is labeled “restricted”: suitable for immersion, not certified for jets, full stop. So a connector rated IP68 with no companion IPX5/6 mark tells you nothing about washdown or hose-spray survival — that is a separate, untested claim until the manufacturer states it. This is the same gap covered as “the IP rating trap” in our waterproof connector types guide: match the digit to the actual hazard, and treat immersion and jet resistance as two different questions unless the label answers both.

Salt water adds an axis this chart does not cover: a rating earned in fresh water says nothing about what chloride does to the housing holding the seal. Verchil’s marine hub sets the two against each other in the salt-and-seal test.

Where these digits show up on real hardware

A chart is easier to hold onto with a concrete part attached to each number. On Verchil’s own line, an IP65 waterproof RJ45 connector is built to second-digit 5 — powerful water jets, not immersion — while an IP68 waterproof aviation connector is rated for the continuous-immersion end of the scale at digit 8. For the cable-gland side of a sealed panel, where IP68 and IP69K get confused most often in procurement conversations, see the IP69K versus IP68 explainer.

One more distinction worth making explicit: an IP digit measures ingress against dust and water, not resistance to salt fog or chemical attack on the metal itself. A connector can carry a high IP rating and still corrode in a coastal or de-icing-salt environment if its plating or base material is not suited to that exposure — that is a separate test family, covered in the salt spray resistance guide, not something the IP code speaks to at all.

Two ports on one panel drawing can carry different digits and still look identically sealed — IP65 on one range, IP54 on the next. Verchil’s edge data center hub works through when the room overrules the category on the box, which is where these digits stop being a specification detail and start deciding which port fails first.

Need a fast spec check before committing to a design? WhatsApp Verchil’s engineering team directly with your IP requirement, or request a quote through the contact page.

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