Catalogs, brochures and technical descriptions of products for the boating industry often refer to IP standards. You may find, for example, that the new Icom IC-M85E VHF is IP67. But what does this mean?
IP stands for Protection Index. The two letters IP are accompanied by 2 numbers:
- 1st digit: protection against solids (dust, sand, etc.)
- 2nd digit: protection against water intrusion
Sometimes it says IPX6, for example. This means that the first digit is replaced by an X when there is no indication of protection against solids.
1st digit (ten) : Protection against solids
0 : No protection
1: Protected against solid objects larger than 50 mm
2: Protected against solid objects larger than 12.5 mm
3: Protected against solids larger than 2.5 mm
4: Protected against solids larger than 1 mm
5 : Protected against dust and other microscopic residues
6 : Fully protected against dust
2nd digit (unit) : Protection against water intrusion
0 : No protection
1: Protected against vertically falling drops of water
2: Protected against falling drops of water up to 15° from vertical
3: Protected against rainwater up to 60° from vertical
4: Protected against splashing water from all directions
5: Protected against water jets from all directions (6.3 mm nozzle, distance 2.5 to 3 m, flow 12.5 l/min ±5%)
6: Protected against strong water jets from all directions (12.5 mm nozzle, distance 2.5 m to 3 m, flow rate 100 l/min ±5%)
7: Protected against the effects of temporary immersionv (up to 1 m) and for 30 minutes
8: Equipment submersible under specified conditions of time and pressure (prolonged immersion) beyond 1 m. Normally, this means that the equipment is hermetically sealed; however, with certain types of equipment, it may mean that water can penetrate, but without producing harmful effects. Submergence protection
