Waterproof Handheld devices and IP Ratings

Waterproof devices

What do we mean when we talk about waterproof and IP ratings for Handheld products?

Why do we use an IP rating system?

The reason for using a universal IP rating system is so that customers and users can be confident of how safe it is to use certain electrical goods in specific environments and applications.

A waterproof or weatherproof IP rating is one of the most frequent examples people look for in a wide range of everyday products. It’s worth knowing that to use terms like waterproof when discussing IP ratings can actually be somewhat self-defeating. The very reason IP ratings exist, in fact, is to more clearly define the exact parameters of potentially vague marketing claims. This means that the second digit in a typical IP code indicates a precise level of protection against moisture ingress under specific test scenarios.

IP ratings

IP (or Ingress Protection) ratings are defined in international standard IEC 60529. They are used to define levels of sealing effectiveness of electrical enclosures against intrusion from foreign bodies (tools, dirt etc) and moisture.

The numbers that follow IP each have a specific meaning.

The first indicates the degree of protection from foreign bodies.
The second defines the protection level from forms of moisture.

All of the Handheld devices have a rating of 6 as the first digit. This means that the device is totally dust tight. It offers full protection against dust and other particulates.

All of the Handheld devices also have a rating of atleast 5 as the second digit. Which leads the device to have protection against low-pressure jets of direct water from any angle which means it’s waterproof to a higher degree.