IP rating-important factor of LED lights

What are IP ratings?

IP (ingress protection) ratings are defined in IEC 60529, This standard defines a seal effectiveness level against “intrusions,” that is, intrusions from foreign objects such as tools, dirt, and liquid water. These grades are widely used throughout the industry.

IP ratings consist of the letters IP followed by two digits, the higher the number, the better the protection effect. It can be seen that the IP level is not only for the waterproof level, but also the protection against dust and other solid matter is also required.

Most indoor lighting fixtures will have an IP20 rating, which is suitable for most interior applications. Ratings between IP44 and IP65 are suitable for both indoor and outdoor usage, provided they are placed in a sheltered area and shielded from the toughest weather conditions.

Video about IP rating

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What do two numbers mean?

Each IP code has two numbers to define its protection level. If there is only one level of protection, “x” is used as another number. The European standard EN 60529 outlines the IP rating of “electrical equipment enclosures” as an international classification system, as follows: 

  • The first digit of the IP code indicates the degree of protection of personnel from contact with moving parts (except smooth rotating shafts, etc.) and the degree of protection of equipment from the intrusion of external solid external objects into the enclosure. 
  • The second digit indicates the degree of protection of the equipment against all forms of harmful entry of moisture (e.g. dripping, spraying, submersion, etc.) into the inside of the enclosure.

For defining the first ‘IP’ digit for the LED light fitting, we have listed the below table for your quick understanding.

DigitDefinitionPicture reference
0The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture has no special protectionNo protection
1The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture has protection from solid objects greater than 50mm, such as the size of a hand IP rating
2The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture has protection against objects greater than 12mm in diameter, such as a finger IP rating
3The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture has protection against objects with a diameter of 2.5 mm or more, such as a screwdriver IP-rating
4The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture has protection against objects 1mm in diameter, such as a wire IP-rating
5The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture has protection against harmful dust IP-rating
6The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture is totally dust-tight IP-rating

Video of IP Level (Ingress of Solid) Test Procedure

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For defining the second ‘IP’ digit for the LED light fitting, we have listed the below table for your quick understanding.

DigitDefinitionPicture reference
1The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture has protection against dripping water IP-rating
2The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture has protection against water droplets deflected up to 15° from vertical IP-rating
3The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture has protection against spray up to 60° from vertical IP-rating
4The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture has protection against water spray from all directions IP-rating
5The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture has protection against low-pressure water jets (all directions) IP-rating
6The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture has protection against strong water jets IP-rating
7The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture is protected against temporary immersion in water IP-rating
8The LED street or flood or high bay lighting fixture is protected against prolonged effects of immersion under pressure IP-rating

Download the IP Rating Chart

IP rating Chart

How IP test is carried out?

IEC International Standard IEC 60529 and European EN 60509 standard are the recognized standard for IP rating tests. They apply to many daily types of equipment such as electronic/electrical consumer goods, which also include LED lamps.  Therefore, the IP test method is also mentioned in the standard EN60598 for LED outdoor luminaires. Below we have a detailed description of the IPx5 waterproof test.

  • Test Method: Water spray test
  • Test equipment: Spray nozzle with an inner diameter of 6.3mm
  • Test conditions: The distance between the test sample and the spray nozzle is 2.5m ~ 3m, and the water flow is 12.5L /min (750 L/h). 1 min per square meter (excluding installation area, minimum 3 min) and according to the surface area of the enclosure of the sample should be tested 

Determination of test results: after 3 minutes or the time as calculated, if no water enters the enclosure, we can determine that the product passes IP65.

Video of IPX6 test for LED Street Light

Why are IP ratings required for lighting?

Products that need to do IP rating testing include outdoor chassis, distribution boxes, controllers, outdoor lamps and lanterns, signage, water meters, underwater cameras, waterproof cell phones, power equipment, smart wearable devices, etc. Here we focus on the importance of the IP rating of LED luminaires.

When selecting a luminaire for a commercial or industrial building, the IP rating specification should reflect the necessary protection provided by the environmental conditions the luminaire is likely to encounter.

If the luminaire is not protected from dust, then the dust will enter the luminaire’s power supply cavity. This will accelerate the corrosion and damage to the LED’s power supply, making it non-functional and even causing a fire due to leakage. If dust enters the LED module, it will affect the efficiency of the luminaire and lighting results. Moreover, industrial and factory environments will have a very large amount of dust, which causes explosions if they come into contact with the electrically charged parts of LED luminaires.

If the luminaire is not waterproof, then this can lead to harmful liquids (water) entering the interior of the LED luminaire (power supply cavity). This could lead to the possibility of a short circuit in the internal circuit. If it enters the LED light source part, there will also be a short circuit. At the same time, water will affect the light distribution of LED light which finally influences lighting results. Finally, the water enters the interior of the LED lamp, and the LED lamp will corrode more or less, which will affect the service life of the LED lamp.

Water enters led lamps

How to choose LED lights with the right IP ratings for the project?

We introduced the importance of IP rating in the previous section, now let’s briefly talk about how to choose IP rated lights. The following are the meanings of several common IP ratings.

  • IP20 – protection from objects > 12.5mm in size, no protection from rain
  • IP54 – significant protection from dust, protection from rain, spraying, and splashing
  • IP65 – air-tight, protection from rain, spraying, splashing, and nozzle pressure
  • IP66 – air-tight, protection from all rain and sea conditions
  • IP67 – air-tight, protection from accidental submersion in water
  • IP68 – air-tight, protection from accidental deep submersion in water

In the following table, we have made a one-to-one correspondence with application places, IP ratings, and types of LED lamps encountered in daily life. So we can get a quick understanding of different IP ratings LED lamps for different applications.

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ApplicationsRequired IP ratingLED light category
General indoor areaIP20Downlight, LED strip
Bathroom, warehouseIPx4LED headlamp
Warehouse, factory without much dustIP54LED high bay light, LED gas station lighting
Dusty factory, workshopIP65LED high bay light, ATEX LED canopy light
General outdoor areaIP65 or IP66LED street light, LED flood light
UndergroundIP67Wall Lights, LED landscape
UnderwaterIP68Underwater light

Summary

By introducing so much knowledge about IP rating, I hope you have some knowledge in choosing the right IP-rated LED lights. To conclude, before you make a choice, you need to understand the specific installation environment of these lights. According to the different environments, choose the right IP-rated lights. For example, for indoor environments, IP54 can basically meet all requirements. Of course, if it is not a humid and highly dusty environment, IP20 lamps are also no problem. But for some special indoor environments, such as high dust factories, it is recommended to choose the IP65 rating. For outdoor use, you need to consider whether it needs to be installed underwater or underground, if not, IP65 and IP66 rating LED street lights will be fine for municipal lighting. If underneath, IP67 is recommended, and underwater, IP68 is recommended. Besides IP rating, impact resistance (IK rating) is also an important factor that we should pay attention to, you can check IK rating important factor of LED light to get more informations.

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People also ask

A product that has an IP rating that is appropriate for the application will inevitably see fewer failures and survive longer. In addition to being a difficult and perhaps expensive mistake to correct, contractors who make this mistake may also be held liable and have their reputations harmed. Reputable producers prominently indicate IP ratings on the package and support these claims with an adequate warranty duration.

When positioned outdoors, lights are far more likely to come into touch with exterior materials and things than they are within. This implies that proper safety measures must be put in place for both the goal of preventing damage to the light and, more crucially, for the sake of safeguarding people from electric shock and harm.
Your lights may be damaged by a variety of external pressures when installed outside, including being accidentally touched or walked on, intentional tampering, the unintentional force from tools and spades, animal activity, dust, dirt, and wire. Not to mention rain, wind, and submersion in water. If your outdoor lighting doesn’t have the proper amount of protection for its location and the weather it encounters, all of these factors might lead to damage and failure. Therefore, a good street light should have a high IP and IK rating and be equipped with a surge protector
So, for instance, a typical path light will only need to be well protected against physical force and light water contact, not against total submersion. A pond light or pool light, on the other hand, will need to be safeguarded against total submersion but is less likely to often come into touch with tools and other dangerous things. Because of this, the IP ratings of outdoor lights vary based on their intended application.

As LED street lights are used outdoors, the harsh outdoor environment of wind and rain combined with the dust in the air can easily enter the lamp body, so LED street lights must meet at least the IP65 waterproof and dustproof rating. As a Chinese LED street light top manufacturer, all ZGSM street lights have passed the IP66 waterproof and dustproof test by TUV labs and can provide test reports.

Author introduction

About the author
Author

Hello Customers,

My name is Taylor Gong, I’m the product manager of ZGSM Tech. I have been in the LED lights industry for more than 13 years. Good at lighting design, street light system configuration, and bidding technology support. Feel free to contact us. I’m happy to provide you with the best service and products.

Email: info@zgsm-china.com | WhatsApp: +8615068758483