| Enclosures constructed for indoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts and to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects (falling dirt). |
| Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts; to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects (falling dirt and windblown dust); to provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment due to the ingress of water (rain, sleet, snow); and that will be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure. |
| Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts; to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects (falling dirt); to provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment due to the ingress of water (rain, sleet, snow); and that will be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure. |
| Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts; to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects (falling dirt and windblown dust); to provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment due to the ingress of water (rain, sleet, snow); and for which the external mechanism(s) remain operable when ice laden. |
| Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts; to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects (falling dirt and windblown dust); to provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment due to the ingress of water (rain, sleet, snow, splashing water, and hose directed water); and that will be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure. |
| Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts; to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects (windblown dust); to provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment due to the ingress of water (rain, sleet, snow, splashing water, and hose directed water); that provides an additional level of protection against corrosion; and that will be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure. |
| Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts; to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects (falling dirt); to provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment due to the ingress of water (hose directed water and the entry of water during occasional temporary submersion at a limited depth); and that will be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure. |
| Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts; to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects (falling dirt); to provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment due to the ingress of water (hose directed water and the entry of water during prolonged submersion at a limited depth); that provides an additional level of protection against corrosion; and that will be undamaged by the external formation of ice on the enclosure. |
| Enclosures constructed (without knockouts) for indoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts; to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects (falling dirt and circulating dust, lint, fibers, and flyings); and to provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment due to the ingress of water (dripping and light splashing). |
| Enclosures constructed (with knockouts) for indoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against access to hazardous parts; to provide a degree of protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects (falling dirt and circulating dust, lint, fibers, and flyings); and to provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment due to the ingress of water (dripping and light splashing). |
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UL uses similar standard designations to NEMA: UL Type 4 = NEMA 4 |
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|
IEC Publication 60529 Classification of Degrees of Protection Provided by Enclosures provides a system for specifying the enclosures of electrical equipment on the basis of the degree of protection provided by the enclosure. IEC 60529 does not specify degrees of protection against mechanical damage of equipment, risk of explosions, or conditions such as moisture (produced for example by condensation), corrosive vapors, fungus, or vermin. NEMA Standards Publication 250 tests for environmental conditions such as corrosion, rust, icing, oil, and coolants. For this reason, and because the tests and evaluations for other characteristics are not identical, the IEC Enclosure Classification Designations cannot be exactly equated with NEMA Enclosure Type Numbers.
IEC 60529 defines Ingress Protection with a two-digit code and provides complete information regarding applications, features, and design tests. |
| |
| 0 |
Non-protected |
| 1 |
Objects equal or greater than 50mm |
| 2 |
Objects equal or greater than 12.5 mm |
| 3 |
Objects equal or greater than 2.5 mm |
| 4 |
Objects equal or greater than 1 mm |
| 5 |
Dust protected |
| 6 |
Dust tight |
|
| 0 |
Non-protected |
| 1 |
Water dripping vertically |
| 2 |
Water dripping, enclosure tilted up to 15° |
| 3 |
Spraying water, up to 60° angle from vertical |
| 4 |
Splashing water, any direction |
| 5 |
Jetting water, any direction |
| 6 |
Powerful jetting water, any direction |
| 7 |
Temporary immersion in water |
| 8 |
Continuous immersion in water |
|
| NEMA Enclosure Types meet or exceed the test requirements of the IEC Classifications; conversion between the NEMA and IEC should be done by test only, not by cross reference, but this table provides a good general conversion. |
|
|
| 1 |
IP10 |
| 2 |
IP11 |
| 3 |
IP54 |
| 3r |
IP14 |
| 3S |
IP54 |
| 4 and 4X |
IP56 |
| 5 |
IP52 |
| 6 and 6P |
IP67 |
| 12 and 12K |
IP52 |
| 13 |
IP54 |
|
| |
| Multiple factors, including enclosure and gasket design, contribute to successful sealing, but material selection is also critical. If the gasket leaks or must be replaced, the enclosure certification can be lost, resulting in lost time and increased expenses, in addition to potential damage to the components within. |
