IP Ratings Explained

If IP ratings leave you confused, we’ve written this handy IP ratings explained guide to help you out. IP stands for Ingress Protection and is there to give you an indication of how resistant to dust and water a light is going to be. This is especially useful to know when lighting bathrooms and gardens.

An IP rating consists of four characters, for example, IP64. The first digit is there to tell you how resistant to solid objects the light will be and the second digit measures the resistance to water. Below is a table explaining what the numbers mean.

IP ratings – What the numbers mean

First Digit (Ingress of Solid Objects)

Second Digit (Ingress of Water)

0 – no protection
1 – Protected against penetration by solid objects 50mm+
2 – Protected against penetration by solid objects 12mm+
3 – Protected against penetration by solid objects 2.5mm+
4 – Protected against penetration by solid objects 1mm+
5 – Dust protected
6 – Dust-tight

0 – no protection
1 – Protected from vertically falling drops
2 – Protected from water drops falling at a max angle of 15°
3 – Protected from water as in the rain at a max angle of 60°
4 – Protected from splashing or projection
5 – Protected from low-pressure jets
6 – Protected from high-pressure jets
7 – Protected from temporary immersion
8 – Protected against long periods of immersion

Most of our bulkhead lights are rated as IP64 meaning that they are dust-tight and protected from splashing on projection. If using in a bathroom, remember to check the bathroom lighting zones diagram below to ensure that your lights are compatible for where you want to place them.

Click here to see our full range of IP rated lights suitable for gardens, bathroom and outdoors. If you’re still unsure about what lighting to use where feel free to call our team for advice or consult an electrician.