The IP56 Housing Rating For Outdoor Gear

Internet Protocol Address 5-6 can be a rating for enclosures which are subject to many different climate. It is a standard developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and is really a global standard. In the U.S., the National Electrical Manufacturers ASsociation (NEMA) sets similar standards.IEC Ingress Protection StandardsThe IEC has a published standard 60529, which defines Ingress Protection utilizing a two digit code. This standard has all the information about assessment and applications.The first digit indicates the defense against access to dangerous parts and whether solid materials can get to the encolosure. In other words, how hard is it to stick your finger inside and cause some trouble.The second digit indicates the amount of safety against water.Here are the designations for the first digit - Hazardous Parts:0 - Non-protected 1 - Protected against access with the rear of-the hand (50mm size object ) 2 - Protected against access with jointed finger (12 mm x 80 mm ) 3 - Protected against acess with an instrument (2.5 mm ) 4, 5, 6 - Protected against access with a wire (1 outdoor shop neumuensteroutdoor shop neumuenster.0 mm )Here are the designations for the first digit - Solid Foreign Objects:0 - Non-protected 1 - Objects greater than 50mm 2 - Objects greater than 12.5 mm 3 - Objects greater than 2.5 4 - Objects greater than or corresponding to 1mm 5 - Dust protected 6 - Dust tightProtection name for the second digit - Ingress of Liquids0 - Non-protected 1 - Water dripping vertically 2 - Water dripping, enclosure tilted around 15d 3 - Spraying water, upt to 60d position 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 waterYou can see an IP56 rated enclosure is protected against dirt (and other tiny particles) and is water tight against jetting water from any direction.