IP and IK ratings explained for luminaires

At a glance

Digits from public explainers cross-checked against the IEC and BSI listings; the standards were not read. The last column is practice, except where it names the bathroom guidance.

Reading an IP code

IP, usually expanded as ingress protection, is a two-digit code defined by IEC 60529, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code). The IEC lists the current consolidated edition as 2.2, IEC 60529:1989+AMD1:1999+AMD2:2013, published on 29 August 2013, and says it applies to enclosures of equipment rated up to 72.5 kV. BSI lists the British adoption, BS EN 60529:1992+A2:2013, as current (published 28 February 2019). We have not read either text. The digits below come from public explainers that agree with one another, and they should be confirmed against the standard.

• The first digit, 0 to 6, is protection against solid objects, which also means against touching live parts.
• The second digit, 0 to 9, is protection against water.
• An X in either place means that characteristic was not rated. It does not mean zero: IPX4 says nothing about dust.
• There are no hyphens in a standard code. Optional letters can follow the digits: ask the maker what any letter means.
• Two ratings are written with a slash. IPX5/IPX7 means the enclosure passed both a jet test and an immersion test.

The two digits, one at a time

The first digit is a ladder of probe sizes, ending in dust. Digit 1 means objects over 50 mm are kept out (the back of a hand), 2 means over 12.5 mm (a finger), 3 over 2.5 mm, 4 over 1 mm, 5 means dust protected (some dust may enter but not enough to interfere with safe working) and 6 means dust-tight. There is no 7, 8 or 9 for solids.

The second digit is not one ladder. Digits 1 to 4 are drips, spray and splashing, 5 and 6 are jets, 7 and 8 are immersion and 9 is hot, high-pressure jets. Public explainers say jets and immersion test different things, so passing the immersion test (7) does not imply passing the jet tests (5 or 6). That is why a fitting for a wet area is often marked with two ratings.

What the water tests do

What the water tests do, as the public explainers describe them (confirm against the standard):

The tests use fresh water. A “K” suffix, as in IP69K, comes from other standards (DIN 40050-9 and ISO 20653 in the explainers), not from the IEC code itself.

What an IP rating does not tell you

An IP rating says how an enclosure behaves in a laboratory test. It leaves out a good deal that matters on a hospitality project.

• Corrosion, salt and chemicals. The tests use fresh water. Salt water, oils and solvents are not covered, and the explainers we read list corrosion and chemical exposure among the things the code does not address. A fitting for a coastal terrace or a spa needs a material and finish chosen for the exposure: see metal by environment and metal finishes for luminaires.
• Impact. IP is not an impact rating. That is the IK code below. (Before the IK code existed, a third numeral was sometimes added to an IP code, as in IP66(9).)
• Other conditions. The explainers list icing, oil and coolant and hazardous atmospheres as outside the code. None of them mentions steam, condensation, sunlight or heat, so ask the maker rather than assume.
• A higher number is not always better. For water, 5 and 6 test jets and 7 and 8 test immersion, and neither outranks the other.
• The fitting as installed. A rating belongs to the fitting as tested. Ask what has to be done on site to keep it (seals, glands, canopy, driver position) and what would void it. A fitting with a remote driver or transformer has two enclosures: ask for the rating of each.
• Glass. The IP and IK codes classify an enclosure. Whether a glass shade shatters, and how, is a separate question that neither code answers.

The IK scale: impact energy in joules

The IK code is a separate scale, defined by IEC 62262, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against external mechanical impacts (IK code). It runs from IK00, not protected, to IK10, and each step is an impact energy in joules. Amendment 1 of 3 September 2021 added IK11, at 50 J. The IEC lists edition 1.0 of 12 February 2002 with that amendment; BSI lists BS EN 62262:2002+A1:2021 as current (31 October 2021) and shows the plain 2002 edition as withdrawn. We have not read the standard. The energies and test hammers below come from a public explainer. We checked that mass times 9.81 times drop height reproduces the energy for IK07 to IK11, but the explainer gives IK01 to IK05 only as a range, and public sources differ on hammer details, so confirm against the standard.

What the code means: the enclosure withstands that impact energy in the standard’s test, which strikes it with a hammer (five impacts, spread evenly, according to the explainer). It is a rating for the enclosure. Decorative glass fittings are generally not IK-rated, so do not assume an IK rating for glass: put a fitting that can be knocked out of reach, behind a guard, or specify one made for it.

Which rating where: hospitality locations

These are starting points to put to the electrical engineer and the lighting designer. They are specification practice, not requirements from any document we read, except where a row says so. Square brackets mark values to confirm. For a bathroom, the rule is BS 7671 Section 701, set out in the bathroom zones sheet.

Decorative glass chandeliers are typically IP20, for dry interiors only. Do not specify one for a terrace, a spa, a kitchen or a bathroom zone. Ask the partner workshop what it can make or supply to the rating the place needs, and have the rating stated per fitting, in writing.

What to ask for on a rating plate or data sheet

• The IP rating of each fitting type, on the data sheet and on the rating plate, and the IK rating where a fitting can be knocked. See the luminaire data sheet to demand, field E3.
• The configuration tested: with the glass or shade fitted, with the cable gland and canopy as supplied, on the mounting surface the maker states.
• What changes the rating: drilling, a different gland, a substitute lamp holder, a different driver position, a missing seal.
• The rating of the driver or transformer if it is separate, and where it is to be sited.
• The test evidence: who tested, to which standard and edition, and whether the report covers this fitting. See the conformity sheet.
• The environment the maker intends: in words, for example “dry interiors only”, so the rating is not read as more than it is.

The supplier states for each luminaire type, on the data sheet and the rating plate, the IP rating [IP20 / IP44 / IP65] under BS EN 60529 [edition] and, where a fitting can be knocked, the IK rating under BS EN 62262 [edition and amendment], with the configuration tested (shade fitted, gland and canopy as supplied, mounting) and what would change it.

Luminaires in [location] are rated at least IP[ ] and IK[ ], as the luminaire schedule. The supplier confirms the rating applies as installed, lists any site step that would void it, and states the rating and position of any separate driver.

Fittings rated IP20, or with no IP rating stated, are installed only in dry interiors, outside bathroom zones 0, 1 and 2. The supplier states in writing the environment each fitting is made for.

An IP rating does not cover corrosion. For [coastal / spa / pool-hall] locations the supplier states the base metal, finish and exposure suitable, apart from the IP rating.

Standards and sources

• IEC 60529:1989+AMD1:1999+AMD2:2013 CSV (IP Code), edition 2.2, and BS EN 60529:1992+A2:2013: listings only: IEC 29 Aug 2013 (stability date 2027); BSI Current, published 28 Feb 2019. Text not read.
• IEC 62262:2002 with Amendment 1:2021 (IK code), and BS EN 62262:2002+A1:2021: listings only: IEC edition 1.0 (2002), amendment 3 Sep 2021 (IK11); BSI Current, published 31 Oct 2021, 2002 edition withdrawn. Text not read.
• Public explainers for the digit and energy tables; BS 7671 Section 701 for bathrooms (see the bathroom zones sheet): explainers cross-checked 5 Nov 2026; neither standard read.

Questions we are asked

What does IP stand for in lighting?

IP is usually expanded as ingress protection. It is the code from IEC 60529 that says how well an enclosure keeps out solid objects (first digit, 0 to 6) and water (second digit, 0 to 9). Older sources expand it as international protection. Confirm the wording against the standard.

What does the X mean in IPX4?

The X means the first characteristic, protection against solids, was not rated. It does not mean zero. IPX4 only says the enclosure resists splashing water from any direction, and says nothing about dust.

What is the difference between IP44 and IP65?

IP44 keeps out objects over 1 mm and tolerates splashing water. IP65 is dust-tight and tolerates water jets from a 6.3 mm nozzle, so it is a much tougher rating for a terrace or a hose-down area. Both are about water and dust only: neither covers salt or chemicals.

Is IP67 better than IP65?

Not simply. IP67 means temporary immersion and IP65 means jets, and public explainers say passing one does not imply passing the other. A fitting that must survive both needs both ratings, written IPX5/IPX7 or IP65/IP67.

What IP rating do I need for an outdoor light?

It depends on the exposure. A covered terrace sees wind-blown rain, an open terrace sees rain and hose cleaning, and a coastal one sees salt that the IP tests do not cover. Starting points are in the table above, in square brackets: confirm them with the electrical engineer and lighting designer.

Do chandeliers have an IP rating?

Yes, every luminaire has one, but a decorative glass chandelier is typically IP20, which means fingers kept out and no water protection, so it is for dry interiors only. The maker must state the actual rating of each fitting in writing, and what would change it.

What does an IK rating mean?

IK is a separate scale from IK00 to IK10 (IK11 since 2021) for how much impact energy an enclosure withstands in the standard's test, from 0.14 joules at IK01 to 20 joules at IK10 and 50 joules at IK11. It is a rating for the enclosure and says nothing about whether glass would shatter safely.

Can I use an IP20 chandelier in a bathroom?

Not in zones 0, 1 or 2, which need at least IPX7 or IPX4 according to public guidance to BS 7671 Section 701. Wholly outside the zones the guidance sets no least IP rating, but steam and cleaning remain: see the bathroom zones sheet and have the electrical engineer confirm.