Articles
March 31, 2016
Enclosure Ratings: What NEMA Type Does an IP54 Rating Equal? The IP code (or International Protection Rating, sometimes also called Ingress Protection Rating) consists of the
letters IP followed by two digits and an optional letter. As defined in International standards [IEC 60529 (Ed. 2.1),
clause 4.1], it classifies the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body
parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact and water in electrical enclosures.
The National Electrical Manufacturer Association (NEMA) defines standards for various grades of electrical
enclosures and the types of environments in which they can be used. These classifications are obtained by doing
specific tests in a lab to ensure that the device meets the required specifications.
CETCI’s products are tested to the IP54 International standards. The numbers that follow the letters ‘IP’ have
specific meanings. In the case of IP54, 5 means protected against dust that may harm equipment and 4 means
protected against water spray from all directions. CETCI enclosures that have a sensor vent covered by a splash
guard are IP54 rated. Enclosures that do not have a sensor vent, but have a door mounted water tight buzzer are
IP54 rated.
Unlike many things that can be converted like kilometers and miles or Celsius and Fahrenheit, there is no direct
formulaic correspondence between NEMA types and IP ratings. According to the document ‘NEMA FAQs:
Enclosures’, it is not possible to state that an IP rating is equivalent to a NEMA type designation. An IP rating only
considers protection against ingress of solid foreign objects (dust) and ingress of water. The NEMA types
consider these but also consider other factors such as corrosion resistance, construction details and use in
atmospheres containing explosive agents. For this reason, it is possible to say that a NEMA type is equivalent to
an IP rating, but it is not possible to state that an IP rating is equivalent to a NEMA type.
Looking at Table A-1 Conversion of NEMA Enclosure Type Ratings on page 8 of the ‘NEMA Enclosure Types’
document, it can be concluded that NEMA enclosure Types 3, 3X, 3S, 3SX, 4, 4X, 6, 6P, 12, 12K and 13 meet
and exceed an IP54 rating. But, IP54 is not equivalent to any of these NEMA ratings.
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References
IEC 60529 (Ed 2.1), clause 4.1 IP (Ingress Protection) Rating Guide Courtesy of gulfradiant.com https://www.nemaenclosures.com/media/catalog/category/ratings/NE_IP_Reference_Chart_0614.pdf IP Rating Chart http://www.dsmt.com/resources/ip‐rating‐chart/ NEMA FAQs: Enclosures Gerard Winstanley, Program Manager www.nema.org/Standards/Documents/faq‐enclosures.doc NEMA Enclosure Types National Electrical Manufacturers Association, November 2005 http://www.nema.org/Products/Documents/nema‐enclosure‐types.pdf Critical Environment Technologies Canada Inc.
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