Protection of electrical operating equipment
Electrical operating equipment (e.g. lights, LED modules and operating devices) must belong to a certain protection class per EN 60529 according to their loading by foreign bodies and water. The protection classes are also referred to as IP codes.The abbreviation IP stands for "International Protection" or "Ingress Protection".
The IP code per EN 60529
The protection class afforded by a housing is verified according to standardised test procedures.The IP code is used in order to classify this protection class.This comprises the two letters IP and a two-digit characteristic number.The protection classes refer exclusively to the protection against contact and the penetration of solid foreign bodies and dust (indicated by the first characteristic number of the IP code), as well as the harmful penetration of water (indicated by the second characteristic number of the IP code). The protection classes do not provide any information regarding the protection against external influences. Furthermore, the protection classes must not be confused with the electrical protection classes, which refer to the protective measures for the prevention of an electric shock.