NEMA Ratings and IP Ratings

Moisture and particulate matter can greatly affect pressure function and longevity. Environmental exposure to water ranges from "condensing"
moisture to wash-down with water under pressure to total and permanent submersion.
Defined by two types of enclosure classification rating systems: National Electronic Manufacturers Association (NEMA) ratings and Ingress
Protection (IP) ratings.
These systems define protection from solids and liquids entering an enclosure.

An IP rating considers only protection against ingress of solid foreign objects and ingress of water, while NEMA ratings consider these
and other specifics such as corrosion and construction details.

It is possible to say that a NEMA type is equivalent to an IP rating, but it is not possible to say that an IP rating is equivalent to a NEMA type. The
comparison of NEMA and IP enclosure ratings is only approximate. It is the responsibility of the user to verify the enclosure rating necessary for the
given application.

NEMA Ratings
NEMA 1: General Purpose – Indoors
 Intended for general purpose indoor use, primarily to provide a degree of ingress protection against contact with the enclosed
equipment or locations where unusual service conditions do not exist
NEMA 2: Drip Proof – Indoors
Intended for general purpose indoor use, primarily to provide a degree of protection against limited amounts of falling water and dirt
NEMA 3: Dust tight, rain tight, and ice/sleet resistant – indoors/outdoors
 Intended for general purpose outdoor use, primarily to provide a degree of protection against windblown dust, rain, and sleet
 Will be undamaged by the formation of ice on the enclosure
NEMA 3R: Rain proof and ice/sleet proof – indoors/outdoors
Intended for general purpose outdoor use, primarily to provide a degree of protection against falling rain
 Will be undamaged by the formation of ice on the enclosure
NEMA 3S: Dust tight, rain tight, and ice/sleet – outdoors

NEMA 4: Water tight and dust tight – indoors/outdoors
 Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against incidental
contact with the enclosed equipment
 Provide a degree of protection against falling dirt, rain, sleet, snow, windblown dust, splashing water, and hose-directed water
NEMA 4X: Water tight, dust tight, and corrosion resistant – indoors/outdoors
 Enclosures constructed for either indoor or outdoor use to provide a degree of protection to personnel against incidental
contact with the enclosed equipment.
 Provide a degree of protection against falling dirt, rain, sleet, snow, windblown dust, splashing water, and hose-directed water
 Protection of corrosion resistance
NEMA 5: General purpose dust tight
 Intended for use indoors or outdoors with protection from dust provided by gaskets
NEMA 6: Submersible, water tight, dust tight, and ice/sleet resistant – indoors/outdoors
 Intended for general purpose indoor and outdoor use primarily to provide a degree of protection against the entry of water
during temporary submersion at a limited depth
 Will be undamaged by the formation of ice on the enclosure
NEMA 7: Underwriters Lab Class 1 – Groups C & D – explosion proof – indoors
 Intended for indoor use in locations classified as Class I, Groups A, B, C, or D, as defined in the National Electrical Code
 Capable of withstanding the pressures resulting from an internal explosion of specified gases and containing such an
explosion sufficiently that an explosive gas-air mixture existing in the atmosphere surrounding the enclosure will not be
ignited.
 Enclosed heat-generating devices shall not cause external surfaces to reach temperatures capable of igniting explosive gas-
air mixtures in the surrounding atmosphere
 Enclosures shall meet explosion, hydrostatic, and temperature design tests
NEMA 8: Underwriters Lab Class I – Groups C & D – explosion proof – indoors
  Same as NEMA 7, except the unit is oil-immersed
NEMA 9: Underwriters Lab Class II – Groups E, F, G – indoors
 Intended for special-purpose indoor use in locations classified as hazardous (Class II, Groups E, F, and G, as defined in the
National Electric Code)
 Capable of preventing the entrance of dust
 Enclosed heat-generating devices shall not cause external surfaces to reach temperatures capable of igniting or discoloring
dust on the enclosure or igniting dust-air mixtures in the surrounding atmosphere
 Enclosures shall meet dust penetration and temperature design tests and aging of gaskets (if used)
NEMA 11: Corrosion resistant and drip proof – oil immersed – indoors

 NEMA 12:  dust tight and drip tight – indoors
 Constructed (without knockouts) to provide a degree of protection to personnel against incidental contact with the enclosed
equipment
 Intended for industrial indoor use, primarily to provide a degree of protection against dust, falling dirt, and dripping
noncorrosive liquids
NEMA 13: Oil tight and dust tight – indoors
 Intended for industrial indoor use, primarily to provide a degree of protection against dust, spraying of water, oil, and
noncorrosive coolant).
 The comparison of NEMA and IP enclosure ratings is only approximate. It is the responsibility of the user to verify the
enclosure rating necessary for the given application

IP ratings

The the Ingress Protection system is more commonly used in Europe but is increasingly used in the U.S. as well. Because the two systems use
different test parameters, they are not directly comparable or easily converted.

The IP rating system provides a means of classifying the degree of protection from solid objects and liquids afforded by electrical equipment and
enclosures. The system is recognized in most European countries and is set out in a number of British and European standards. These include:
Classification of Degrees of Protection Provided by Enclosures, BS (British Standards) 5490:1977; IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission)
529:1976.

The first number defines the level of protection against penetration of solid objects into the housing. The second number defines the level of
protection against penetration of liquids into the housing.

Number Degree of Protection (Solid) Number Degree of Protection (Liquid)

(1st
Digit)
0 No protection against contact or entry of solids
1 Protection against accidental contact by hand, but not
deliberate contact. Protection against large objects (greater
than 50 mm)
2 Protection against contact by tools, wire, etc. Protection
against small foreign objects (greater than 12 mm)
3 Protection against contact by tools, wire, etc. Protection
against small foreign objects (greater than 2.5 mm)
4 Protection against contact by tools, wire, etc. Protection
against small foreign objects (greater than 1 mm)
5 Complete protection against contact with live or moving parts.
Protection against harmful deposits of dust
6 Complete protection of live or moving parts. Protection against
penetration of dust
(2nd
Digit)
0 No protection
1 Protection against drops of condensed water. Condensed
water falling on housing shall have no effect
2 Protection against drops of liquid. Drops of falling liquid
shall have no effect when housing is tilted to 15° from
vertical
3 Protection against rain. No harmful effect from rain at
angle less than 60° from vertical
4 Protections against splashing from any direction
5 Protection against water jets from any direction
6 Protection against conditions on ship decks. Water from
heavy seas will not enter
7 Protection against immersion in water. Water will not enter
under stated conditions of pressure and time
8 Protection against indefinite immersion in water under a
specified pressure