IP rating
Ingress Protection rating
A two-digit code describing how well an enclosure keeps things out: the first digit rates protection against solid objects, from hands down to dust, and the second rates protection against water, from vertical drips to sustained immersion. The digits are independent, and an X in either position simply means that kind of protection hasn't been tested.
Where IP rating fits in the learning path
The Installation section covers these units:
- Wiring Systems & Enclosures
- Cable Selection & Circuit Design
- Earthing, Bonding & Consumer Units
Curriculum mapping: C&G 2365 Units 203/204/305.
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- IP RatingsInstallation
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Follow a topic above to explore how the term is used, then use the learning entry below to find your path.
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Recall a related term
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Protection against touching live parts during normal, fault-free service. It is delivered by insulation around conductors, barriers and enclosures around terminals, and placing live parts out of reach. It is the first layer of shock protection; fault protection is the second, and an installation needs both.
Basic protection
Read the Basic protection entryCompare related terms
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Basic protection
Protection against touching live parts during normal, fault-free service. It is delivered by insulation around conductors, barriers and enclosures around terminals, and placing live parts out of reach. It is the first layer of shock protection; fault protection is the second, and an installation needs both.
Read the Basic protection entryConsumer unit
The distribution board of a domestic installation. A main switch, residual-current protection and a row of circuit devices on a DIN rail split the incoming supply into individually protected final circuits. Modern UK consumer units sit in non-combustible enclosures and increasingly give every circuit its own RCBO instead of sharing RCDs across banks.
Read the Consumer unit entryA definition is a start. Using it in a real question is where it sticks.