NEMA Enclosure Ratings & IP Ratings
An enclosure is a cabinet designed to protect electrical equipment from the surrounding environment and keep users safe from electrical shock hazards. For optimal protection, it is important to ensure that your equipment’s enclosure can tolerate the specific conditions of your application. National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and the International Electrotechnical Commission’s (IEC) IP (Ingress Protection) ratings are used to evaluate and define the level of protection enclosures provide against various elements. NEMA ratings consider everything from the enclosure’s construction details to the corrosion and ingress protection it provides, while IP ratings focus solely on the enclosure’s sealing capabilities against dust and liquid intrusion.
Daisy Data Displays is an industry-leading manufacturer of off-the-shelf and custom industrial computers, displays, and accessories. Our solutions feature a range of enclosure designs, each of which provides specific levels of protection in harsh or hazardous industrial environments. Here, we provide an overview of NEMA and IP ratings to help you understand the various enclosure types available and their protective capabilities.
NEMA Ratings Definitions – Waterproof/Industrial Computers
The NEMA rating system rates enclosures based on their ability to protect the user from incidental contact and to prevent equipment damage from the intrusion of liquids, dust, corrosion, and other elements. NEMA ratings are valuable when determining an enclosure’s suitability for specific types of environments.
| NEMA 1 | Rated for indoor environments with no unusual service conditions, NEMA 1 (equivalent to IP10 rating) enclosures prevent the ingress of solid foreign objects and protect the user from accidental contact with the enclosed equipment. Commonly used to protect controls and terminations. Protection against limited amount of falling dirt. Shall prevent the insertion of the end portion of a straight rod of specified diameter into the equipment into the equipment cavity. Shall not rust when subjected to a salt spray test for 24 hours. |
| NEMA 2 | NEMA 2 (equivalent to IP11 rating) enclosures are drip-proof and protect the enclosed equipment from falling dirt and minor amounts of falling non-corrosive liquids/water in indoor environments. |
| NEMA 3 | Built for both indoor and outdoor use, NEMA 3 (equivalent to IP54 rating) enclosures provide reliable protection for equipment against rain, sleet, and wind-blown dust. These enclosures also protect the internal equipment from damage when ice forms on their outer surface. |
| NEMA 3R | Offering protection against rain, sleet, snow, and ice, NEMA 3R (equivalent to IP14 rating) enclosures are most commonly used in outdoor electrical applications such as wiring and junction boxes. These enclosures quickly disperse any entering water through a small drain. When used indoors, they protect equipment from dripping water in the form of droplets or splashes. |
| NEMA 3SX | Rated for indoor and outdoor environments, NEMA 3SX (equivalent to IP54 rating) enclosures protect the enclosed equipment from rain, sleet, windblown dust, and corrosives. They also ensure that the equipment remains operable in the event of ice formation on the enclosure’s external surface. |
| NEMA 4 | NEMA 4 (equivalent to IP66 rating) enclosures provide protection against the ingress of water and dust in indoor and outdoor environments. Water protection includes everything from falling and splashing droplets to hose-directed streams and severe external condensation. Ideal for applications requiring occasional washdowns. |
| NEMA 4X | Enclosures with a NEMA 4X rating (equivalent to IP66 rating) are water-tight, dust-tight, and resistant to corrosion. This is one of the most key standards for the industry and one that most of Daisy’s products are at least rated to. Built for both indoor and outdoor environments, they protect internal components from splashing and falling water as well as hose-directed water and external condensation. Suitable for food processing applications due to their ability to withstand frequent washdowns and caustic chemical exposure. In addition, the enclosures are corrosion resistant. |
| NEMA 5 | Built for indoor use, NEMA 5 (equivalent to IP52 rating) enclosures protect against non-corrosive liquids and settling airborne particles such as dust or fibers.
Indoors: Similar to Type 1 Protection against dust. |
| NEMA 6 | NEMA 6 (equivalent to IP67 rating) enclosures protect equipment against hose-directed water and external ice formation in both indoor and outdoor environments. They also tolerate temporary submersion in water at limited depths. |
| NEMA 6P | Rated for indoor and outdoor use, NEMA 6P (equivalent to IP68 rating) enclosures protect equipment against hose-directed water, external ice formation, and water ingress during prolonged submersion at limited depths. |
| NEMA 7 | NEMA 7 enclosures are lightweight, non-corrosive, and explosion-proof, allowing them to contain internal explosions without creating external damage. These enclosures are rated for indoor hazardous applications with the following classifications:
|
| NEMA 8 | NEMA 8 enclosures eliminate the risk of combustion by immersing all arcing contacts, connections, and components in oil. This prevents arcing from igniting explosive gases in the internal spaces. In addition, the enclosure’s external surface is incapable of reaching the temperatures necessary to ignite explosive gases in the surrounding atmosphere.
NEMA 8 enclosures are used in indoor and outdoor hazardous environments with the following classifications:
|
| NEMA 9 | NEMA 9 enclosures are designed to prevent the ingress of combustible dust in dust-generating indoor and outdoor applications. They also protect against the ignition and discoloration of dust on the enclosure’s surface or in its surrounding atmosphere by preventing external surfaces from reaching temperatures capable of ignition. |
| NEMA 10 | In accordance with Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Part 18, NEMA 10 enclosures are constructed to contain internal explosions without creating external hazards. |
| NEMA 11 | Designed for indoor environments, NEMA 11 enclosures use oil submersion to protect the enclosed equipment from corrosive liquids and gases. |
| NEMA 12 | NEMA 12 (equivalent to IP52 rating) enclosures protect the enclosed equipment from circulating or falling dirt, settling dust, fibers, flyings, lint, and droplets of non-corrosive liquids in indoor environments. |
| NEMA 12K | Rated for indoor use, NEMA 12K (equivalent to IP52 rating) enclosures with knockouts provide protection against airborne particles such as dust, falling dirt, fibers, and lint. They also protect the enclosed equipment from dripping and light splashing of water, oil, coolant, and other non-corrosive liquids. |
| NEMA 13 | Oil-tight and dust-tight NEMA 13 (equivalent to IP54 rating) enclosures provide protection for switches, pushbuttons, pilot lights, and other electrical components in indoor environments. Their design prevents the ingress of lint and dust as well as sprayed water, oil, and coolant. |
IP Ratings
IP standards are the international ratings assigned to enclosures based on the level of protection they offer against the intrusion of solids and liquids. The first digit of the IP rating indicates the enclosure’s protection against solid particle intrusion, while the second digit describes its protection against liquid intrusion. Note that NEMA and IP ratings are approximations of NEMA and IEC classifications and should be used for reference purposes only.
| IP10 | Rated for indoor use, IP10 (equivalent to NEMA 1 rating) enclosures are designed to protect the user against incidental contact with the enclosed equipment. They also protect the enclosed equipment from falling dirt. |
| IP11 | IP11 (equivalent to NEMA 2 rating) indoor-rated enclosures protect the user from incidental contact while safeguarding the equipment from falling dirt and drops or light splashes of liquid. |
| IP14 | Rated for both indoor and outdoor use, IP14 (equivalent to NEMA 3R rating) enclosures are designed to protect equipment from falling dirt and dust as well as rain, sleet, snow, and external ice formation. They also protect the user from incidental contact with the enclosed equipment. |
| IP52 | Built for indoor applications, IP52 (equivalent to NEMA 5 rating) enclosures protect the user from incidental contact and keep the equipment safe from:
|
| IP54 | In addition to protecting the user from incidental contact, IP54 (equivalent to NEMA 3 rating) rated enclosures provide protection against falling dirt, windblown dust, rain, sleet, and snow. They also ensure that the external mechanisms will remain functional even when covered in ice. IP54/NEMA 3 enclosures are rated for both indoor and outdoor use. |
| IP66 | Designed for indoor and outdoor applications, IP66 (equivalent to NEMA 4 rating) enclosures prevent incidental user contact with equipment while providing full protection against:
|
| IP67 | Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, IP67 (equivalent to NEMA 6P rating) enclosures provide complete protection against dust intrusion and can tolerate everything from hose-directed streams of water to short-term water submersion at limited depths. In the event of external ice formation, the enclosure ensures that the housed equipment will remain operable. IP67/NEMA 6P enclosures also protect the user from incidental contact with the equipment. |
| IP69K | The IP69K rating is the highest available in the IP system, as it provides the top level of protection against both dust and liquids. IP69K enclosures are not only dust-tight, but they are also an excellent fit for high pressure and high-temperature washdown applications, even at a close range. This makes them ideal for food processing facilities, for example, as these environments require products that maintain utmost hygiene and cleanliness throughout more demanding, continuous operations. |
Hazardous Definitions – Rugged Hazardous Computers
| CLASSIFICATION | TYPICAL MATERIALS |
| CLASS I | GASSES |
| Those areas in which flammable gases or vapors may be present in the air in sufficient quantities to be explosive or ignitable. | |
| GROUP A | |
| GROUP B | |
| GROUP C | |
| GROUP D | |
| CLASS II | DUST |
| Those areas made hazardous by the presence of combustible dusts. | |
| GROUP E | |
| GROUP F | |
| GROUP G | |
| CLASS III | FLYINGS |
| Those areas in which there are easily ignitable fibers or flyings present due to the type of material being handled, stored, or processed. These may include rayon, cotton, sisal, hemp, jute, spanish moss, and similar substances. | |
| DIVISION 1A location in which ignitable concentrations of the combustible material(s) are present in the air under normal operating conditions. | DIVISION 2A location in which ignitable concentrations of the combustible material(s) are present in the air only under abnormal operating conditions, such as the case during accidental rupture or breakage, or during unusual or faulty |
NEMA & IP Rated Products at Daisy Data Displays
When purchasing computers and other electronics, it is important to consider the protective capabilities of the enclosure as it relates to the needs of your application. NEMA and IP ratings are important in assessing an enclosure’s ability to protect the equipment from relevant environmental hazards while keeping the user safe.
Daisy Data Displays manufactures standard and custom computing technologies aimed at maximizing safety and productivity in mission-critical applications. We utilize a range of NEMA- and IP-rated enclosure options to ensure that our products can perform reliably in virtually any industrial environment.
To learn more about NEMA and IP enclosure ratings and which products are best suited for your application, please contact us today or request a quote.