IP protection classes: Which one is necessary when?

Protection classes according to DIN EN 60529

Our products are often used at different places of use with different ambient conditions. This may, for example, be the case indoors, in the house, office or in the workshop, or outdoors, but also in the company, in trade or on the construction site. There are also specific brennenstuhl^® products for camping or the garden area. Depending on the application, certain properties are necessary in order to ensure safe use. The technical data and product details provide information on these properties. One important feature you have to watch out for is the IP protection class.

The International Protection classes have been introduced to be able to specify against which influence a product is protected. They describe to which extent foreign bodies and humidity can reach the inside of the device. The protection class of products is expressed in IP codes. Abbreviated with the code letters IP (for International Protection or also Ingress Protection), the “protection against ingress” is defined by means of numbers as code numbers. In this connection, the first number specifies the protection against solid foreign bodies and/or touching. The second one describes the protection against water. The most famous IP codes include e.g. IP20 and IP44. The higher the number, the higher is the protection.

Which IP protection and when is it necessary?

Indoors, protection according to IP20 is often sufficient as here, the water protection normally only plays a subordinate role. It goes without saying that this statement is once again not true for special applications, e.g. in the bathroom. In case of outdoor use, the ingress of foreign bodies and water is very probable. Not only dust or soil, but also small insects may ingress the device as foreign bodies. Rainfall, snow, sprinkler systems and many similar situations occurring outdoors require corresponding water protection. Here, at least protection according to IP44 is recommended.

And by the way: brennenstuhl^® will support you in finding the suitable product for your use. Our product finder offers the possibility to filter for protection class (IP), area of use (e.g. outdoors or indoors) and application (e.g. camping, garden, trade, DIY, industry, construction site). This simplifies the appropriate search for the suitable brennenstuhl^® product.

Products for which a high IP protection class is generally required

With the brennenstuhl® product finder you will find the right product for outdoor use in every product category quickly and easily. You only have to make sure that the filter "suitable for outdoor use" is checked. For cable reels, filter according to the area of use or application.

Finally, we list here some product categories from the brennenstuhl® range where a high IP protection class is required:

• Cable reel for outdoor use, from the garden cable reel to the robust construction site cable reel
• Power distributor for outdoor use
• Extension cable for outdoor use or camping
• Outdoor extension leads an sockets: Remote controllers for outdoor use, Digital timer, Socket outlet with earth rod, Outdoor extension lead
• Floodlight for outdoor use, for example mobile LED working floodlights or LED outdoor lights for mounting
• LED flashlight, hand torches, night light for outdoor use, like headlamps for running and jogging or dustproof, robust multifunctional lights

*For electrical equipment these are specifically protection against contact, foreign bodies and water. These were defined in DIN EN 60529 sheet 1 in connection with the publications 144 and 34-5 issued by the IEC. It should be noted that the scope of protection and tests between IEC (IP) and VDE (P) do not always correspond completely.