IP Ratings & Ingress Protection
Two digits decide whether an enclosure survives its installation — and most specification arguments come down to what those digits actually promise. This page brings together everything we publish on ingress protection: how to choose a rating, how to keep it once you have drilled, glanded and mounted the box, and the test evidence behind it. Start with the workshop films, then work through the articles, case studies, data sheets and short answers — and when you need to take a code apart digit by digit, the interactive decoder is waiting further down the page.
Dust tight · powerful water jets
Tested in-house to BS EN 60529
Topic reviewed by Chris Lloyd
Technical Manager, Spelsberg UK
Videos
Watch it done properly
Short workshop films from the Spelsberg bench — sealing, resin casting, cable entries and mounting, filmed on the products themselves.
5 videos in this topic
The full Spelsberg workshop series →Abox XT SL: resin-casting waterproof junction boxes correctly
Fastening and mounting options
Fitting built-in components without breaking the seal
GEOS-L: unboxing and features
GEOS-S: unboxing and features
Articles
Articles on IP ratings
Long-form explanation from the Spelsberg UK technical team — choosing a rating, holding onto it after modification, and what the test standards actually prove.
7 articles in this topic
All articles across every topic →Condensation, heat and the cost of over-specifying
Sealing an enclosure tighter than the environment needs creates a different problem. How to size protection to the real risk.
Why easy-to-use enclosures speed up work for electrical installers
Design details that protect the seal while saving minutes per box — at a point when skilled labour is the constraint.
Inside the test lab: how IP protection testing is actually done
Dust chambers, jet rigs and immersion tanks at Spelsberg — and why testing during development takes cost out of a project.
Installation areas and recommended systems
A practical map from installation area to enclosure material, protection rating and mounting method.
IP66, IP67 or both? Reading a dual-marked enclosure
Why the second digit stops being a ladder after 6, and when you genuinely need both ratings on the same box.
Keeping the IP rating after you have drilled it
Cable entries, glands, membranes and blanking plugs — how to modify an enclosure on site without quietly downgrading it.
Tests and test methods under IEC/EN standards: what each one proves
Ingress, glow wire, ball pressure and impact testing in plain English — what sits behind the numbers on a data sheet.
Case studies
IP Ratings & Ingress Protection in service
Real installations where the rating was the deciding factor — and a couple where the rating was right but something else was wrong.
5 case studies in this topic
Talk to us about your application →Buried joints on a distribution scheme: resin-filled to IP68
400 joints made off the reel and cast in place, with a repeatable method that installers could follow without retraining.
Coastal wastewater site: ending a four-year replacement cycle
Painted steel was corroding at the hinges within three years. Changing the material — not the rating — fixed it.
Food factory: IP69K control stations that survive daily washdown
Two failed enclosure types in eighteen months, replaced with stainless housings specified against the cleaning regime rather than the weather.
Solar farm: decentralised switchgear in IP66 outdoor enclosures
String combiner housings specified for full sun, daily temperature cycling and infrequent maintenance visits.
Trackside cabinet: dual IP66/IP67 for a flood-risk location
A location that gets both jet-washed and submerged. Why one rating on its own would have failed within a season.
Downloads
Data sheets, charts and catalogues
Everything here is free and needs no registration. The quick-reference chart is designed to be printed and stuck on the panel shop wall.
8 downloads in this topic
All Spelsberg downloads →Abox SL flyer
The Abox SL junction box range, including the resin-fillable variants for buried and submerged joints.
B-Box data sheet
Technical data sheet for the B-Box range, including protection ratings and cable entries.
Catalogue: electrical installation
Junction boxes, distribution boards and installation accessories, with protection ratings for every range.
GEOS flyer
Overview of the GEOS industrial and outdoor housing range, with key dimensions and ratings.
GRP enclosures
Glass-reinforced polyester range data — sizes, ratings and corrosion performance for exposed sites.
IP rating quick-reference chart (A4, printable)
Both digits on one page with the test conditions, sized for the panel shop wall or the back of a van door.
IP ratings and what you need to know
Spelsberg's own guide to the IP code — both digits, the test methods and how to read a data sheet.
Rapid-Box brochure
Range brochure for the Rapid-Box quick-fit junction box system.
Short answers
IP ratings questions, answered
The quick answers in this topic. Each one links through to the full response and the engineer who wrote it.
- Read the full answer →
Will using a cable gland through a knockout affect the enclosure's IP rating?
Using a cable gland through a knockout does not affect an enclosure's IP rating, provided the gland's own rating matches or exceeds it. Spelsberg's cable gland range is rated IP68, and gland/enclosure spec sheets are available to confirm compatibility for a specific installation.
- Read the full answer →
Can I fasten an enclosure to a wall directly without affecting its IP rating?
An enclosure can be fastened directly to a wall without compromising its IP rating, provided the fixing method doesn't breach the enclosure's seal. The three standard approaches are a separate mounting plate, external fixing feet, or internal fixing points sealed with grommets and cover screws.
- Read the full answer →
When using a knockout, will the IP rating remain the same if using a cable gland?
Using a cable gland through a knockout maintains the enclosure's IP rating, provided the gland's rating matches or exceeds the enclosure's and it is correctly sized and sealed. A sealing ring between gland and enclosure, plus cable inserts such as twin-and-earth adaptors, prevents gaps that would otherwise let in dust or water.
- Read the full answer →
What does "weatherproof" actually mean for an enclosure — is that the same as a specific IP rating?
Weatherproof is a general term usually associated with IP54, offering protection against dust ingress and water splashes from any direction. IP66 provides a significantly higher level of protection, meaning an enclosure is fully dust-tight and protected against powerful water jets.
- Read the full answer →
Do you have a gel-filled enclosure for sealing underground or wet cable connections?
Spelsberg's ABox Magic GT range provides gel-filled enclosures for sealing underground or wet cable connections, protecting joints from moisture ingress. It's available in four sizes, from 80 x 80 x 52mm to 140 x 140 x 79mm, supplied either as a complete enclosure with gel pack or as gel/fluid packs alone.