What is an IP and NEMA rating?

Industrial computers and displays are rated/certified in terms of their level of protection against damage from water, dust and other foreign objects, in terms of IP  and NEMA ratings.

IP and NEMA ratings specify the standard of protection against the ingress of liquid and solid objects, primarily dust.

While NEMA and IP ratings are not identical, they are very similar and can often be used interchangeably for the purpose of rating enclosures for industrial environments.

NEMA ratings go a step further and specify protection against the presence of corrosive agents.

NEMA ratings were developed by the U.S. National Electrical Manufacturers Association.

Ingress Protection ratings, commonly known as IP ratings, were developed in Europe and are internationally recognised.

The U.S. based National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), provides a rating system to classify industrial enclosures based on their ability to protect users from internal electronics and internal electronics from the external environment.

NEMA ratings only apply to products going to North America.

Their are 20 different types of NEMA enclosure ratings standards ranging from the most basic level of protection against solid objects, to full submersion, to containing internal explosions.

Assured Systems mainly supply industrial computers and displays with the three NEMA ratings, NEMA 12, NEMA 4, and NEMA 4X.

NEMA 12 Rated

NEMA 12 rated industrial computers and displays are designed and manufactured for indoor use and provide a degree of protection to the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects (falling dirt and circulating dust, lint, fibres, and flyings) and provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment, due to the ingress of water (dripping and light splashing).

NEMA 4 Rated

NEMA 4 rated industrial computers or displays are designed and manufactured for either indoor or outdoor and provide a degree of protection to the the equipment inside the enclosure against ingress of solid foreign objects such as dust and provide a degree of protection with respect to harmful effects on the equipment due to the ingress of water (rain, sleet, snow, splashing water, and hose directed water).

NEMA 4X Rated

NEMA 4X rated Industrial computers and displays are manufactured with all the protection of the NEMA 4 rating plus protection against corrosion of the enclosure. Industrial panel computers and displays with this rating are typically constructed of high-grade stainless steel.

This information can be summarised in the table below:

Ingress ratings, or IP ratings, are standards for the degree of protection an electrical enclosure such as an industrial computer or display provides against the ingress of foreign objects such as dust and water.

The first digit in the IP rating indicates the enclosure’s ability to protect against the ingress of foreign solid objects, such as dust; the second digit indicates the level of protection against the ingress of water or other liquids.

Assured Systems typically supply industrial computers and displays with four different IP ratings: IP54, and IP65/IP66/IP69K.

First Digit:

Second Digit:

This chart gives an approximate comparison of the IP and NEMA ratings used by Assured Systems:

NEMA ratings and IP ratings are both self-certified. This means that any manufacturer can design and manufacture a product to a particular rating and specify that it’s rated to that particular NEMA or IP rating, without any approval or certification from an outside agency.

Assured System’s partners with global leaders in the design and manufacture of IP65 panel computers and IP65 displays who conform to the highest standards when performing NEMA and ingress protection testing.