IP rating chart and decoder
Decode an IP code and find the least for a location.
Reads AS 60529:2004 and AS/NZS 3000:2018. Tables checked 1 Oct 2026.
Try a job 4
Each job fills in example values. Replace them with your values.
- Read what IP44 meansEach digit of an IP code, by AS 60529.
- Check an outdoor power point codeAn IP44 socket-outlet outside the eave area against IP33.
- Choose a code for a hosed areaThe least code for high-pressure hosing, and an IP66 light checked.
- Check a light for a sauna roomAn IPX4 light against the IPX4B or IP24 a sauna needs.
Inputs
Worked example with the default inputs. The live calculator replaces it when the page loads.
- Question
- What does this IP code mean
- IP code
- IP65
What the code means
Dust-tight · Water jets
- Solid objects
- Dust-tight
- Access to hazardous parts
- A wire
- Water
- Water jets
This result is a design aid. Verify it against the current standard.
Calculation steps
- CodeIP65
AS 60529-2004 Cl 4.1
- First numeral 6Dust-tight; a wire
AS 60529-2004 Tables 1 and 2
- Second numeral 5Water jets
AS 60529-2004 Table 3
About this calculator
How this is calculated
The tool answers two questions: what an IP code means, and which code a location needs.
To decode, it reads the code the way the IP code standard lays it out. After the letters IP come two characteristic numerals. The first, 0 to 6, covers solid objects and access to hazardous parts: the size of object kept out, and the part of a person kept off, from the back of a hand to a wire. The second, 0 to 8, covers water, from dripping to continuous immersion. An X stands for a numeral that is not stated. An optional additional letter, A to D, marks access protection better than the first numeral gives. Optional supplementary letters, H, M, S and W, add information for a product standard. A dual code such as IPX5/IPX7 meets both of its parts. Up to 6, a second numeral also meets every lower one, but a 7 or 8 alone is for immersion and does not meet water jets.
To select, the tool reads the least code the wiring rules name for the location, outside the zones around baths, showers, pools and spas. It says whether the clause is a requirement, a NOTE or an informative recommendation. With a device's code, it compares element by element: each numeral at or above the one required, and an access letter met by the letter or by the first numeral.
| Step | Table or clause | What it decides |
|---|---|---|
| Reading the code | AS 60529 Cl 4.1 | The numerals and letters, and X |
| Objects and access | AS 60529 Tables 1 and 2 | What the first numeral keeps out |
| Water | AS 60529 Table 3 and Cl 6 | What the second numeral resists, and dual codes |
| Access letter | AS 60529 Table 4 | What the additional letter keeps off |
| Enclosures | Cl 1.5.4.4 | The least code around live parts |
| Outdoor accessories | Cl 4.1.3 | The code outside the eave area |
| Switchboards | Cl 2.10.2.5 | Hosing, sprinklers and exits |
| Saunas and hosed areas | Cl 6.5.4.1 and Cl 6.7.4.1 | The code in the room or zone |
| Outdoor EV point | App P | The recommended code |
Worked examples
- IP65. Dust-tight, with no access even by a wire, and protected against water jets from any direction.
- IPX4B. No object numeral is stated. The letter B keeps a finger off, so access is by a finger at worst, and the code resists splashing water from any direction.
- An IP44 power point outside the eave. IP44 meets IP33, the code Cl 4.1.3 sets outside the area an eave protects.
- An IP67 light in a dairy hosed at high pressure. IP67 is below IPX6: a 7 alone is for immersion, not jets.
- A sauna light marked IPX4. IPX4 is below IP24 or IPX4B: the sauna also needs the finger kept off.
Limits
The tool reads AS 60529-2004, which stops the second numeral at 8; a 9 comes from a later IEC edition. It does not test anything: a code is what the maker has proven for the enclosure as tested. Drilling a drain hole, or a gland that does not seal, loses the code. For a bathroom, laundry, pool or spa, use the wet area zones tool: the code depends on the zone.
See also: IP ratings explained: each digit and letter, IP ratings for an outdoor point and a hosed shed and Wet Area Zones.
Questions
Each answer describes what this tool calculates. The result is a design aid. Verify against the current standard.
What does IP65 mean?
The first numeral, 6, means dust-tight, with no access to hazardous parts even by a wire. The second, 5, means protected against water jets from any direction. AS 60529 defines both.
Is IP67 better than IP65?
Not for jets. A 7 or 8 alone is for immersion, and AS 60529 does not count it as protection against water jets. A product for both is dual coded, such as IP65/IP67.
What IP rating does an outdoor power point need?
IP33 where it sits outside the area an eave or verandah protects, by AS/NZS 3000 Cl 4.1.3. Inside that area, under the soffit and a 30 degree line to the wall, an accessory needs no IP marking.
What do the X and the letters mean?
An X stands for a numeral that is not stated. An additional letter A to D marks access protection better than the first numeral gives. A supplementary letter H, M, S or W adds information for a product standard.
What IP rating do I need in a bathroom?
It depends on the zone around the bath, shower or basin. Use the wet area zones tool: it finds the zone from the distances and gives the code that zone asks for.
Clauses and tables this tool reads
- AS 60529-2004 Cl 4.1Arrangement of the IP code
- AS 60529-2004 Cl 6Second numeral: protection against water
- AS/NZS 3000:2018 IP codes by locationThe least IP code AS/NZS 3000 names for a location, outside the Section 6 zones
- AS 60529-2004 Cl 4 and Tables 1 to 4The IP code: characteristic numerals, additional and supplementary letters
Every clause and table, with how each was verified
Tables last checked on 1 Oct 2026.
Related tools
- Wet area zones checkerFind the Section 6 zone, IP and RCD near water.AS/NZS 3000
- Electrical certification pathwayFind the certification pathway for a job in NZ.Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010
- Electrical wire colour guideFind wire colours for fixed wiring and cords, old and new.AS/NZS 3000AS/NZS 3760
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