What does an IP rating actually describe?
IP stands for Ingress Protection, and the code is defined by the IEC 60529 standard. It is a laboratory classification: a cabinet is tested under defined conditions and given a two-digit code. It says nothing about brightness, structural strength, thermal design or how long the screen will last.
The rating applies to the enclosure as tested. It does not automatically describe the finished installation, because the moment cabinets are joined, cabled and mounted, other paths for water appear. Treat the rating as one input to an outdoor design, and the installation details as the rest.
What does the first digit cover?
The first digit describes protection against solid objects, from large body parts down to dust. The top of the scale indicates a dust-tight enclosure, meaning dust was excluded under the test conditions, not merely limited. For outdoor sites near traffic, construction or agriculture, this digit matters because dust settling on modules and power supplies shortens service life.
Ask whether the rating covers the front face, the rear of the cabinet, or both. A screen can be rated on the viewing side and rely on the building or an enclosure for protection behind, which is a perfectly reasonable design as long as everyone involved knows where the boundary sits.
What does the second digit cover?
The second digit describes protection against water, ranging from drips and sprays to jets and immersion. The common outdoor classes cover water projected at the enclosure from various directions. The higher the digit, the more demanding the test the cabinet passed.
Match the digit to the exposure. Choosing the highest number available buys nothing. A screen under a deep canopy faces different conditions from one on an exposed pole, and a screen at ground level in a wash-down area faces different conditions from either. Describe the exposure in the brief and let the supplier propose a rating for it.
Where does water actually get in?
Rarely through the front face of a correctly rated cabinet. The usual entry points are the joins between cabinets, cable glands and connectors, the top edge of the installation, openings cut for fixings, and any gap where the screen meets a wall or roof. Drainage and condensation inside an enclosure cause as many faults as rain coming from outside.
This is why the installation drawing matters more than the rating alone. Ask how cabinet joints are sealed, how cables enter and leave, how the top is protected, how condensation is managed, and where water that gets behind the screen is supposed to go. Put those answers in the scope of whoever builds the enclosure.
Does a higher rating remove the need for maintenance?
No. Seals age, gaskets compress, fixings loosen with thermal cycling, and dust and salt accumulate. An outdoor screen needs periodic inspection of its seals, drainage paths, cable entries and ventilation, plus cleaning of the surface. A rating describes how it was tested new, not how it will behave after years of weather.
Ask what the inspection schedule should be, what to look for, and which seals or gaskets are replaceable. A design where the sealing components can be renewed during a service visit keeps the installation performing far longer than one where they cannot.
How does sealing interact with heat?
A sealed cabinet has to deal with the heat its own electronics produce, plus solar gain on a sunny façade. Protection against water and dissipation of heat pull in opposite directions, and outdoor designs resolve that through thermal management, not by opening the enclosure.
Ask how the design handles heat: whether it uses convection, forced ventilation with filtered paths, or an active cooling system, and what happens when the ambient temperature is at its peak. Confirm the operating temperature range the supplier designs for and compare it with the conditions at your site.
What should you confirm before ordering?
Ask for the rating for the front and rear faces separately, and for the test report behind it. Ask which components carry the rating: modules, power supplies, receiving cards and connectors. Ask whether the rating applies to the cabinet as supplied or to the finished assembly as installed.
Then settle responsibility. Confirm who designs and builds the enclosure, who seals the cable entries, who is responsible for drainage and ventilation, and what maintenance the installation needs. The rating is the start of that conversation, and our contact page takes the brief if you want it worked through for a specific site.
At a glance: what the code does and does not cover
| Element | What it describes | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| First digit | Protection against solid objects and dust | Whether the rating covers the front, the rear, or both |
| Second digit | Protection against water, from drips to jets | Whether the class matches the exposure at your site |
| Test report | The conditions the cabinet was tested under | Ask for the report; the code alone does not answer it |
| Enclosure design | Joints, cable entries, drainage and ventilation | Who designs and builds it, and who maintains it |
| Sealing components | Gaskets and seals that age with weather | Which parts can be renewed during a service visit |
Key takeaway
An IP rating is a laboratory classification under IEC 60529: the first digit covers solids and dust, the second covers water. It describes the cabinet as tested, not the finished installation, so read it together with joint sealing, cable entry, drainage, condensation control and thermal design. Ask for the front and rear ratings and the test report, and settle who owns the enclosure. Send us the site conditions if you want them worked through.