IK Rating – IK Ratings explained
IK Rating
The IK Code (otherwise known as Impact Protection Rating) consists of the letters IK, followed by two digits. These two digits help us to identify the level of protection a piece of equipment offers. As defined in the international standard IEC 62262 and IEC 60068-2-75, it classifies the degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against external mechanical impacts.
This standard specifies the way enclosures should be mounted when tests are carried out, the atmospheric conditions that should prevail, the number of impacts and their (even) distribution, and the size, style, material, and dimensions, etc. of the various times of hammer designed to produce the energy levels required.
The table below defines the IK codes and the impact protection tests that they withstand, based on the tests carried out according to IEC 62262.
| IK Code | Test and Level of Protection Achieved |
|---|---|
| IK00 | Not protected |
| IK01 | Protected against 0.14 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 0.25kg mass dropped from 56mm above impacted surface. |
| IK02 | Protected against 0.2 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 0.25kg mass dropped from 80mm above impacted surface. |
| IK03 | Protected against 0.35 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 0.25kg mass dropped from 140mm above impacted surface. |
| IK04 | Protected against 0.5 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 0.25kg mass dropped from 200mm above impacted surface. |
| IK05 | Protected against 0.7 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 0.25kg mass dropped from 280mm above impacted surface. |
| IK06 | Protected against 1 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 0.25kg mass dropped from 400mm above impacted surface. |
| IK07 | Protected against 2 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 0.5kg mass dropped from 400mm above impacted surface. |
| IK08 | Protected against 5 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 1.7kg mass dropped from 300mm above impacted surface. |
| IK09 | Protected against 10 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 5kg mass dropped from 200mm above impacted surface. |
| IK10 | Protected against 20 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 5kg mass dropped from 400mm above impacted surface. |
There are some circumstances where the product requires even greater protection such as those used in custodial or public spaces, and so the following codes can also be used. It does need to be noted, that whilst EN60068-2 does not allocate codes above IK10, the following have been extrapolated and designed in accordance with this testing.
| IK Code | Test and Level of Protection Achieved |
|---|---|
| IK11 | Protected against 35 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 10kg mass dropped from 350mm above impacted surface. |
| IK12 | Protected against 60 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 10kg mass dropped from 600mm above impacted surface. |
| IK13 | Protected against 75 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 10kg mass dropped from 750mm above impacted surface. |
| IK14 | Protected against 100 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 10kg mass dropped from 1000mm above impacted surface. |
| IK15 | Protected against 125 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 10kg mass dropped from 1250mm above impacted surface. |
| IK16 | Protected against 150 joules impact. Equivalent to impact of 10kg mass dropped from 1500mm above impacted surface. |
