Wedderburn highly recommends choosing the right scale for the job. This will include ensuring the scale has the correct Ingress Protection (IP) Rating to suit the environment it will be used in.
The IP Rating System is recognised in most European countries and provides a means of classifying the degrees of protection electrical equipment is afforded from dust, water and impact.
The letters IP are followed by numbers. Below are tables that explain what each number means in the IP Rating System.
The first number relates to the degree of protection against solid foreign objects.
| Rating | Object Size | Explanation |
| 0 | Not protected | No special protection |
| 1 | Not protected | Protection against objects over 50 mm |
| 2 | > 12.5 mm | Protection against objects over 12.5 mm |
| 3 | > 2.5 mm | Protection against objects over 2.5 mm |
| 4 | > 1 mm | Protection against objects over 1 mm |
| 5 | Dust protected | Protected against dust - limited regress |
| 6 | Dust tight | Complete protection against dust |
The second number relates to the degree of protection against moisture and water.
| Rating | Object Size | Explanation |
| 0 | Not protected | No special protection |
| 1 | Dripping water | Protected against vertically falling drops of water (e.g. condensation) |
| 2 | Dripping water when tilted up to 15° | Protected against vertically falling drops of water at 15° |
| 3 | Spraying water | Protected against direct sprays of water up to 60° from the vertical |
| 4 | Splashing water | Limited protection against water splashing from any direction. |
| 5 | Water jets | Limited protection against low pressure water jets from any direction. |
| 6 | Powerful water jets | Limited protection against strong pressure water jets from any direction. |
| 7 | Immersion up to 1 metre | Protection against the effects of temporary immersion up to 1 meter tested for 30 minutes. |
| 8 | Immersion beyond 1 metre | Protection against long periods of immersion under pressure. |
| 9K | Protection against water at high pressure / steam cleaning | When water is sprayed against the housing from any direction at high pressure. |
Use the Environment Suitability Filter on our Weighing Scales pages to see if a scale is suitable for wet, dry or harsh operating conditions.
Download Wedderburn Guide to Ingress Protection RatingsPDF 65KB