What is IP68? IP rating explained

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone or a pair of headphones, you may have come across the term “IP68.” But what does it mean?

The Samsung Galaxy S22, iPhone 13 and Google Pixel 6 are examples of popular devices with an IP68 rating, but not every phone, smartwatch or headset carries this rating.

Read on to discover everything you need to know about IP68, including what an IP rating is and how the numbers are broken down.

What is IP68?

IP68 is an example of an IP – or ingress protection rating.

An IP rating is a code that essentially means how water and/or dust resistant a technology is by measuring its sealing performance when it comes to keeping out liquids, dust and dirt.

The standard for determining these ratings was developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and is published under the title IEC 60529.

IP ratings usually include two numbers. The first number refers to its ability to protect solid particles, while the second refers to liquids, such as water or sweat. If there is an “X” anywhere in the IP rating (for example, IPX5), it means that the device has a certain level of protection against water or dust, but is not rated for the number marked with an X.

Below is a breakdown of what each number means as defined by IEC:

First digit (bold):

• 0 – No protection
• 1 – Protected against solid foreign bodies of 50 mm Ø and more
• 2 – Protected against solid foreign bodies of 12.5 mm Ø and above
• 3 – Protected against solid foreign objects of Ø 2.5 mm and more
• 4 – Protected against solid foreign bodies of 1.0 mm Ø and above
• 5 – Protected from dust
• 6 – Dustproof

Second digit (liquids):

• 0 – No protection
• 1 – Protected against vertically falling water drops
• 2 – Protected against vertically falling water drops when the housing is tilted up to 15°
• 3 – Protected against splashing water
• 4 – Protected against water splashes
• 5 – Protected against water jets
• 6 – Protected against powerful water jets
• 7 – Protected against the effects of temporary immersion in water
• 8 – Protected against the effects of prolonged immersion in water
• 9 – Protected against high pressure and temperature water jets

This means that an IP68-rated device will be both dustproof and protected against the effects of prolonged immersion in water.

In fact, 6 is the highest possible dust resistance rating on this scale.

In the case of water resistance, the IEC extends 8, stating that “the penetration of water in quantities causing harmful effects shall not be possible when the enclosure is continuously immersed in water under conditions to be agreed between the manufacturer and the user, but which are heavier than for the number 7”.