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What info do IP and IK abbreviations give for luminaires?

 

While looking for exterior, bathroom lighting or other lighting, yo have probably been pondering over a combination of symbols that begin with the letters “IP” and/or “IK”.

IP Classification (Ingress Protection) describes the device’s durability when exposed to water and solid media. IK describes the mechanical collision tolerance.

The first level of protection level (in the form of IPxy) shows protection against solids / particles and the second number against water protection. The standard gives the device user a more detailed view of the simple code of its resilience to environmental impact. The water is pure water and the test duration varies between 3 and 30 minutes.

In case of outdoor conditions, luminaires should have at least IP43, which can handle light rain.

This is an international protection notation as described in EN 60529. These standards are available, but are with a charge and copyright-protected, so it is not possible to reflect all the information about them.

In addition to the IP number, the device’s  mechanical impact tolerance is described by the IK number, which is expressed in joules. The specification table for this feature is derived from Standard EN 62262. The IK number is on a 11-step scale and allows you to determine the degree of protection of the device housing from external mechanical impacts. The higher the IK code, the greater the mechanical strength/durability.

 

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