When we talk about the protection level of enclosures or electronic equipment, the first thing that comes to mind is the IP protection level. In fact, the United States has another standard that expresses the degree of protection, and that is NEMA. So what is the difference between IP protection level and NEMA level?
NEMA protection level is the enclosure protection standard for industrial control devices and systems of the American Electrical Manufacturers Association. In addition to dustproof, waterproof and explosion-proof (IP code only includes dustproof and waterproof).
IP (INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION) protection level system is drafted by IEC (INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION). IP is the abbreviation of Ingress Protection, and the IP rating is the degree of protection against the intrusion of foreign objects in the enclosure of electrical equipment. The source is the International Electrotechnical Commission's standard IEC60529, which was also adopted as the American National Standard in 2004. The IP protection level is composed of two numbers. The first number represents the dust-proof level, and the second number represents the waterproof level. The larger the number, the higher the protection level. The corresponding situation of the two protection levels is as follows:
In North America, the enclosures are classified according to the NEMA system. The table below briefly compares the NEMA and IP ratings.
| NEMA Protection Level | IP Protection Level |
| 1 | IP20 |
| 2 | IP22 |
| 3 | IP55 |
| 3R | IP24 |
| 4 | IP66 |
| 4X | IP66 |
| 5 | IP53 |
| 6 | IP67 |
| 6P | IP68 |
| 12 | IP54 |
| 12K | IP54 |
Our company produce the plastic enclosure in IP54 and IP65,and the aluminum enclosure and sheet metal case are in IP54 or lower.
