Facades, gardens, patios, walkways, parking lots, public spaces: as soon as a lighting project extends beyond the walls of a building, a technical question immediately arises—that of the luminaire’s resistance to the elements. This is where the IP rating comes into play, an essential benchmark for designing durable, safe, and high-performance installations. At Clarma, we’re here to advise you and, together with our partner Platek—a specialist in outdoor lighting—select the fixtures best suited to your project.
What is the IP Index?
The IP rating, which stands for Ingress Protection, is an international standard that assesses the level of protection an electrical device offers against the intrusion of solid objects and liquids. It consists of two digits, always in the same order.
The first digit, ranging from 0 to 6, indicates protection against solid objects (dust, sand, small objects, fingers). The higher the number, the more sealed the enclosure is. The second digit, also ranging from 0 to 6, measures protection against liquids, from simple vertical drops to prolonged immersion.
A light fixture rated IP20 is therefore suitable only for dry indoor use, while an IP67 or IP68 rating is suitable for more intense exposure to water, or even temporary immersion.
