The IK rating means the degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment against external mechanical impacts or shocks in joules. The IK rating consists of two digits (00 to 10) after the term ‘IK’ (e.g. IK05).
IK ratings are particularly important for lights and lighting fixtures that may be fitted in an area that could be subject to rough environment attempted vandalism or other impacts. These ratings are also useful for other electrical equipment such as switches or keyboards.
IK ratings are an international numeric classification specified in accordance with IEC 62262:2002 and IEC 60068-2-75:1997.
| IK Rating | Impact Energy (In Joules) |
|---|---|
| IK00 | no shock resistance |
| IK01 | 0.14 (hit with hand or fist) |
| IK02 | 0.20 (hit with hand or fist) |
| IK03 | 0.35 (hit with hand or fist) |
| IK04 | 0.50 (hit with hand or fist) |
| IK05 | 0.70 (hit with hand or fist) |
| IK06 | 1.0 (500 g fall from 20 cm) |
| IK07 | 2.0 (500 g fall from 40 cm) |
| IK08 | 5.0 (1.7 kg fall from 29.5 cm) |
| IK09 | 10.0 (5 kg fall from 20 cm) |
| IK10 | 20.0 (5 kg fall from 40 cm) |
IK00 – No Protection against shock
IK01 – Protected against 0.14 joules of impact. The equivalent to the impact of a 0.25kg mass dropped from 5.6 cm above the impacted surface.
IK02 – Protected against 0.2 joules of impact. The equivalent to the impact of a 0.25kg mass dropped from 8 cm above the impacted surface.
IK03 – Protected against 0.35 joules of impact. The equivalent to the impact of a 0.2kg mass dropped from 14 cm above the impacted surface.
IK04 – Protected against 0.5 joules of impact. The equivalent to the impact of a 0.25kg mass dropped from 20 cm above the impacted surface.
IK05 – Protected against 0.7 joules of impact. The equivalent to the impact of a 0.25kg mass dropped from 28 cm above the impacted surface.
IK06 – Protected against 1 joule of impact. The equivalent to the impact of a 0.5kg mass dropped from 20 cm above the impacted surface.
IK07 – Protected against 2 joules of impact. The equivalent to the impact of a 0.5kg mass dropped from 40 cm above the impacted surface.
IK08 – Protected against 5 joules of impact. The equivalent to the impact of a 1.7kg mass dropped from 29.5 cm above the impacted surface.
IK09 – Protected against 10 joules of impact. The equivalent to the impact of a 5kg mass dropped from 20 cm above the impacted surface.
IK10 – Protected against 20 joules of impact. The equivalent to the impact of a 5kg mass dropped from 40 cm above the impacted surface.
Impact Protection Testing Parameters
| IK code | IK00 | IK01-IK05 | IK06 | IK07 | IK08 | IK09 | IK10 |
| Impact Energy (Joules) | – | <1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 20 |
| Rmm (Radius of striking element) | – | 10 | 10 | 25 | 25 | 50 | 50 |
| Material | – | Polyamide 1 | Polyamide 1 | Steel 2 | Steel 2 | Steel 2 | Steel 2 |
| Mass (KG) | – | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 5 | 5 |
| Free Fall Height (cm) | – | – | – | 40 | 29.5 | 20 | 40 |
| Pendulum hammer | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Spring hammer | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Free Fall hammer | – | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Its worth noting that if it has an IK rating it must also meet the equivalent IP rating. For example if the enclosure maintains its IP66 rating after passing the test for IK06 protection it can be labelled as both IP66 and IK06. However if after the enclosure passes testing for IK08 protection but only maintains 1p 54 protection, then it must be labelled as IK068 and IP54 protection or IK06 and IP66 but this cannot be labelled as IK08 and IP66 if one test impacts the others results.
History of IK Rating
IK Ratings were originally outlined in 1995 by the European standard BS EN 50102 and were later amended with IEC 60068-2-75 in 1997. This was then followed up in 2002 with the European standard EN62262 which is the equivalent of the international standard IEC 62262 (2002).
Before the standard use of IK ratings, a third numeral had been occasionally added to the ingress protection rating (IP rating) for example IP66(9), this nonstandard use was one of the main factors that lead to developing a standard. This standard came into effect within 1995 and any conflicting standards had to be withdrawn in 1997.
Why are IK Rated products important?
IK Rated products are important especially if they are in public areas, high traffic areas, commercial environments and areas that are prone to vandalism. If a product becomes damaged, this can result in the product failing to work or even failing completely. Damage leads to additional costing to repair or replace, it also leads to the potential need to close areas to access. A broken product may also lead to a hazard especially in public areas, such as left over debris or lack of required illumination/information.
Therefore analyzing the risk of an impact is important for deciding if you need a fixture with a high/low IK Rating.
Where are IK Rated products used?
High IK Rated products are used in areas where products are likely to be exposed to damage or high impact such as industrial areas, high traffic areas, public access areas, prisons, schools etc.