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You wouldn’t put a quart of engine oil in a vehicle without understanding engine oil ratings, and you wouldn’t stake your coworker’s life on a safety strap without knowing the strap’s weight rating. In much the same way, electrical and electronics enclosure buyers should be familiar with the ins and outs of enclosure ratings before they select an electronics enclosure model.
Here, we’ll do a head-to-head comparison of two popular enclosure ratings: NEMA 4 enclosures vs. IP65 enclosures. Each rating can tell an enclosure buyer a lot about what they can expect from a given model of enclosure so let’s get familiar.
NEMA and IP ratings are two different systems for rating and categorizing the performance of electrical enclosures. Here’s a quick introduction to each one:
NEMA ratings and IP ratings don’t have a strict one-to-one correspondence since the scales take different factors into account. However, it’s usually possible to find two that are roughly equivalent to one another.
Polycase SB-34
In general, an IP65 enclosure and a NEMA 4 enclosure will provide roughly comparable levels of protection. Many Polycase enclosure boxes feature both of these ratings due to their similarity in standards.
The differences between a NEMA 4 rating and an IP65 rating come down to the criteria that are used to rate them. An IP65-rated enclosure is rated on two criteria only: dust ingress protection and liquid ingress protection. By contrast, a NEMA-rated enclosure can have other rating criteria, such as corrosion resistance or ice formation.
For example, in the case of NEMA 4X enclosures vs. IP65 enclosures, the main difference between the two is corrosion protection. Since IP enclosures are not rated for protective qualities against corrosion hazards, a NEMA 4X enclosure is a must-have for applications that demand corrosion resistance. Such applications might include a junction box to protect the electrical connections of marine equipment or an electrical box which will be exposed to harsh chemicals in an industrial facility.
Polycase makes it easy for our customers to find the NEMA enclosures and IP enclosures that will protect their most critical electronic and electrical equipment. We’ve got numerous options that feature NEMA 4, IP65 or even higher ratings. Our NEMA and IP ratings are certified through rigorous testing by Underwriters Laboratories. Check out a few of our best NEMA 4 enclosure and IP65 enclosure options:
Polycase WA-23
Make sure to also browse our full selection of electrical and electronics enclosures to evaluate the many enclosure types and designs we have available. Need a little help with the fine points of NEMA and IP ratings? Our experts can help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Just call us at 1-800-248-1233 or get in touch online.