Is IP67 or IP68 better for a protective case?

IP68 is the higher rating, but only the declared depth and duration matter. A case tested to IP67 (1 m for 30 min) covers rain, spray, brief drops into water and deck conditions. Choose IP68 only when the declared immersion parameters exceed your real exposure.

Can an IP67 case be submerged long-term?

No. IP67 certifies 30 minutes at 1 metre. Long-term or pressurised submersion requires an IP68 rating with declared parameters matching the duty, and even then gaskets age and must be inspected.

Does IP67 mean dust can never get in?

For a new, correctly closed case, the 6 first digit means the dust test showed no ingress at all. In service, dust enters through the same paths water would: worn gaskets, unlatched corners or a stuck-open pressure valve.

Is IP65 enough for outdoor use?

For rain, hose washdown and deck spray, IP65 is generally sufficient. Choose IP67/IP68 when the case can be dropped into water, submerged briefly, or used in heavy seas or flood-prone environments.

DOC KB-IPR-001REV 2026-09-21CLASS: PUBLIC

What Do IP Ratings Actually Mean for Protective Cases?

Direct answer

An IP code (IEC 60529) has two digits: the first rates dust protection (0–6), the second rates water protection (0–9K). For protective cases, IP67 means dust-tight plus 30 minutes of immersion in 1 metre of water; IP68 means dust-tight plus immersion deeper than 1 metre for a duration the manufacturer declares and verifies in testing.

§01The two digits, decoded

The code is defined by the international standard IEC 60529. It is a tested condition, not a marketing tier — each number corresponds to a specific laboratory procedure.

First digit	Dust protection	Test condition
IP5X	Dust-protected	limited ingress; equipment unaffected
IP6X	Dust-tight	no ingress in circulating talcum dust chamber

Second digit	Water protection	Test condition (IEC 60529)
IPX4	Splashing water	splash from any direction, 10 min
IPX5	Low-pressure jets	6.3 mm nozzle, 12.5 L/min, ~3 m, ≥3 min/m²
IPX6	Powerful jets	12.5 mm nozzle, 100 L/min, ~3 m, ≥3 min/m²
IPX7	Temporary immersion	1 m depth, 30 minutes
IPX8	Continuous immersion	beyond 1 m; depth/time declared by maker

§02What this means when buying a case

IP67 is the practical baseline for a watertight protective case. It proves the gasket system survives full immersion — which is far more demanding than rain or hose spray.
IP68 is not automatically "better" in a meaningful sense unless the declared depth and duration match your risk. A case rated IP68 at 1.5 m/30 min adds little over IP67 for most users; one tested to 5 m for an hour is a genuinely different design.
Ask for the declared test parameters. A responsible manufacturer states the exact depth and duration behind an IP68 claim, because IEC 60529 leaves them to the maker.
Ratings apply to a closed, latched case in as-shipped condition. A worn gasket, an unlatched corner or a damaged pressure valve voids the rating in practice.

Note: the IP code says nothing about impact protection, UV life or temperature range. A case can be IP67 yet brittle at −30 °C. Judge those attributes against separate standards (see our drop-test and temperature guides).

§03Common buyer questions the rating does not answer

IP testing is performed on a new, correctly closed unit. Over a service life, three factors dominate real-world water ingress: gasket compression set, latch preload, and hinge/boss cracks that open a leak path. Specify replaceable gaskets and field-serviceable latches if the case will see thousands of open/close cycles.

REF KB-IPR-001 · Published 2026-09-21 · Reviewed by the KeXin Materials engineering team · Sources: IEC 60529; ISO 6346; ATA 300; MIL-STD-810; Incoterms® 2020