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A Forklift’s IP Rating: What Does it Mean to Our Customers?
An IP rating – Ingress Protection – is an indicator composed of two numbers that describe the level of protection an electric forklift has against environmental situations.
1 – Protection from a large part of the body such as a hand (but no protection from deliberate access); from solid objects greater than 50mm in diameter
2 – Protection against fingers or other object not greater than 80mm in length and 12mm in diameter
3 – Protection from entry by tools, wires, etc., with a diameter of thickness greater than 1.0mm
4 – Protection from entry by solid objects with a diameter or thickness greater than 1.0mm
5 – Protection from the amount of dust that would interfere with the operation of the equipment
6 – Dust tight
1 – Protection from a large part of the body such as a hand (but no protection from deliberate access); from solid objects greater than 50mm in diameter
2 – Protection against fingers or other object not great than 80mm in length and 12mm in diameter
3 – Protection from entry by tools, wires, etc., with a diameter of thickness greater than 1.0mm
4 – Protection from entry by solid objects with a diameter or thickness greater than 1.0mm
5 – Protection from the amount of dust that would interfere with the operation of the equipment
6 – Dust tight
Simply put, these IP ratings are guidelines for customers wanting to know how well protected an electric forklift is against dirty and wet environments. For dust protection, the highest number is 6; and for water protection, 7. As an example, a forklift rated as IP54 offers a good level of overall protection from solid and liquid objects.
Each individual electrical component of a lift truck has its own IP rating. The overall IP rating of a truck is therefore equal to the lowest IP rating of any individual component. For example, the motors and controllers on a truck could have a very good IP rating of IP65. However, the key switch, because it has a hole to accept the key, might be only rated at IP44, therefore the whole truck would be rated at IP44.
Bottom line: IP ratings allow us to easily identify a truck’s ability to perform when exposed to dirt and moisture as well as the ability to be washed down which is crucial in industries such as food and beverage.
The first digit refers to the protection against dust:
0 – No special protection1 – Protection from a large part of the body such as a hand (but no protection from deliberate access); from solid objects greater than 50mm in diameter
2 – Protection against fingers or other object not greater than 80mm in length and 12mm in diameter
3 – Protection from entry by tools, wires, etc., with a diameter of thickness greater than 1.0mm
4 – Protection from entry by solid objects with a diameter or thickness greater than 1.0mm
5 – Protection from the amount of dust that would interfere with the operation of the equipment
6 – Dust tight
While the second digit is the level of water protection:
0 – No special protection1 – Protection from a large part of the body such as a hand (but no protection from deliberate access); from solid objects greater than 50mm in diameter
2 – Protection against fingers or other object not great than 80mm in length and 12mm in diameter
3 – Protection from entry by tools, wires, etc., with a diameter of thickness greater than 1.0mm
4 – Protection from entry by solid objects with a diameter or thickness greater than 1.0mm
5 – Protection from the amount of dust that would interfere with the operation of the equipment
6 – Dust tight
Simply put, these IP ratings are guidelines for customers wanting to know how well protected an electric forklift is against dirty and wet environments. For dust protection, the highest number is 6; and for water protection, 7. As an example, a forklift rated as IP54 offers a good level of overall protection from solid and liquid objects.
Each individual electrical component of a lift truck has its own IP rating. The overall IP rating of a truck is therefore equal to the lowest IP rating of any individual component. For example, the motors and controllers on a truck could have a very good IP rating of IP65. However, the key switch, because it has a hole to accept the key, might be only rated at IP44, therefore the whole truck would be rated at IP44.
Bottom line: IP ratings allow us to easily identify a truck’s ability to perform when exposed to dirt and moisture as well as the ability to be washed down which is crucial in industries such as food and beverage.
To learn about IP rating’s of our electric forklifts, contact us today to speak with an equipment specialist.