IP68 rating explained: dust-tight and safe for continuous immersion

Want the full system, or to decode any other code? See the IEC 60529 standard explained or the IP rating decoder.

What IP68 protects against

Key facts

Standard

IEC 60529 (Ingress Protection code)

Dust

6 = dust-tight, complete protection

Water

8 = continuous immersion beyond 1 m

Depth and time

Defined by the manufacturer; must exceed IP67

Typical product specs

Often 1.5 m for 30 minutes, up to 3 m or more

Does not cover

High-pressure jets, swimming (unless stated), corrosion, impact

What IP68 protects against

The first digit, 6, means the enclosure is completely dust-tight. The second digit, 8, is the highest standard immersion level: continuous immersion in water beyond 1 metre. Crucially, the standard does not fix the depth and time for 8. The manufacturer defines them, and they must be more severe than the IP67 test.

So one IP68 device may be rated for 1.5 metres for 30 minutes and another for 3 metres continuously. Always read the datasheet rather than assuming a fixed figure. IP68 is the common rating for flagship and mid-range phones, many wearables and submersible sensors and enclosures.

What IP68 does NOT protect against

IP68 is a static-immersion rating. It does not test the dynamic pressure of a water jet, so it does not imply IP66 or IP65 jet resistance; where both matter, look for a dual rating such as IP66/IP68. It also does not cover corrosion, chemicals, salt water or impact.

It is also not automatically safe for swimming. The immersion test uses still water within a narrow temperature range, while swimming adds moving-water pressure, button presses underwater, and thermal and chemical stress that age the seals. Treat IP68 as protection against accidental immersion unless the maker explicitly rates the device for swimming.

IP68 at a glance

IP67 vs IP68

Both ratings are dust-tight and both are immersion ratings, so the difference is depth and duration. IP67 is fixed by the standard at 1 metre for 30 minutes. IP68 covers deeper or longer immersion, but the exact depth and time are set by the manufacturer, so IP68 products range from roughly 1.5 metres to 3 metres or more.

Neither rating guarantees jet resistance, and a higher second digit is not automatically better for every use. If a device will only ever meet rain and the occasional splash, IP67 is already ample; IP68 matters when deeper or longer submersion is a real possibility.

See the full IP67 rating page

IP68 vs IP69K

These test opposite extremes. IP68 is about static, deep immersion. IP69K, defined in ISO 20653 rather than IEC 60529, is about close-range jets of hot water at 80 degrees C and 80 to 100 bar, the kind used to steam-clean vehicles and food equipment.

One does not imply the other: an IP68 device may fail a high-pressure hot jet, and an IP69K device is not guaranteed to survive deep immersion. Rugged phones that advertise both have simply passed both tests.

See the full IP69K rating page

5ATM vs IP68 (watches and wearables)

These are different standards. 5ATM comes from the watch standard ISO 22810 and means the piece withstands pressure equivalent to 50 metres of static depth; it is a pressure rating built for water activity. IP68 comes from IEC 60529 and tests still-water immersion at a manufacturer-defined depth.

For swimming, 5ATM (or a device the maker explicitly clears for swimming) is the meaningful benchmark, because it accounts for the dynamic pressure of movement that IP68 does not test. A watch marked IP68 but not 5ATM is protected against accidental immersion, not laps in a pool.

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