Daniel Haaf
Kategorispecialist
Updated: 14 April 2026
What do designations like IP57, IP68, IPX7, MIL-STD-810 and WR50/5 ATM actually mean? Here you’ll get the answer to how water-resistant and dust-resistant your devices really are.
When you buy a mobile phone, tablet, portable speaker or any other portable gadget, it is important that it has some form of water resistance. Especially if you plan to use it outdoors. In many cases, water resistance is expressed with a so-called IP rating. Here we go through everything you need to know about IP ratings and give practical examples of when you might want a certain rating for maximum protection.
IP stands for "Ingress Protection" and is a measure of how well a device is protected against both solid objects and particles as well as water. An IP rating always consists of two numbers or a number and the letter X. The higher the number, the better the protection. If the rating shows an X, the manufacturer has not specified any protection rating at all.
Here is what the different characters actually mean for your gadgets:
To be allowed to state an IP rating, the device must be tested in a special way that meets the requirements of a standard called "IEC Standard 60529". The organisation behind the standard is called the "International Electrotechnical Commission".
The advantage of the IP rating is that we get a clearer measure of exactly how good the water and dust resistance actually is. Which is of course much better than "dust resistant" and "water resistant" because that does not say very much.
The film camera recording this should be properly dust-sealed.
Image: Unsplash, Devon Janse van Rensburg
Protection against small particles and dust ranges from 0 at the lowest to 6 at the highest.
Dust resistance and dust tightness may not be the most common things people look for in regular consumer products. But if you know, for example, that your speaker, mobile phone, smartwatch or other gadget will be in areas with large amounts of dust or sand, then this is just as important as water resistance.
We hope this mobile phone has a very high IP rating.
Image: Unsplash, Shuvro Mojumder
Protection against water ranges from 0 at the lowest to 9 at the highest. The most common for mobile phones is protection class 7 or 8. The special classes 6K and 9K are normally never used in consumer products.
This is the rating most people look for, namely how well the device withstands water. Bear in mind that an IP rating never guarantees 100 per cent protection throughout the product's entire lifespan. Water resistance and water tightness normally degrade over time and with use, so your three-year-old smartwatch that ought to be water resistant may no longer be.
An example of water resistance is IPX4, which many in-ear headphones have. This means you can use them during tougher training sessions when you sweat a lot and at most in light drizzle. However, you cannot shower with them, avoid heavy rain and do not drop them in the pool.
A gadget rated IPX7 or IPX8 can be in water for a while without being damaged, but it can still be damaged if you spray water at it from the sides.
What this means is that you can drop your mobile phone into the bath without it breaking, but if you try to use it in heavy rain, water can still get in.
For a gadget to be officially protected with both a higher and a lower IP rating, it must be marked with two ratings. For example IPX5/IPX8.
You may have come across the designation MIL-STD-810 at some point and wondered what it means. It is another standard for testing the durability of gadgets, but not just against dust and water like the IP rating.
MIL-STD-810 is a standard developed to test whether gadgets can withstand the tough requirements for use in the US military. The first version of the standard came out in 1962, and it has been developed several times since then.
Here are some of the things tested to meet the requirements of MIL-STD-810:
The latest version came out in 2019 and is called MIL-STD-810H. In total, up to 31 different types of stress are tested depending on the manufacturer and product.
A gadget said to meet the requirements for MIL-STD-810 has not necessarily been tested for everything the standard covers. Therefore, it can seem misleading because the product may not meet the requirements that MIL-STD-810 sets for each test at all. Always check with the manufacturer what applies so that you are sure if it is not clear what has been tested and to what extent.
In some cases, manufacturers do not state any IP rating, but instead classify water resistance as "WR50" or "5 ATM". So what does that actually mean?
Where a device marked IPX7 or IPX8 can cope down to 1 metre depth, devices marked WR50/5 ATM can cope down to a full 50 metres depth. A considerable difference, then.
A big warning about WR50 and 5 ATM is that even if they are stated to cope down to 50 metres, you should never use them for diving. Nor for water sports or other water activities involving deep water or high water pressure.
WR50 and 5 ATM require no special certification and have no standardised test to follow. See the marking as an indication that the device can be fully submerged in water for long periods. However, gadgets marked WR100 and WR200 are better suited to diving.
Here are two examples of how IP ratings combined with WR markings can work:
In some cases, water resistance is stated in "bar" instead of atm or metres.
One (1) bar is comparable to atmospheric pressure measured at ground level. That means 3 bar corresponds roughly to the water pressure at a depth of 3 metres.
Here are some common measurements in bar:
If you have, for example, a wristwatch marked with "Divers" or "ISO 6425", then it is guaranteed to be waterproof and can be used for diving.
This marking also indicates that the wristwatch is adapted for use in total darkness and is resistant to magnetism, shocks and salt water.
With IPX4 and above, your headphones will work for exercise.
Image: Unsplash, Wade Austin Ellis
Here are some tips on popular gadgets that are resistant to water. Don't forget to check exactly what applies to each model before you open your wallet. There can be quite a lot of variation in how resistant they are to dust and water.
What is an IP rating?
An IP rating indicates how dust resistant / tight and water resistant / tight a gadget's protection is.
Can a product be protected against dust and water even without an IP rating?
Absolutely, manufacturers have no obligation at all to test their products according to the IP rating standard. Without an IP rating, it is normally difficult to know exactly how good the protection is.
What do IP67 / IP68 mean?
The IP ratings IP67 and IP68 mean complete protection against dust and excellent protection against immersion in water.
What does IPX4 mean?
The IP rating IPX4 means that the manufacturer does not specify how good the protection against dust is, but that the product is protected against light splashes of water.
What does IP57 mean?
The IP rating IP57 means that the product is resistant to dust and is protected when submerged in water.
What is the difference between IP rating and STD-MIL-810?
The difference is that IP rating only tests for dust and water. With the standard for STD-MIL-810 the resistance to many other external factors, such as shocks and vibrations, is also tested.