Waterproof Ratings and What They Mean

​“Waterproof” is a term that could mean a range of different things for a product. Is it watertight, water-repellant, or water-resistant? What are the variances between these broad labels? 
There is actually a way to measure how waterproof something is, and that is through the IP Rating Chart. 

“IP” stands for “Ingress Protection”, which “classifies the degrees of protection provided against the intrusion of solid objects (including body parts like hands and fingers), dust, accidental contact, and water in electrical enclosures.” IP ratings or codes will begin with IP followed by two digits and an optional letter. 

According to the description, the IP code indicates more than the degrees of protection provided against water in electrical enclosures. The first digit after “IP” addresses degrees of protection against solids, while the second digit addresses liquids. The higher the level, as indicated by the number, the stronger the protection. For example, if an item’s code is IP00, this indicates that it is not protected from solids and liquids. If an item’s code is IP01, it is not protected from solids, but it is protected from condensation. 

B A S U’s eSpeaker 3.0 is rated IP67 waterproof: the speaker is fully splash proof, which means that it will survive rain or spills. According to an IP rating chart, it also means that it is protected from total dust ingress (entry) and from immersion between 15 centimeters and 1 meter in depth.

It’s important to know exactly how waterproof something is before you test your products’ ability to withstand liquids. Utilize the IP rating charts below for your reference! ​

sources: ​http://www.dsmt.com/resources/ip-rating-chart/, http://www.l-com.com/blog/?tag=/IP+rating