IP65 and IP67 are both dust-tight, so the difference is entirely about water. IP65 survives low-pressure jets from any direction; IP67 survives temporary immersion to 1 m for 30 minutes. Neither is a general upgrade on the other, because the two tests reproduce different accidents — and a transmitter rated IP67 has not necessarily been tested against jets at all.
For an industrial remote control, that distinction decides whether a unit survives a wet shift or fails in its first month. This guide sets out what each rating actually tests, which site conditions need which, and what the number does not cover.
The IP code comes from IEC 60529. The first digit covers solids and contact, the second covers water. Both ratings here carry a first digit of 6, which means dust-tight: no dust ingress at all, and no access to live parts with a wire.
The second digit is where they separate, and the test conditions are specific rather than a scale of “wetness”.
| Rating | Water test condition | What it reproduces on site |
|---|---|---|
| IPX5 | 6.3 mm nozzle, 12.5 L/min, 30 kPa, 3 minutes, from any direction | Rain driven sideways, hosepipe spray, wash-down splash nearby |
| IPX6 | 12.5 mm nozzle, 100 L/min, 100 kPa, 3 minutes, from any direction | Strong jetting from a short distance, deck washing, heavy spray |
| IPX7 | Temporary immersion, 1 m below the surface for 30 minutes (0.15 m if the enclosure is under 850 mm tall) | A unit dropped into a sump, a flooded pit or standing water on a quay |
Read the numbers as three separate tests rather than three grades of the same test. A unit can pass X7 and never have been jet-tested, and a unit can pass X6 and fail X7.
Buyers routinely assume that a higher second digit contains everything below it. It does not. The X5, X6 and X7 tests are alternatives in the standard, not layers, and a manufacturer that wants both properties has to test and mark both — which is why good datasheets read “IP65/IP67” or “IP66/IP67” rather than just the higher number.
There is a physical trade-off as well. Immersion protection depends on static seals: gaskets, O-rings and a battery door that compresses evenly. Those seals are what fail after a drop, after a battery change done in a hurry, or after a year of UV and oil exposure. A jet-rated housing can drain and breathe; a fully sealed one cannot, so temperature cycling between a cold store and a warm cab can leave condensation inside a unit that no water ever entered.
That is the practical answer to “should we just buy IP67 everywhere”: only if the site has standing water or total immersion. If the wet risk is spray, an IP65 or IP66 housing with a serviceable seal is usually the better long-term choice, because it can be opened, inspected and resealed.
Grade the location, not the industry. Two cranes in the same plant can need different ratings if one works under a leaking roof and the other sits over a dry assembly line.
| Site condition | Realistic exposure | Rating to specify |
|---|---|---|
| Covered workshop, dry process | Dust and occasional spillage | IP54 minimum; IP65 if the unit is handled with oily or wet gloves |
| Open yard, general outdoor crane | Rain from any direction, seasonal dust | IP65 as the working baseline |
| Wash-down bay, food or pharma plant | Directed jets and cleaning chemicals | IP66 for the jets; check chemical compatibility of the seal separately |
| Port, quarry, steel plant with standing water | Immersion risk in pits, salt spray, grit | IP67, and confirm it is also jet-rated if wash-down happens on site |
| Cold store or freezer room | Condensation on every transfer, ice formation on seals | IP65 or IP66 with a seal that tolerates repeated freeze-thaw; the IP digit alone does not cover this |
In practice most sites resolve to one of two answers: an IP65 waterproof crane remote control for rain and spray, or an IP67 industrial remote control where immersion is a realistic event rather than a theoretical one.
An IP number is one property measured on a new sample. It says nothing about the following, all of which matter more than the digit in real service.
Pressure washing deserves its own warning. The X5 and X6 tests are run at 30 kPa and 100 kPa respectively, roughly a third of a bar and one bar. A pressure washer operates an order of magnitude above that, so “IP66 protected” is not a licence to clean a transmitter at close range with a lance.
The standard remote control series do not all sit at one rating, and the difference follows the housing and the duty rather than the price bracket.
Where the machine is still operated from a cable rather than by radio, the pendant stations are the equivalent decision. The COP-84ER rainproof control switch and the COP-82ER rainproof control switch are described as rainproof designs in high-visibility housings, with the cable entering through a moulded strain-relief boot at the top so running water is carried away from the entry. Rainproof is a construction description, not an IP number: if the position sees continuous spray, deep wash-down or immersion, state the required rating at enquiry so it is confirmed against the exact build rather than assumed from the product name.
Two further points keep the rating meaningful after delivery. Train operators to close the battery door fully and to check the gasket for grit each time cells are changed, because most water damage on a rated unit enters through a door left slightly open. And record the rating in the maintenance file, so a replacement ordered three years later is matched to the original specification rather than to the cheapest equivalent.
Send the site description, the required rating and the crane duty through the contact page and the housing can be confirmed against the actual exposure rather than against a product name. General technical and spare-part questions are covered on the frequently asked questions page.
It is different, not better. IP67 adds temporary immersion protection but does not include the jet test that IP65 covers, so a unit marked only IP67 may be less resistant to wash-down spray than an IP65 unit.
Usually not. Rain and general outdoor exposure are covered by IP65. IP67 becomes relevant where the transmitter can fall into standing water, a pit or a flooded deck.
Not with a lance at close range. The IPX6 test is run at about 1 bar from 3 m, while a pressure washer operates far above that. Wash-down proximity matters as much as the rating.
Yes. Both IP65 and IP67 carry a first digit of 6, which is dust-tight. The difference between them is entirely in the water digit.
Because the enclosure is sealed against water but not against water vapour, and repeated temperature cycling can deposit that vapour as liquid inside. It is a design and duty-cycle issue that the IP test does not address.
