What does IP67 mean? IP ratings on EV charging cables

An IP rating is a two-digit code from IEC 60529: the first digit rates protection against dust, the second against water. IP67 means dust-tight and tested for 30 minutes under 1 m of water. Voldt® charging cables and portable chargers carry IP67 with the connector plugged in. Once unplugged, the cap protects the pins.

Published 02/11/2026 · By Voldt® product team

IP stands for International Protection, and the code comes from IEC 60529, published in Europe as EN 60529. Each digit records the highest level a product passed in a lab test. An X means that part was not tested or not declared: IPX7 tells you about water and nothing about dust.

On charging equipment the first digit is nearly always 5 or 6. A 5 lets some dust in, too little to affect how the product works or its safety. A 6 is dust-tight. On a connector, grit scores the contacts and keeps seals from closing.

The water digit climbs from dripping (1) through splashing from any direction (4) to water jets (5) and powerful jets (6), and up to 6 each level includes the ones below. The last three are separate tests: temporary immersion (7), continuous immersion on terms the maker states (8) and hot, high-pressure jets (9).

For a 6 on dust, the product sits in a sealed chamber of moving talcum powder while a pump holds its inside at a slight vacuum, up to 2 kPa, to pull dust towards any gap. After up to 8 hours, it passes only if no dust got in.

The jet tests push water at a seal from one direction. IPX5 uses a 6,3 mm nozzle at 12,5 litres a minute from 2,5 to 3 m, for at least 3 minutes. IPX6 uses a 12,5 mm nozzle and 100 litres a minute, eight times the water. For IPX7, the product spends 30 minutes with its lowest point 1 m under water and its top at least 15 cm under. It is then opened, and passes if any water inside is too little to affect operation or safety.

IEC 60529 treats 7 and 8 as separate tests, so a product rated only IPX7 has not shown it copes with jets. A jet drives water at one spot from one side. Immersion presses evenly from every side, for longer. A seal can pass one and leak in the other.

That is why some data sheets carry two codes, such as IP65/IP67. A charging cable lies in puddles and standing water far more often than it meets a jet, so for the cable the immersion test is the one that counts. A wallbox on a wall faces driven rain, and there the jet digit is the one to check.

An IP rating always describes a product in a stated condition. For outdoor vehicle connectors, IEC 61851-1:2017 asks for at least IP44 plugged in and IP24 unplugged. Voldt® quotes IP67 for its Type 2 cables and portable chargers with the connector plugged in, when the seal between connector and inlet closes off the contacts. Unplugged, the pins sit open at the front. Rain can reach the contacts, and a connector lying face-up in a puddle is outside what the rating covers, so fit the attached cap as soon as you unplug.

The rating also depends on the connector keeping its shape and seal. Voldt® connector housings are moulded as one piece, with no glued or screwed seams. The pins are silver-plated copper and the jacket is TPU. The cables are specified for −30 °C to +50 °C and over 10 000 insertions (Voldt® product specifications, October 2026).

IEC 60364-7-722:2018, the wiring rule for EV supplies, adopted in Europe as HD 60364-7-722, sets the outdoor floor at IPX4, splashing from any direction, plus IK08 against impact. IK ratings come from IEC 62262: IK08 means withstanding a 5 joule blow, a 1,7 kg mass dropped from 30 cm.

Any wallbox rated IP44, IP54 or higher clears that floor. Check its data sheet for the IK rating too. A portable charger has three points to check: the plug in the socket, the control box on the ground where rain collects, and the connector in the car. Outdoor household sockets are usually IP44, often only with the lid closed, so check that the lid closes over your charger's plug. Blue CEE sockets on campsites and at events are at least IP44, usually with a spring lid.