IP69K: high-pressure and steam-jet cleaning, the ISO 20653 test and what it means for devices

IP69K appears in our datasheets exactly once: on the Archos X67 5G, a smartphone that Robustbook no longer sells. Of the 45 documented devices, no tablet and no laptop carries the rating. This article explains what IP69K tests anyway, because the question comes up wherever devices are sprayed down with hot water at high pressure, for example in food plants and wash bays. It gives the test values with sources, sets them beside IP66 and IP67, and shows which devices in our range have the next best rating and why that rating is not enough for high-pressure cleaning. How the two digits are built in general is covered in the overview IP protection classes.

Where IP69K comes from: not from IEC 60529

The IP69K rating is not part of IEC 60529, the standard behind DIN EN 60529 and the other IP ratings. The test comes from vehicle engineering. The enclosure maker ROLEC describes it in a test sheet according to DIN 40050-9 in the 1993 version, and a TZO Leipzig test report from January 2015 describes it according to ISO 20653 in the February 2013 edition. According to Wikipedia, ISO 20653:2013 replaced the DIN standard. The current edition is ISO 20653:2023 from August 2023; according to the standards retailer AFNOR it replaces the 2013 edition and applies to the electrical equipment of road vehicles.

The IEC caught up later. IEC 60529 now has an IPX9 level whose water test is essentially the same as the test for IP69K. The test lab CertifiGroup sees the calibration method as the only difference. A test report to IPX9 and one to IP69K are still two different proofs, and a datasheet should say which standard it means.

Two limits of our sources should be stated openly. We have not read the standard text: ISO and IEC sell it, and the ISO page could not be retrieved. The test values below therefore come from the ROLEC sheet (DIN 40050-9:1993) and from the test report (ISO 20653:2013-02). They agree on every figure that both give. Whether the 2023 edition changes anything, we have not checked.

The test in detail: 80 °C, 80 to 100 bar, four angles

The water test of level 9K uses a flat jet from a short distance. The enclosure sits on a turntable, and the nozzle hits it from four angles in turn:

Four angles of 30 seconds each make 2 minutes of spraying. At 5 revolutions per minute the turntable needs 12 seconds for one turn, so the jet reaches every side. On the name: “steam jet” appears in the ROLEC short description of level 9K, but the test uses water at 80 °C, not steam.

The first digit 6 requires dust tightness. Here two sources differ. For DIN 40050-9, ROLEC names a test powder of lime powder and flue dust in equal parts, at no more than 2 kPa negative pressure and for 8 hours. The sheet on IP66 according to EN 60529:2000 names talcum powder instead, at the same negative pressure and for the same duration. Whether that is a difference between the standards or only in how they are presented cannot be decided without the standard text.

IP69K versus IP66 and IP67: different loads

The jet test for IP66 is described in IP66 in detail. Here a comparison of the figures is enough:

The pressure in the IP69K test is 80 to 100 times as high as for IP66. The flow rate is only a sixth to a seventh, and the distance is 20 to 30 times smaller. That is a thin, hot jet from close range instead of a large quantity of water from far away. A passed IP66 test therefore does not show that a device survives this jet.

IP67 tests something else again: 30 minutes of immersion at up to 1 m depth, with no jet. The article IP67 in detail explains the test. The levels do not build on each other. According to CertifiGroup, a passed IPX9 does not imply IPX7 or IPX8 either, and the immersion test remains a separate requirement. The Archos datasheet therefore lists IP68 and IP69K side by side. How manufacturers set the depth for IP68 is covered in IP68 in detail.

What IP69K does not define either

The test uses water. Cleaning agents do not appear in it, and Wikipedia notes that IP tests run with fresh water and that nothing is assured for other liquids. In meat processing, according to Kärcher, a plant uses cleaning agents in rotation and then disinfects all surfaces that touch food. Which agents, at which concentration, the housing and seals can tolerate has to come from the device manufacturer.

Pressure and temperature in operation can also exceed the test. According to the manufacturer’s page, the Kärcher K 4 Classic works at 20 to 130 bar, delivers 420 l/h (7 l/min) and accepts inlet water up to 40 °C. On pressure it is above the test; on water quantity and temperature it is below. Depending on the model, hot-water pressure washers in the Kärcher catalogue “Reinigung in der Landwirtschaft” reach working pressures up to 210 bar and, with 12 °C inlet water, temperatures of 80 to 155 °C. For values beyond 80 °C and 100 bar, IP69K gives no proof.

Then there is time. The test lasts 2 minutes, while a plant cleans daily for years. The Archos datasheet says the resistance is not permanent and may decrease through normal wear. In a technical article on IP69K, Fabrico names seals and connections as the most frequent leak points: a device is only as tight as its weakest transition.

Three use cases: food plant, barn and wash bay

Food plants

For meat processing, Kärcher describes low and medium pressure with a high flushing capacity, so that germs are not spread through aerosols. For food production the page expressly names high-pressure cleaners, heated or unheated. The plant’s cleaning plan therefore decides what load a device sees, not the industry. We have no separate industry page for food plants. The requirements for production halls are described on the page Industry.

Agriculture

The Kärcher catalogue for agriculture provides for high-pressure cleaning in the barn after soaking, preferably with hot water, for floors, fittings, walls and ceilings. Anyone using a tablet there should keep it out of this cleaning. A device with IP66 has not been tested for this jet. For this field there is the industry page Forestry and agriculture.

Vehicle washing

ISO 20653 applies to the electrical equipment of road vehicles, and level 9K stands for cleaning with a high-pressure or steam jet. A tablet that an employee carries into the wash bay or hangs on the wall is not vehicle equipment. The jet can still hit it. What has to be clarified is whether the jet reaches the device directly or only splash water gets to it. The matching industry pages are Car dealers and Transport.

Which devices in our range carry IP69K and what the next level delivers

The Archos X67 5G is the only one of the 45 documented devices with IP69K; it also carries IP68. Its page Archos X67 5G remains as documentation of the manufacturer’s data, and Robustbook no longer sells the device. The Archos document of 07.01.2021 is a press release with an embedded datasheet. It names IP69K but gives no test values for it. The footnote describes only IP68: 1.5 m depth, up to 30 minutes, according to IEC 60529.

For the devices we stock, IP66 is the next best rating. It appears in 19 datasheets, IP67 in five, one of them (Fieldbook F57G2) no longer sold. The table shows the Archos device for comparison and five devices with IP66 or IP67. The values come from the core data tables of the datasheets:

Why this is not enough for high-pressure cleaning follows from the figures above. IP66 tests at 100 kPa, an eightieth to a hundredth of the IP69K test pressure, and the ROLEC sheet on IP66 gives no water temperature. IP67 tests still water. The devices with IP66 are tested against powerful water jets. That they withstand water at 80 °C and 80 bar from 10 cm away is not proven by that.

The manufacturers give no release either. We searched all 93 manufacturer PDFs in the repository (German, English, French) for “Hochdruck”, “high pressure”, “haute pression”, “Dampf”, “steam”, “IPX9” and “69K”. Only the Archos document produced hits. The Getac ATEX EX80 has no manufacturer datasheet, so for that device the proof is missing entirely.

Frequently asked questions

Does Robustbook have tablets or laptops with IP69K?

No. In the 45 datasheets only the Archos X67 5G lists IP69K, a smartphone that is no longer sold.

Does a device with IP69K also withstand steam?

That has not been tested. The test uses water at 80 °C with a tolerance of 5 °C. Steam and water above 80 °C do not appear in it.

Does IP69K include immersion?

No. The levels are not cumulative. If you need jet and immersion, you need both ratings in the datasheet, as the Archos X67 5G lists with IP68 and IP69K.

Is IP69K the same as IPX9?

The water test is essentially the same, the standard is not. IP69K belongs to DIN 40050-9 and ISO 20653, IPX9 to IEC 60529. Check in the test report which standard is named.

Conclusion: who needs IP69K and what remains then

You need IP69K if you put a device in the jet of hot water at 80 to 100 bar from close range. For that use there is no solution among our tablets and laptops. The only device with the rating, the Archos X67 5G, is a smartphone and no longer sold. If you can keep the device out of the jet, for example because it is taken off before cleaning, IP66 is enough. Then 19 devices are available, from the Durabook R8 to the Getac X600. If you expect only splash water and the garden hose, the article IP66 in detail gives the limits.

Before an enquiry you should clarify five points:

• The pressure in bar, the water temperature and the distance actually used for cleaning.
• Does the jet hit the device directly, or does only splash water reach it?
• Which cleaning and disinfecting agents are used?
• Do port covers and flaps stay closed during cleaning?
• Does the manufacturer give a written release for pressure washers or steam jets?

With these details you can check with the manufacturer whether proof exists. For questions on selection, the RobustBook team will help you.