IP67 vs IP68 for Electronic Switches
The higher number is not automatically the better part. IP67 vs IP68 is a comparison of one digit, and both mean dust-tight on the solids side. IPX7 is a defined temporary-immersion test, commonly summarised as up to 1 metre for 30 minutes and subject to the placement conditions in IEC 60529. IPX8 has no fixed depth or duration in the standard. Swiclick is a switch manufacturer that supplies sealed tact switches, and the gap between those two digits decides which parts qualify for a job.
What the Two Digits Actually Say
An IP rating has two digits, both defined by IEC 60529. The first covers solid ingress, the second covers water.
A first digit of 6 means dust-tight. Not dust-protected, dust-tight. Both IP67 and IP68 carry it, so on the solids side the two ratings are identical.
The second digit is where they part. Level 7 is temporary immersion under the placement conditions the standard sets out. Level 8 covers immersion beyond the IPX7 conditions, at a depth and duration declared for the application, which must be more severe than level 7.
That phrase, declared for the application, is the whole story. An IPX8 claim without a stated depth and duration tells you very little. IPX8 may be declared at different depths and durations, so the rating is only meaningful when those conditions are published alongside it.
The second digit is also not cumulative. A part tested to level 7 has not automatically passed levels 5 and 6, which are spray and jet tests. Jets attack a seal differently, at higher pressure and from a chosen angle. This is why products that need both are marked with dual ratings such as IP66/IP68, where both jet and immersion protection have been tested.
What IP67 Means for a Switch
On a switch, IP67 refers to the switch body, not to the assembly it ends up in.
A sealed tact switch achieves it with a moulded rubber boot or a laminated film over the actuator, plus a sealed terminal exit at the base. Swiclick lists sealed products described as IP67 waterproof tact switches. The exact model, construction and test evidence should be confirmed before you write a part number into a specification.
Once the switch is soldered into your product, the rating of the assembly depends on your gasket, your case joint and your cable gland, not on the switch. A designer who specifies an IP67 switch and expects an IP67 product has skipped several steps.
What an IP67 rating gives you is evidence against a defined dust and immersion test. Board washing, condensation, thermal shock and chemical compatibility all require separate validation. The immersion test does not cover any of them.
The Test Nobody Runs
Immersion is often not what kills a sealed switch in service.
A sealed cavity behind a switch boot contains air. Heat the product and that air expands and pushes outward on the seal. Cool it and the cavity draws a partial vacuum. If the product is sitting in condensate at that moment, the switch can draw it in.
The IPX7 and IPX8 immersion ratings do not by themselves demonstrate repeated thermal cycling, pressure cycling or chemical resistance.
If your product runs hot and cools in a damp place, ask for thermal cycling data with a humidity component rather than a higher IP number. The same applies to washing a tactile switch after reflow, where a hot board hitting cold cleaning fluid produces the same pressure differential.
Chemical compatibility is the other gap. An IP67 boot is usually silicone or a thermoplastic elastomer, and neither is rated against every solvent. If your line uses an aggressive flux remover, name it and ask about the boot material.
When You Actually Need IP68
Three cases justify it on a switch.
Sustained submersion by design. Marine instruments, submersible pumps, underwater lighting. The product is meant to sit in water for its service life rather than fall in and be retrieved.
Pressure beyond the IPX7 condition. Depth means pressure, and pressure finds seal paths that a shallow test never loads.
A contractual or regulatory requirement. Sometimes the number is written into a customer specification and the argument has already been had.
Outside those cases, IP68 on a component switch is often specification inflation. It may add cost and narrow the qualified supplier list, and it does not address the thermal cycling and chemical exposure that sit outside the immersion test entirely.
A well-sealed IP67 switch behind a properly gasketed housing will generally outperform an IP68 switch behind a poor one. The weak point is usually the enclosure joint.
What to Ask a Supplier
Four questions separate a real rating from a number on a web page.
- What depth and duration was the IPX8 test declared at? Without those, the claim is not comparable.
- Was the rating tested on the bare component or on an assembly?
- Is there spray or jet data as well as immersion, if the product gets washed down?
- What is the boot material, and has it been checked against our cleaning chemicals?
At the time of publication, the sealed tact-switch products referenced on this page are described by Swiclick as IP67 rather than IP68. Confirm the exact model, construction and supporting test evidence before specification. Approvals are granted against a specific model, rating and construction, so certification matching by destination market is worth confirming per part number rather than per series. The full test detail sits in ANSI/IEC 60529, which is published free.
FAQ
Not automatically. IPX7 is a defined test. IPX8 conditions are declared for the application and must be more severe than IPX7, but the actual depth and duration vary. Without those numbers the two are not comparable.
No. Jets are covered by IPX5 and IPX6, which are separate tests. Products needing both are often marked with a dual rating such as IP66/IP68.
Some sealed switch constructions can be, but the format is commonly specified to IP67. For continuous submersion, a sealed membrane or a non-contact input is often a better answer than a mechanical switch.
No. The product rating depends on the enclosure, gaskets and cable entries. The switch rating covers the switch.
Common ones include thermal cycling, condensation inside a sealed cavity, and chemical attack on the sealing material. None of these are demonstrated by an immersion test.
Yes. The rating is tested on a specific construction. Changing the elastomer changes the seal.
Talk to an engineer
Tell us your application and the specs you need, and our engineers will match a Swiclick switch and share its datasheet and pinout. Free samples ship 1 to 50 for validation before volume.
Written by Eric Chen, Application Engineer, Swiclick.
