What IK Code Means in LED Lights

LED lighting is used in many areas in our daily life. They are widely used in areas such as stores, indoor and outdoor parking lots, warehouses, manufacturing and sports facilities (stadium, tennis court, basketball, etc.) as they are cost-effective and save energy. In addition, the quality of LED lights and their resistance to impact greatly expand their usage areas.

LED lighting, which has a very important place in terms of environment and human safety, must meet different requirements. Whether it's a football field, street or roadside, it is very important to ensure that the LED lights are working properly even if they are damaged, in case some foreign matter hits the LED lights. Otherwise, it may cause a sports competition to be stopped at that moment, the production to be interrupted in a manufacturing factory and the people on the street to be kept in the dark. For these reasons, IK value is a very important issue in LED lights.

What is HR Code?

IK value is the standards created to determine the degree to which the tested material can withstand mechanical effects, taking into account the weight and distance values ​​of the impact. Applies only to enclosures with special requirements for the level of protection against external mechanical impact.

It was adopted as an international standard in 2002. IK codes are defined as European Standard BS EN 50102. With the acceptance of this standard as an international standard in 2002, it was changed to EN 62262 and renumbered.

The test requirements for resistance to the mechanical impact of the IK code can be listed as follows;

-The test should be carried out at the required temperature and air pressure.

-The protection class is valid for the entire enclosure. The enclosure must be clean, new and complete for all tests unless specified in the relevant product standard.

-Test should do with lights fully assembled and installed.

-The lamp must not be energized during the test and there is no pre-treatment requirement for the test specimens.

- If the installation of the luminaire affects the test results, the test must be carried out at the intended installation site of the luminaire.

-If the impact test cannot be performed due to the armature structure, a special armature can be used to complete the test. However, the lamp should not be modified in a way that weakens its mechanical strength properties.

HR Rating

IK values ​​start from IK01 and continue until IK10. The larger the number next to IK, the higher the mechanical strength value. IK code is tested with three different hammers; pendulum hammer, spring hammer and free fall hammer.

Spring hammer is used to test impact from IK01 to IK06. Free fall hammer tests impact from IK07 to IK10. The pendulum hammer is used to test the entire range. Generally, luminaires with values ​​of IK08 and above can withstand most of the mechanical impacts. IK10 rated lights are equipped with the highest protection. If a protection level higher than IK10 is reached, the code is IK 10+.

Implementation of HR Code
In order to protect the LED lights from unpredictable effects, luminaires with high IK value should be used, especially for lighting in open places such as stadiums and streets and where they are likely to be exposed to impacts. This is because outdoor fixtures are likely to be exposed to dust, water, extremely high or extremely low temperatures, and the impact of foreign objects. Even in the worst-case scenario, it should remain operational for the moment. For this reason, your luminaires should be chosen in accordance with your space and meticulously.


IK00: Indicates that the object is not protected against mechanical impact.
IK01: It means that the object can withstand a mechanical impact of 0.15 joules. (Like a 200 gram mechanical impact from a distance of 7.5 cm)
IK02: It means that the object can withstand a mechanical impact of 0.20 joules. (Like a 200 gram mechanical impact that can come from a distance of 10 cm)
IK03: It means that the object can withstand a mechanical impact of 0.35 joules. (Like a 200 gram mechanical impact that can come from a distance of 17.5 cm)
IK04: It means that the object can withstand a mechanical impact of 0.50 joules. (such as 250 grams of mechanical impact that can come from a distance of 20 cm)
IK05: It means that the object can withstand a mechanical impact of 0.70 joules. (such as 350 grams of mechanical impact that can come from a distance of 20 cm)
IK06: Means that the object can withstand a mechanical impact of 1.00 joules. (such as 500 grams of mechanical impact that can come from a distance of 20 cm)
IK07: Means that the object can withstand a mechanical impact of 2.00 joules. (such as 500 grams of mechanical impact that can come from a distance of 40 cm)
IK08: It means that the object can withstand a mechanical impact of 5.00 joules. (Like a mechanical impact of 1.7 kilograms from a distance of 29.5 cm)
IK09: It means that the object can withstand a mechanical impact of 10.00 joules. (Like a mechanical impact of 5 kilograms that can come from a distance of 20 cm)
IK10: It means that the object can withstand a mechanical impact of 20.00 joules. (Like a mechanical impact of 5 kilograms from a distance of 40 cm)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Joule is the unit of energy used to measure test energy.