An IK rating tells you how much impact energy a complete enclosure withstands, and on a display the cover glass usually decides the result. IK07 corresponds to 2 joules, IK08 to 5 joules and IK10 to 20 joules. The figure belongs to a tested assembly, not to a loose sheet of glass. If you are specifying cover glass for a medical, industrial, marine, transport or defence display, the rating is a starting point for the specification, not the whole of it.
TL;DR
- The IK code (IEC 62262, published in Europe as EN 62262) grades protection against mechanical impact, from IK00 (not protected) up to IK11 (50 joules).
- IK07 is 2 J, IK08 is 5 J and IK10 is 20 J, which is a 5 kg mass dropped from 400 mm.
- The rating applies to the enclosure in its tested configuration: glass, bezel, mounting and housing together. Impact results on loose glass do not transfer to a finished display.
- IK says nothing about scratch resistance, touch accuracy, readability or water ingress. Those need their own requirements.
- Choose toughened, chemically strengthened or laminated cover glass to suit the target IK level, and ask for test documentation for your exact configuration.
Table of Contents
- What an IK rating means for a display
- IK07, IK08 and IK10 in joules
- How an IK rating is tested
- IK rating versus IP rating
- Choosing cover glass for a target IK level
- Mounting decides as much as glass type
- A specification checklist for display glass
- Our perspective
- Specifying display glass with Precision Glasses
- FAQ
- Sources
What an IK rating means for a display
The IK rating is a code that grades how well an enclosure protects the equipment inside it against mechanical impact. It is set by the international standard IEC 62262, which is published in Europe as EN 62262 and replaced the earlier EN 50102, as Things Embedded explains. The standard applies to enclosures of equipment with a rated voltage not greater than 72.5 kV, and it provides the definitions, designations, requirements and tests for the degrees of protection against external mechanical impacts, according to the IEC preview document.
For a display, the enclosure is the whole front assembly: cover glass, optional touch sensor, bezel, gasket, rear housing and fixings. On a panel PC or industrial monitor the cover glass usually decides the rating, so check whether a quoted IK figure applies to the glass or only to the housing.
Two points belong in any specification from the start:
- A rating is a measured classification, not a promise that a screen cannot break. It does not establish scratch resistance, theft resistance or a warranty covering deliberate damage, as Aqualite Outdoor notes.
- The rating belongs to a defined configuration. A successful impact on a loose piece of glass does not show that a finished touch display, kiosk or terminal meets IK10, because mounting, bezel geometry, rear housing, fasteners and cable exits are part of the test condition, as DisplayV states.
IK07, IK08 and IK10 in joules
Each IK level corresponds to an impact energy delivered by a striking element dropped from a set height. The levels that matter most for display work are these.
| IK code | Impact energy | Equivalent drop | Typical display use |
|---|---|---|---|
| IK07 | 2 J | 0.5 kg from 400 mm | Industrial HMI windows, control panels |
| IK08 | 5 J | 1.7 kg from 300 mm | Public-facing and outdoor screens (lower end) |
| IK10 | 20 J | 5 kg from 400 mm | Vandal-resistant panels, ticketing, charging points |
| IK11 | 50 J | Specified for special enclosures or protection grids | Extremely harsh outdoor applications |
The sources for these figures are as follows. IK10 corresponds to 20 joules, equivalent to a 5 kg mass dropped from 400 mm, according to CDVI. IK08 corresponds to 5 joules, equivalent to a 1.7 kg mass dropped from 300 mm, according to an Eterna Lighting guide. IEC 62262 Amendment 1 of September 2021 added IK11 at 50 joules, and it notes that IK11 can be specified on special enclosures or protection grids for extremely harsh outdoor applications, as Spilma reports.
A typical industrial HMI window targets IP65 and IK07 (2 J), while vandal-resistant panels such as transit ticket vending and outdoor charging stations target IK10 (20 J), according to JASPER. Public-facing and outdoor screens are often specified between IK08 and IK10, using thicker toughened or chemically strengthened glass, as Things Embedded notes.
One caution on reading the numbers. IK10 is a demanding laboratory result, but it is not a ballistic test. A ball hitting the glass at speed can carry more energy than the test applies, as JEL Products points out. Specify the IK level against the real hazard at the installation site.
How an IK rating is tested
Understanding the test explains why the glass alone never carries the rating.
The test set-up
For IK10, the test parameters are a 5 kg steel mass with a 50 mm hemispherical head, a 400 mm drop height, 20 joules per strike and five impacts per face distributed evenly across the surface, as stated by Integra Enclosures. IEC 62262 specifies five impacts on each exposed face of the enclosure under test, evenly distributed, with no more than three impacts near the same point. The enclosure must be mounted on a rigid support with a displacement of 0.1 mm or less under the test impact, according to the standard’s sample pages.
Allbro’s technical document gives a variation by size: the impact energy is applied three times to each exposed surface whose largest dimension is not above 1 m, and five times to each exposed surface larger than 1 m, as Allbro states. Because published summaries differ on the counts, confirm the number of impacts in the current edition of the standard and in the product standard that applies to your equipment.
Test conditions are controlled too. The temperature range is 15 °C to 35 °C and the pressure 86 kPa to 106 kPa, and above 2,000 m altitude the fall height is adjusted to keep the energy constant, per Spilma.
What counts as a pass
After the test, the enclosure must still meet its other ratings. It must keep its IP rating, live parts must stay out of reach and the equipment must work. Cracks or dents are allowed if they do not compromise that protection, as Things Embedded explains. The same principle appears in Allbro’s document: after the impact test the enclosure shall continue to provide the stated ingress protection code and dielectric strength.
For a display, this has a direct consequence. Pass criteria written for electrical enclosures say nothing about whether the touch layer still reports accurately or whether the image is still readable. IK10 does not define touch accuracy, display readability, ingress protection, electrical safety or hazardous-area approval, so the project must state what has to keep working after impact and which protection properties must be rechecked, as DisplayV says.
The standard also leaves detail to the product standard. The manufacturer should be consulted to determine the degrees of protection available and the parts of the equipment to which a stated degree applies, and the relevant product standard specifies the enclosure definition, test equipment, number of samples, mounting conditions and the number and application points of impacts, per the IEC sample pages above.
IK rating versus IP rating
The IP code, set by IEC 60529, grades protection against solids and water. The IK code grades protection against impact. One does not imply the other, as Things Embedded states.
They are linked in one respect. Amendment 1 of IEC 62262 says that, unless the product standard states otherwise, impact damage must not impair the specified IP code, according to Spilma. In practice a front panel specified as IP65 and IK08 has to stay sealed after the impacts. That puts the gasket, bezel and glass bond in scope, not only the glass thickness.
Choosing cover glass for a target IK level
Glass type, thickness and construction all move the result. The options below are the ones we see engineers weigh most often.
Toughened glass
Industrial displays in open-frame, panel-mount and chassis-mount formats can be configured with toughened glass to improve the level of IK protection. A 6 mm or 8 mm layer of toughened glass is typical, according to published guidance from display integrators. Our own page on what toughened glass is and where it is used sets out the properties that matter for this choice.
Chemically strengthened glass
When the design needs thin, flat, high-surface-compression cover glass, chemical strengthening is the usual route. Ruggedised glass is recommended for IK09 to IK10 work, with aluminosilicate glasses from the major glass makers named as common choices, as Focus LCDs reports. Our guide to chemically strengthened glass explains what the process changes and what to put on a drawing.
Laminated and bonded constructions
Laminated glass keeps fragments together and spreads impact load across layers. At IK10, polyester film is ruled out and the design is forced towards a polycarbonate or laminated glass lens, per JASPER. Optical bonding is another route: a layer of resin is applied between the cover glass or touchscreen and the LCD, forming a solid laminate with no air gaps, as published by display integrators. Read our laminated display glass specification guide for interlayer and thickness decisions.
Hardness is a separate requirement
Impact resistance and scratch resistance are different properties. A cover glass that survives 20 J may still mark under daily use. If the display is touch-operated, see our note on what engineers must demand on touch cover glass hardness.
Mounting decides as much as glass type
The mounting structure must support the glass without over-constraining it. If the bezel clamps too hard, the glass becomes a brittle fixed plate that transfers impact energy into a crack. If it is too loose, the glass can flex excessively and fail at the perimeter, as CDTech describes.
This is why we ask for the mechanical drawing of the front assembly early, not only the glass outline. Edge condition matters as well: impact tests often start cracks at the perimeter, so edge finishing is a design variable. Our article on glass edge finishing and fracture tests covers why finish names alone are not a specification.
A specification checklist for display glass
Use this list when you write the requirement or prepare an RFQ.
- State the IK level and the standard edition. Write “IK08 to IEC 62262” rather than “vandal-proof”.
- Define the configuration. Name the glass, thickness, bonding, bezel, gasket and housing the rating applies to.
- Set pass criteria. State what must work after impact: image, touch response, sealing. Buyers should request test documentation for the exact model and configuration, as Digital Signage Today advises.
- Match the level to the site. Base the requirement on location, exposure and public access.
- Evaluate the whole front assembly. Consider tempered or laminated glass, mounting and anchoring, anti-graffiti coatings and tamper-resistant access panels, not only the IK number, per the same source.
- Allow for real-world variation. Laboratory tests are controlled, but in use forces arrive from different directions and with different characteristics, as Unisystem notes.
- Add the other properties. Scratch hardness, anti-reflective or anti-glare coating, ceramic print and traceability each need a line of their own.
If your application involves architectural or safety glazing rather than enclosure impact, the relevant classification is different. Our guide to BS EN 12600 impact classes explains how those are specified.
Our perspective
We see the same mistake on many enquiries: a drawing that says “IK10 glass” and nothing else. IK10 is not a property of glass on its own. It is the result of a glass type, a thickness, an edge, a mounting and a housing working together, tested as one assembly.
Our approach is to treat the rating as a design target and work backwards. We ask where the display will be used, who can reach it, what must still work after a strike and how the glass will be held. Then we propose a construction, whether toughened, chemically strengthened or laminated, and the machining, edge finishing and coating that go with it.
We work to ISO 9001 and keep batch-level traceability, so the glass in your test sample and the glass in your production run can be tied to the same records. That matters when a customer or an auditor asks you to show that the tested configuration is the one you ship.
Our advice is to bring us the front-assembly drawing early. A short conversation about bezel clamping and edge condition often saves a second round of impact testing.
Alexandra
Specifying display glass with Precision Glasses
We design, fabricate and supply custom glass components for medical devices, defence, aerospace, automotive dashboards, lighting, electronics and marine technology. For impact-rated displays that includes toughened and laminated glass, chemically strengthened glass, CNC-machined technical glass, edge finishing, ceramic printing and anti-reflective or anti-glare coatings, with scalable production from prototype to volume.
Send us your drawing, target IK level and operating environment, and we will come back with a construction proposal. See our full range of glass services, or review our technical glass products first. For a broader view of the options, our protective glass guide for procurement teams compares the main types side by side.
FAQ
What is IK08 and IK10?
IK08 corresponds to 5 joules of impact energy, equivalent to a 1.7 kg mass dropped from 300 mm. IK10 corresponds to 20 joules, equivalent to a 5 kg mass dropped from 400 mm. IK10 therefore represents four times the energy of IK08, and it normally calls for thicker or laminated glass and a well-designed mounting.
What is the impact resistance of an IK07 rating?
IK07 corresponds to 2 joules, equivalent to a 0.5 kg mass dropped from 400 mm. It is a common target for industrial HMI windows and control panels. Public-facing screens are usually specified higher.
What does an IK rating mean on a display?
It grades how well the enclosure protects the equipment inside against mechanical impact, using the IEC 62262 test. On a display, the cover glass usually decides the result. The rating applies to the tested assembly, so ask which glass, bezel and housing it covers.
What is the difference between IP and IK ratings?
IP, defined in IEC 60529, covers protection against solids and water. IK covers impact. Neither implies the other, but IEC 62262 Amendment 1 says impact damage must not impair the specified IP code unless the product standard says otherwise.
Does an IK10 rating make a screen vandal-proof?
No. IK10 is a laboratory classification at 20 joules, not a guarantee against every attack or a ballistic test. It is a strong basis for public-facing displays when combined with suitable glass, secure mounting and tamper-resistant access.
Sources
- Things Embedded: What Is an IK Rating?
- IEC 62262 preview document
- IEC 62262 standard sample pages
- Aqualite Outdoor: IK10 Display and Touchscreen Protection
- DisplayV: How to Design and Validate an IK10 Touch Display
- CDVI: What are IP and IK ratings?
- Eterna Lighting: IK rating guide
- Spilma: IP and IK ratings
- JASPER: Display Window Design for Control Panel Overlays
- JEL Products: IP and IK ratings
- Integra Enclosures: IK10 Impact Rating Explained
- Allbro: IP and IK ratings for enclosures
- Focus LCDs: Incorporating LCDs into high IK rated applications
- CDTech: Designing IK10 cover glass for 20J drop-ball tests
- Digital Signage Today: Specifying the right protection for outdoor digital signage
- Unisystem: IK Rating and display protection
