IK Ratings Explained: Impact Protection for Kiosks and Public Displays

The definition, and the energy ladder

IEC 62262 grades enclosure protection against external mechanical impacts from IK00 to IK10, tested with pendulum or spring hammers specified in IEC 60068-2-75 (IEC webstore, IEC 62262; IP and IK codes explained; test-lab overview). The grades a fleet buyer actually meets:

Enclosure maker Rittal’s guidance is a common reference for the higher IK grades on enclosures (Rittal on IK ratings), and display-industry guidance likewise treats IK10 as the default spec for unattended public hardware (choosing an IK rating for displays).

Where IK is specified

The unattended, publicly reachable fleet is where IK belongs in a purchase conversation:

• Parking and transit pay stations, where kiosk OEMs advertise IK10-rated tempered anti-glare glass in the 6 to 8 mm range (outdoor kiosk example; outdoor series example; IK10 decision explainer). Device pages in our catalog: Flowbird Strada EVOL GEN 3, Flowbird CWT S5, Scheidt & Bachmann entervo.pay.
• EV chargers, where screens are a documented vandalism target and IK10 touchscreens are marketed explicitly (ChargePoint anti-vandalism program; IK10 touchscreen example).
• Self-checkout and retail kiosks, where integrator glass practice matters because OEM product pages publish no cover-glass specs (NCR Voyix and Diebold Nixdorf SCO pages are the examples we track: NCR Voyix FastLane SelfServ, DN Series EASY eXpress, Toshiba Self Checkout System 7).
• Commercial open-frame displays, where Elo publishes IK08 to IK10 vandal ratings for strengthened cover glass on some models (Elo 1564L open-frame; Elo 2799L open-frame).

IK vs IP vs “drop tested”

Three claims, three artifacts. IK (IEC 62262) is impact energy against an enclosure as mounted. IP (IEC 60529) is solids and liquid ingress against an enclosure, covered on our IP ratings page. Consumer “drop tested” phrasing on handhelds usually traces to MIL-STD-810 Method 516.8 transit drop tailoring, covered on our MIL-STD-810H page, and describes a device test, not an enclosure code. When a parking authority or transit agency writes a tender, keep the three separate: an enclosure can be IK10 and IP54, or IK08 and IP66, and the pairing tells you more than any single number.

The film trap, and the invented IK11

Third-party listings sometimes borrow the code for accessories, for example an aftermarket MC9400 protector marketed as “anti-shock IK06” (example listing). Whatever lab work stands behind such a claim, it was performed on a film sample, not on an enclosure as mounted, so the IK label is doing decorative work. The same page should raise a second flag: the IK scale ends at IK10. If you meet “IK11” or higher in marketing copy, the writer has borrowed numbers from the separate test-equipment standard IEC 60068-2-75, which defines higher impact levels for test hammers, not IK codes for products (test-lab overview).

Scratched kiosk glass: replace the glass or add a sacrificial layer?

Once IK-rated kiosk glass is scratched or graffiti-marked, the operator faces a decision, not a standard. The educational frame we publish:

• Glass replacement restores the original enclosure rating but costs parts, labor, and downtime on a machine that may run for a decade or more.
• A sacrificial surface layer changes the assembly and is a modification the IK test never covered, so it should be treated as an operational maintenance choice rather than a way to “keep” a rating.
• Graffiti chemistry is its own axis: Flowbird publishes approved graffiti-removal products for its parking terminals, and the solvents involved set a chemistry bar for whatever surface is installed (Flowbird graffiti-removal guidance).

Sector context: parking and transit kiosks, retail self-checkout, and banking and financial (ATM vandal glazing).

Frequently asked questions