How to Verify a Waterproof or IP-Rating Claim Before Filming

01

What does the complete IP code actually establish?

The IP code classifies enclosure protection against specified forms of access, solid-object ingress and harmful effects from water ingress under standardized tests. It does not establish unlimited protection in every real-world use.

Start by recording the code exactly as it appears in the report—for example, IPX4, IP67 or IPX5/IPX7. The first characteristic numeral concerns access and solid objects, including dust at the relevant levels; the second concerns water. An “X” means that no protection level is specified for that position. It should not be converted into a zero or represented as evidence that the unreported characteristic was tested.

Ask for the applicable standard and edition, report number, issue date, laboratory, report customer, tested model and all covered variants. IEC describes IEC 60529 as a classification system for the degrees of protection provided by enclosures, with requirements and tests for each designation. The standard also recognizes that the applicable degree may need to be identified for particular parts of equipment rather than assumed for everything sold with it (IEC).

Avoid loose phrases such as “IP rated,” “IP68-level” or “built to IPX7.” They omit the information needed to determine what was tested and whether the result applies to the current retail product.

02

How do you translate the water numeral into filmable exposure?

Use the second numeral as an exposure category, then retrieve the exact test conditions from the report. Do not design the scene from the numeral alone.

At a creative-planning level, IPX1 and IPX2 concern dripping water; IPX3 concerns spraying; IPX4 concerns splashing; IPX5 and IPX6 concern water jets of different severity; IPX7 concerns temporary immersion; IPX8 concerns immersion under conditions agreed for the product; and IPX9 concerns high-pressure, high-temperature water jets. These are separate test categories (Intertek).

Immersion does not automatically establish jet resistance. IEC markings can combine categories, such as IPX5/IPX7, when both forms of exposure have been addressed. Therefore, an IPX7 report should not become footage of a hose, pressure washer, waterfall or forceful moving water without separate support for that exposure (IEC amendment preview).

For the shoot plan, extract the actual liquid, temperature, depth or water level, duration, flow rate, nozzle, distance, direction, product orientation and movement. Standard IP water tests use fresh water, so pool chemicals, salt water, soap, hot liquids and dirty water should not be inferred from a freshwater result. Likewise, static immersion should not be presented as swimming, diving, surfing or high-speed water use.

03

How do you match the report to the product being sold?

Reconcile the report’s tested item with the current sellable SKU field by field. A laboratory name or pass certificate does not prove that every model, supplier revision or production batch is covered.

Request the full report and its specimen photographs. Compare the tested model number, suffix, dimensions and product name with the product detail page, packaging, purchase order and production sample. Then compare the housing revision, materials, joints, gasket, adhesive, buttons, battery door, ports, connector design, included accessories, factory and bill-of-materials revision.

Test reporting guidance based on ISO/IEC 17025 calls for unambiguous identification and condition of the tested item, the method, relevant dates and results, with results relating to the items tested (NIST reporting crosswalk). Use those details to determine what the report actually covers.

Where practical, confirm the report with the issuing laboratory and check whether the laboratory’s accreditation scope includes the reported method. Accreditation addresses laboratory competence for a defined scope; it is not the same as certifying every retail model or production unit (NIST). Escalate unexplained model suffixes, changed factories, redesigned ports, different seals or incomplete photographs. If a difference could affect ingress protection, obtain a documented technical determination or suitable retesting before filming.

1. Create two columns: “tested item” and “retail item.”
2. Compare identifiers, photographs, dimensions, enclosure parts and production revisions.
3. Record every mismatch, who reviewed it and the supporting resolution.
4. Do not approve the claim while a potentially material mismatch remains open.

04

Which product configuration must the footage preserve?

Film the product in the same enclosure state used for the documented test. Port covers, doors, caps, accessories and orientation are part of the claim boundary when the result depends on them.

Record whether each port cover was closed, open or absent; whether SIM, battery, memory-card, filter or service doors were installed and latched; whether cables were connected; and whether caps, plugs, seals or accessories were fitted. Also record whether the device was powered on or off, its mounting orientation and any assembly or tightening instructions.

Do not show an uncovered connector, missing cap, alternate case or attached charging cable merely because it looks better on camera. If the report covers an empty enclosure rather than the assembled retail product, do not assume it accounts for the finished product’s buttons, joints, components and production assembly. IEC 60529 can be applied to empty enclosures under stated conditions (IEC preview).

Check whether the sample was new, conditioned, aged, dropped or pretreated. A result from a new undamaged specimen does not by itself establish identical protection after wear or impact. Manufacturer instructions may also impose freshwater, temperature, pressure, cover-position or damage-related limitations, illustrating why configuration-specific documentation matters (Samsung).

05

What does a passing test mean—and what does it not mean?

A pass means the tested item satisfied the applicable acceptance criteria after the documented exposure. It does not necessarily mean that no water entered, every function operated underwater or protection will remain unchanged over the product’s life.

Review the report’s acceptance section instead of relying on the word “pass.” Record the pre-test inspection, immediate post-test operation, any water found and its location, internal inspection method, electrical or safety checks, drying interval and results for the display, controls, audio, sensors, battery and connectors.

IEC acceptance is concerned with whether ingress causes specified harmful effects. Depending on the equipment and applicable product requirements, the presence of some water may not be equivalent to failure. Therefore, “passed IPX7” should not automatically become “completely watertight” or “works normally underwater.”

Also distinguish exposure while operating from operation checked after exposure. If the test submerged a powered-off product and evaluated it after removal, footage showing underwater use communicates a materially different proposition. Do not imply that charging while wet is safe unless appropriate evidence and instructions specifically support that behavior.

06

How should the evidence become a creative brief?

Write the brief as a set of claim boundaries: approved wording, approved exposure, required configuration, prohibited scenes, required disclosures and a final net-impression review.

A narrowly framed line might say, “IPX7 water resistant; tested under the conditions stated in the product instructions.” If the report and instructions substantiate a specific freshwater depth and duration, those conditions can be stated accurately. Avoid “completely waterproof,” “safe at any depth,” “works underwater” and similar absolutes unless the evidence supports the full message consumers would take from them.

Specify what the camera may show: the correct product revision, closed covers, approved accessories, freshwater setup, orientation, depth, duration and movement. Identify prohibited footage, including deeper or longer immersion, jets supported only by an immersion rating, chemically different water, uncovered ports and dynamic activities outside the documented test.

The FTC says advertisers need a reasonable basis for objective express and implied claims before an ad is disseminated (FTC substantiation policy). Its guidance also treats demonstrations and imagery as claim elements, so a caption may not cure a dominant visual that conveys broader performance (FTC, “Less than meets the eye?”). Place material qualifications with the scene, make them readable, and narrow the footage rather than relying on contradictory fine print.

1. Attach the complete report and model-reconciliation record to the brief.
2. Write one sentence describing the maximum supported exposure.
3. List every configuration detail that must remain visible or unchanged.
4. Storyboard only scenes inside that boundary.
5. Review the final edit—visuals, voice-over, captions, sound and omissions—for its overall message.
6. Obtain compliance or legal review for unresolved or material claim questions before publication.

07

What is the final approval gate before footage goes live?

Approve the water claim only when the evidence, production setup and finished communication all describe the same exposure.

Confirm that the full report is on file; the complete code, standard and edition are known; the tested item matches the retail SKU; required covers and accessories are correctly configured; and the liquid, temperature, pressure, movement, depth and duration remain within the evidence. Confirm that reviewers understand what the pass criteria established and that qualifications accompany the relevant claim.

If a production sample fails, leaks or differs from the supplier evidence, stop treating the report as sufficient for that sample. Investigate the failure, supplier revision and test procedure before reshooting or publishing.

ATIYO can preserve the report reference, approved claim boundary, rejected scenes, brief decisions, asset iterations and reusable learnings alongside future creative work. Media performance remains in the ad platform; ATIYO preserves creative context and learnings rather than connecting to ad accounts, calculating ROAS or independently knowing campaign performance.