This Product Selection Guide contains information to help select products in the Boxes category on DigiKey.com
Box products are used to contain or enclose materials or equipment in a variety of contexts; plastic or metallic boxes suitable for constructing enclosures for electronic equipment such as guitar pedals, equipment cases for transporting tools or equipment, console style enclosures convenient for constructing operator interfaces, junction boxes for enclosing cable distribution points or providing for service access, key fob style enclosures for remote control or access applications, and others.
SelectionCharacteristics
Container Type: Indicates style/mechanical form factor of an enclosure.
Size / Dimension: The total physical dimensions of the box, usually given in length by width in inches (millimeters).
Height: The total height of the box, given in inches (millimeters).
Area (L x W): The product of length and width dimensions; “footprint” or “floor space”.
Design: Provides a general description of a product’s geometry or physical form.
Material: Indicates the material composition of the box.
Color: The dominant color of the box.
Thickness: Indicates the thickness of the walls of the box.
Features: These are different capabilities or properties of the device such as handles, or locks.
Ratings: Minimum performance standards of the device, which are typically set by a third party.
IP Ratings
IP (Ingress Protection) ratings such as (IP20, IP65, IP67, etc.) define how likely water and dirt will get into the system. The first number represents dirt and solid contaminants while the second represents water and liquids.
| Solids | Liquids | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Protected against solids larger than 50mm. | Protected against vertically falling drops of water. Limited Ingress permitted. |
| 2 | Protected against solids larger than 12.5mm. | Protected against vertically falling drops of water with the enclosure tilted up to 15 degrees from vertical. Limited ingress permitted. |
| 3 | Protected against solids larger than 2.5mm. | Protected against spraying water up to 60 degrees from vertical. Limited ingress permitted for 3 minutes. |
| 4 | Protected against solids larger than 1mm. | Protected against water splashed from any direction. Limited ingress permitted. |
| 5 | Protected against dust. Limited ingress of dust permitted. | Will not affect operation of equipment 2-8 hours. Protected against jets of water. Limited ingress permitted. |
| 6 | Dust tight. No ingress of dust 2-8 hours. | Protected against powerful jets of water. Limited ingress permitted. |
| 7 | ______________________ | Protected against the effects of immersion in 15cm-1m for 30 minutes. |
| 8 | ______________________ | Continuous immersion in water up to 3m for long periods of time. |
| 9 | ______________________ | Protected against high pressure jets of hot water. (30 seconds) |
| 9K | ______________________ | Protected against high pressure jets of hot water. (2 minutes) |
Material Flammability Rating: Ensures compliance with the relevant UL Flammability Rating.
UL94 Small Scale Flammability - Relative Comparison
Image from UL FLAMMABILITY – WHAT IT MEANS IN THE UL PRODUCT RECOGNITION PROCESS (faa.gov) Please see their website for more information.
ProductExamples
| MFR PART # | PB-1558-TF |
|---|---|
| DIGI-KEY PART # | 377-1175-ND |
| MANUFACTURER | Bud Industries |
| DESCRIPTION | Box, Potting Plastic, ABS Black Open End(s) 2.000" L x 1.500" W (50.80mm x 38.10mm) X 1.000" (25.40mm) |
| DATASHEET | Click Here |
| MFR PART # | 1553BGY |
|---|---|
| DIGI-KEY PART # | HM1173-ND |
| MANUFACTURER | Hammond Manufacturing |
| DESCRIPTION | Box Plastic, ABS Gray Hand Held, Split Sides 4.615" L x 3.109" W (117.22mm x 78.97mm) X 0.945" (24.00mm) |
| DATASHEET | Click Here |
| MFR PART # | 10808060 |
|---|---|
| DIGI-KEY PART # | 902-1105-ND |
| MANUFACTURER | Rose Enclosures |
| DESCRIPTION | Box Metal, Aluminum Gray Cover Included 3.150" L x 2.953" W (80.00mm x 75.00mm) X 2.244" (57.00mm) |
| DATASHEET | Click Here |
| MFR PART # | UPS 525-17-9-BLUE/WHITE |
|---|---|
| DIGI-KEY PART # | L186-ND |
| MANUFACTURER | LMB Heeger Inc. |
| DESCRIPTION | Cabinet Metal, Aluminum Blue, White End Panel(s) 16.750" L x 8.875" W (425.45mm x 225.43mm) X 5.063" (128.60mm) |
| DATASHEET | Click Here |
MediaLinks
Videos
How Bud Inexpensively Modifies Standard Electronic Enclosures
Digi-Key Content Library - Manufacturer Product Videos
Articles
Advantages of IP-68 Rated Enclosures
Product Training Modules
Digi-Key Content Library - Enclosure PTMs
Blogs
Choosing the Right Enclosure for Your Electronics Project
How to Design Custom Enclosures for Electronics Projects
NEMA Enclosures
What Ingress Protection Rating is Right for Your Project?
TechForum
Finding unpainted boxes on Digikey.com
Enclosure/Box modifications
IoT Enclosure Basics