Does IP68 Cover Salt Water?
No. The IEC 60529 immersion test behind IP68 is performed in still fresh water. Salt water and chlorinated pool water are both more corrosive to seals, ports, and metal contacts, and are excluded from the tested conditions of every device in our IP Rating Reality Index where we could confirm the test medium.
Why the test medium matters
A rating describes the exact conditions of one lab test — depth, duration, AND medium. Changing any one of those three (deeper, longer, or salt/chlorinated instead of fresh) means the device is being used outside the tested envelope, even if the marketed digit (IP68, IP67) stays the same.
What to do after salt water or pool exposure
Manufacturer guidance for water-resistant devices commonly recommends rinsing with fresh water after any salt or chlorinated exposure and letting the device air dry before charging, since residue continues to act on seals and charging ports after the initial exposure ends.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The standard IEC 60529 immersion test behind IP68 uses still fresh water. Salt water is more corrosive to seals, ports, and internal metal contacts than fresh water, and manufacturers of devices in our IP Rating Reality Index list fresh water as the tested medium — salt water exposure falls outside the tested and typically the warrantied conditions.
Also outside the standard test medium. Chlorine and other pool chemicals can degrade rubber seals and gaskets faster than plain fresh water, which is why manufacturer guidance for phones, earbuds, and speakers alike typically calls out pool and ocean water as harsher than the tested condition, even for devices marketed for outdoor and poolside use.
Manufacturer guidance for water-resistant devices commonly recommends rinsing with fresh water after salt water or pool exposure and letting the device dry before charging, precisely because salt and chlorine residue continues acting on seals and ports after the fact.
Yes — the 'Salt water covered?' column in the IP Rating Reality Index is 'No' for every fresh-water-tested product we could confirm, which is the majority of the dataset.