Search for an explosion proof wall pack and most of what comes back is not one. "Wall pack" describes where a fixture mounts. "Explosion proof" describes how it is built and what standard it was tested against. Those are two separate specs, and the large majority of fixtures sold as wall packs are wet-location commercial products with no hazardous-location listing at all. If the wall you are lighting sits inside a classified area, the fixture has to carry a listing for that classification whatever shape it is. This guide covers what the term actually means, how to tell a sealed fixture from a certified one, and which Class I, Division 2 fixtures do the job a wall pack is being asked to do.
"Explosion proof" is a certification, not a shape
Explosion proof is a construction and testing standard. In Canada and the US, hazardous-location luminaires are listed to UL 844 and CSA C22.2 No. 137, and the listing names exactly which Class, Division, and Group the fixture is approved for, along with a temperature code. That marking is printed on the fixture nameplate and repeated on the spec sheet. A fixture either holds it or it does not, and there is no partial version of it.
"Wall pack" carries none of that information. It is trade shorthand for a fixture that mounts flat on a vertical surface and throws light outward and down, used on building perimeters, loading docks, and entryways. Nothing about that form implies a hazardous rating, and no hazardous-location listing is written in terms of fixture shape. So the phrase "explosion proof wall pack" is really two requirements stacked on each other: a fixture that mounts on a wall, certified for the area classification where it will hang.
Why a wet-location wall pack is not a hazardous-location fixture
The confusion is fair, because a good commercial wall pack is genuinely well sealed. NemaLED's LED Semi-Cutoff Wall Pack is rated for wet locations, runs 28 W to 80 W at 3,640 to 10,400 lumens, and is built to sit outdoors in weather for years. The LED Traditional Slim Wall Pack covers 20 W to 150 W at 2,400 to 18,000 lumens on the same wet-location basis.
Neither one carries a hazardous-location listing, and neither is sold as one. Weather sealing is about keeping water and dust out of the housing. A hazardous-location listing is about what happens when flammable gas, vapor, or combustible dust sits outside the fixture and an ignition source sits inside it. Those are different tests against different standards. A fixture can pass one and never have been submitted for the other, and an IP rating on its own tells you nothing about the second.
Division 1 and Division 2 do not ask for the same thing
Once the classification is known, the requirement narrows quickly. Class I, Division 1 means flammable gas or vapor is present during normal operation. Class I, Division 2 means it is present only under abnormal conditions, such as a container failure or a loss of ventilation. Most classified areas in an ordinary plant are Division 2.
That distinction changes what "explosion proof" means for your order. A Division 1 fixture uses a cast enclosure with flame paths built to contain an ignition inside itself. A Division 2 listing is about the fixture not becoming an ignition source in the first place, which is why many Division 2 listed fixtures are lighter sealed housings rather than heavy cast enclosures. Both are certified. They are certified against different requirements, and a Division 2 fixture is never a substitute in a Division 1 area. Read the Class, Division, Group, and temperature code off your area classification drawing before you shop, and see the hazardous location classifications guide if those labels need decoding.
What to spec instead of an explosion proof wall pack
A wall-mounted position in a Class I, Division 2 area is normally covered by a flood, a jam jar, or a linear fixture ordered in its wall-mount configuration. All three are stocked lines with published spec sheets.
Flood light, for perimeter and area coverage. The EX-A flood light is the closest match to what a wall pack is usually asked to do, and the first line to look at. Its spec sheet lists UL 844 for Class I, Division 2, Groups A, B, C, D, plus Class II, Division 1, Groups E, F, G, Class II, Division 2, Groups F, G, and Class III, along with UL 1598 wet locations and a UL 1598A marine outside type listing. Mounting options include ceiling, wall, hook, trunnion, pole, and stanchion, and the wall arrangements include 90 degree and 25 degree mounting with a junction box. Output spans 2,800 lumens on the smallest 20 W build up to 56,000 lumens on the largest 400 W build, with beam angles from 30 to 120 degrees, IP66 ingress protection, and an IK08 impact rating with the glass cover.
Compact and linear options for the same wall
Jam jar, for doorways, stairs, and tight walls. Where the position calls for a small fixture rather than a flood, the EX-O2 jam jar is listed to UL 844 for Class I, Division 2, Groups A, B, C, D, with UL 1598 wet location and UL 1598A marine outside type. It runs 15 W to 40 W at 1,500 to 4,000 lumens, carries IP66 and IK08, and ships in ceiling, pole, 90 degree wall, and rotatable wall mounting. Battery backup is optional at 1.5 hours.
Linear, for a wash rather than a spot. Where the wall needs even coverage along its length, the EX-HL linear is listed for Class I, Division 2, Groups A, B, C, D, delivers up to 150 lm/W across a 20 W to 200 W range, and mounts by ceiling, wall, pole, hook, pendant, stanchion, or trunnion. Its ambient operating range runs to 65°C.
The full set is on the Class I, Division 2 lighting page, with the two closest formats at Class I, Division 2 flood lights and Class I, Division 2 vapor-tight (jam jar) fixtures.
Check whether the wall is inside the classified zone at all
Before buying a certified fixture for a building exterior, confirm where the classified boundary actually stops. Classification is drawn as a volume around the source of the hazard, and it commonly ends at a wall, at a fixed radius from a vent or fill point, or at a set height above grade. An exterior wall on the far side of a classified room is often unclassified. If the fixture position falls outside the boundary on your drawing, a standard LED wall pack is the correct fixture and costs a fraction of a certified one.
The reverse happens too. A loading dock beside a solvent transfer point, a pump house wall, or a canopy over a fuel island can fall inside the boundary even though it feels like open outdoor space. The drawing decides that, not the feel of the area. If nobody at the site can produce a current area classification drawing, that is the first thing to sort out, ahead of the fixture order.
What to send with a quote request
- Classification at the fixture position: Class, Division, Group, and temperature code, taken from the drawing.
- Mounting surface and height, and whether a junction box, stanchion arm, or existing conduit stub is already in place.
- Coverage target: perimeter wash, area flood, or task light at a door or stair.
- Ambient temperature range at the position, including the winter low if the wall is outdoors.
- Voltage available at the circuit.
- Conduit entry size and orientation.
Send those six through the quote request form and we will match a certified fixture and a mounting configuration, or tell you plainly that a standard wall pack already covers the position.
Common questions
Is there such a thing as an explosion proof wall pack? Not as a standard product category. Hazardous-location listings are written around Class, Division, and Group, not around fixture shape, so no manufacturer builds a product line called an explosion-proof wall pack the way they build wall packs for commercial exteriors. In practice the requirement is met with a certified flood, jam jar, or linear fixture ordered in a wall-mount configuration.
Can I use a wet-location wall pack in a Class I, Division 2 area? No. Wet-location and IP ratings describe water and dust ingress only. A Class I, Division 2 position needs a fixture whose listing names that Class, Division, and Group, verified on the nameplate and the spec sheet before it goes up.
What is the difference between explosion proof and Division 2 rated? Explosion proof in the strict sense means an enclosure built to contain an ignition inside itself, which is the Division 1 approach. A Division 2 listing means the fixture is built so it will not become an ignition source under normal operation. Both are certified for hazardous locations, against different requirements, and a Division 2 fixture cannot be used in a Division 1 area.
Does a higher IP rating make a fixture hazardous rated? No. IP66 or IP67 describes ingress of dust and water. It is a useful durability spec for an outdoor wall, and hazardous-location fixtures usually carry one, but the rating on its own carries no hazardous-location approval.
My drawing shows the wall as unclassified. What should I use? A standard commercial wall pack, sized for the mounting height and the area you need covered. Paying for a hazardous-rated fixture outside the classified boundary buys nothing the drawing asks for.
Do I need to match the Group as well as the Class and Division? Yes. The Group names the specific gas or dust family the fixture was approved against, and a fixture approved for the wrong Group is non-compliant even with the right Class and Division. The classifications guide sets out which Groups cover which chemicals.
Sources: UL 844 and CSA C22.2 No. 137 hazardous-location luminaire standards, and the published spec sheets for the fixtures referenced above.
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