Industrial Air Filter Purchasing Guide: How to Choose the Efficiency Rating?

Whether in semiconductor manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, food production, or automotive manufacturing, cleanrooms are an essential requirement. The environmental quality of a cleanroom directly determines product stability and yield. In the process of ensuring cleanroom air quality, the selection of air filters is particularly crucial. However, many customers, especially those new to this product, often feel lost when choosing air filters: the market is flooded with numerous air filters from different brands, in different sizes, and with different efficiency ratings... What exactly should they choose to ensure production efficiency and product quality? Don't worry. Let's start by understanding efficiency ratings and step by step select the filters suitable for your enterprise.

About Air Filter Efficiency Rating Test Standards

The efficiency rating of an air filter refers to its ability to remove particulate matter from the air. Globally, standards for air filters vary by region. Currently, the most widely recognized test standards are mainly the following:

ISO: This is an international standard applicable to various air filters, aiming to provide consistent testing and classification methods. It complements the ASHRAE and EN standards, ensuring global consistency.

• ISO 16890 classifies air filters based on Particulate Matter (PM), generally applied in the HVAC industry. The particle removal efficiency range is 5%-95%. (For an air filter to be classified into any of the three PM categories, it must achieve at least 50% particle removal efficiency.)

• ISO 29463 determines the filter's retention capacity for sub-micron particles (especially 0.1-0.3 micrometers), with a particle removal efficiency range of 95%-99.999995%. It mainly targets HEPA and ULPA filters and is suitable for sterile cleanrooms or high-precision laboratories.

  
  

ASHRAE 52.2: This standard is primarily used to test the performance of air filters and is especially important in the US market. It evaluates performance by measuring a filter's efficiency in removing specific particles. MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) is a rating system based on its test results, using a scale from 1 to 16, where 1 indicates the lowest efficiency and 16 indicates the highest efficiency filters. Some literature may show MERV ratings up to 20, where MERV ratings 17-20 correspond to HEPA or ULPA filters.

EN 1822: This standard, specified by the European Committee for Standardization, uses MPPS (Most Penetrating Particle Size) as its theoretical basis. MPPS refers to the particle size with the highest penetration rate for a specific filter medium. It is specifically applicable to HEPA and ULPA filters. This standard emphasizes applications in high-demand environments.

Conversion Rules Between Different Standards

For air filter buyers, global sourcing can effectively reduce production costs for enterprises. However, different efficiency rating standards undoubtedly cause significant confusion. How can these standards be quickly converted? The chart below is all you need.

About Selecting Air Filters

When selecting air filters, is a higher efficiency rating always better? The answer is, of course, NO. Different application scenarios, and even different positions within the same filtration system, have different requirements for filters, and the focus points during purchase will also change accordingly.

• If you are replacing an air filter, then simply purchase according to the specifications of the previous filter.

• If you need to design an entire filtration system for your cleanroom, we recommend directly contacting a supplier to discuss the design solution, as this involves the combined use of different grades of filters and air purification equipment. The solution will vary depending on the industry.

As a company specializing in filter consumables manufacturing, Amorair has accumulated years of experience in the industry, consistently committed to providing customers with efficient and reliable solutions. Our products cover various industry standards, ensuring we can meet the needs of different customers. We possess a strong technical team, offering high-quality products and excellent after-sales service, winning the trust of numerous customers.

Whether you are looking for high-efficiency HEPA filters or other types of air filters, our professional team will provide you with support. Feel free to contact us anytime for more information and advice.