Walk into any filter spec sheet and you'll see a wall of acronyms — MERV, HEPA, ISO 16890. Here's what they mean in plain terms.
MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value)
A scale from 1-20 measuring how well a filter captures particles of different sizes. Higher MERV means finer filtration, but also more airflow resistance.
HEPA
A specific efficiency class (99.97% at 0.3 microns) used for the highest-grade filtration needs — cleanrooms, hospitals, and sensitive manufacturing.
ISO 16890
The newer global standard, replacing older EN779 ratings, that classifies filters based on their ability to remove PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 particles — aligning filter specs directly with real-world air quality metrics.
Understanding these ratings helps you match the right filter to your compliance and air quality goals, instead of over- or under-spending on filtration.
