What MERV Rating Should I Use?

The quality of air inside the commercial and industrial spaces is described as concentrations of pollutants/ contaminants and thermal conditions that may negatively affect the health, comfort, and performance of a building’s occupants. The reason why building occupants frequently suffer from illness is the pollution levels in this indoor air can be up to 5 times higher than outdoor levels, and people spend more than 90% of their time indoors!

Indoor air quality challenges can be resolved by maintaining proper ventilation and installing suitable air filters. Considering these aspects, the company’s facility management teams should have a clear understanding of the types of filters in the market and choose the most efficient air filters.

But how to find out the efficacy of air filters?

Air filters consist of media with porous structures of fibers or stretched membrane material to remove particles from airstreams. The fraction of particles removed from the air passing through a filter is termed as “filter efficiency” and which is provided as the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) derived from ASHRAE 52.2 test standard for air filter efficiency.

        – MERV ranges from 1 to 16 (higher MERV value = higher air filters efficiency)

        – MERV ≥13 filters are efficient at capturing airborne viruses

The higher the MERV rating the better the filter is at trapping specific types of particles.

MERV Rating:

MERV 1-4: MERV 1-4 air filters are typically disposable panel filters and pads and are used primarily to protect equipment from particles more than 10 microns in size.

MERV 5-8: These air filters are a better choice and are more commonly found in commercial applications. They are capable of effectively collecting particles as small as 10 micron.

MERV 9-12: This range of air filters can collect particles in the 3-5 micron range.

MERV 13-16: MERV 13-16 are highly efficient air filters and can collect particles as small as 1 micron These filters are typically used in healthcare facilities, pharmaceuticals, microelectronics, data centers where higher levels of cleanliness are required.

Contact our AAF representative to find out right air filters for your needs.

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