Merv 11 Air Filter Rating

An air filter s merv rating is a scale from 1 16 that describes the minimum efficiency of the air filter.

Merv 11 air filter rating.

The other two systems were created by 3m mpr and the home depot fpr to differentiate their offerings. An air filter s minimum efficiency reporting value merv rating measures how effectively the filter stops dust and other contaminants from passing through the filter and into the air stream. The merv filter rating is the domestic and international industry standard rating system established by the american society of heating refrigerating and air conditioning engineers. A low merv rating means that the filter does not remove as many particulates from the air.

It is an acronym for high efficiency particulate air filter as officially defined by the u s. Basically the higher the merv rating the higher the air filtration capabilities of a particular filter. What is a merv rating. Hepa is a type of pleated mechanical air filter.

Our filters are available in three grades merv 8 merv 11 and merv 13. The higher the merv rating on a filter the fewer dust particles and other contaminants that can pass through it. This type of air filter can theoretically remove at least 99 97 of dust pollen mold bacteria and any airborne particles with a size of 0 3 microns µm. In general filters with a rating of merv.

Merv otherwise known as minimum efficiency reporting value is a system used to evaluate the efficiency of an air filter based on how effective it is at catching particles of varying sizes. A merv 11 filter only needs to stop 20 of particles in the 0 3 to 1 0 micron three to ten times bigger than a covid 19 particle a merv 12 only needs to stop 35 of particles under 0 3 micron and a merv 13 only needs to stop half. Merv 11 filters can filter particles as small as 0 3 micron or pm0 3. Many homes use filters with a merv rating of 1 4 which mostly filter out dust lint and pollen among other larger common particles they do very little to trap small microparticles.

Note with poor air quality more frequent filter changes will be needed. Here s what we tell them. Think of merv 8 filters as a good option and merv 11 filters as the better option for normal residential use. Also as doors and windows are opened and closed that too will introduce more of that particulate matter.

In this article we ll go into more detail about merv filters and how to choose the right one for your new. The merv rating system is intended to be used to determine the filter s ability to remove particulates from the air. Merv air filter ratings range from 1 least efficient captureability to 16 very efficient.