Air Purifier Ratings and Standards: What you should know

Air Purifier Ratings and the Importance of CADR

It’s important to us that our community feels confident when picking out an air purifier. After all, the right air purifier can make a world of difference in your home. Here’s the 101 on what you need to know about air purifiers and industry standards.

What’s AHAM?

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) develops standards for household appliances sold in the United States.

What does CADR mean?

The Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) tells you the volume of clean air an air purifier can produce per minute. For example, if an air purifier’s CADR is 245 CFM, that means it can filter 245 cubic feet of air per minute. The higher an air purifier’s CADR, the larger a room it can efficiently purify.

What is a MERV rating?

The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) measures how effectively an air filter captures 0.3–10-micron airborne particles, such as dust mites, dust, pollen, smoke particles, and bacteria. Filters tested for a MERV rating receive a score between 1 and 16. You can view the EPA’s MERV rating chart here.

What does CARB stand for?

If an air purifier is CARB compliant, that means it meets the emissions standards developed by the California Air Resources Board. CARB-compliant products will release fewer toxic fumes and chemicals into the air than their non-compliant counterparts.

Why CADR is Important

Say the air purifier’s filtration system has all the bells and whistles; however, the CADR is too low for your room size. The air purifier may filter your air too slowly to keep up with incoming pollutants, rendering the entire process ineffective.

Conversely, an air purifier with a higher CADR will easily transfer from space to space. For example, say your current bedroom is small but you’re planning on moving to a bigger home soon. Investing in an air purifier with a higher CADR will still allow you to purify your current bedroom and the bedroom you’re moving into, eliminating the need to purchase an additional air purifier when you move. Most of our air purifiers have 3-stage filtration that captures 99.97% of airborne particles that are 0.3-microns in size or larger. Additionally, we offer a variety of CADR ranges and make it easy to find the right match for your room. Simply visit our website and refine your search based on room size.

Offering a balance of energy efficiency, value, and performance, our air purifiers have been trusted to deliver clean air to thousands of homes across the globe.