HEPA & ULPA Filters
Every filter individually scan-tested and shipped with its own test report — not a batch certificate. HEPA 99.97% at 0.3 μm through ULPA 99.9995% at 0.12 μm for cleanrooms, pharmaceutical manufacturing, healthcare, semiconductor fabs, and critical containment.
Your controlled environment is only as good as the last filter between it and particle contamination. In cleanrooms, pharmaceutical manufacturing, healthcare isolation rooms, and semiconductor fabs, every filter has to perform exactly to spec — a single leak path through a damaged seal or pinhole in the media defeats the entire filtration system upstream. And when your qualification auditor asks for documentation, “the batch passed” is not the answer they’re looking for.
The grade you need depends on the classification your space has to maintain. Hospital isolation rooms and general pharmaceutical production typically require HEPA H13 or H14 (99.97–99.995% at 0.3 μm). Semiconductor fabs operating at ISO Class 3–5 need ULPA U15–U17 (99.9995%+ at 0.12 μm). The mounting style — gel-seal, knife-edge, or flanged — depends on your ceiling grid, fan filter unit, or air handler configuration. Give us your housing dimensions and classification, and matching the right filter takes one conversation.
Every HEPA and ULPA filter in our inventory is individually scan-tested per IEST-RP-CC001 and certified to ISO 29463 — each filter ships with its own test report documenting actual penetration performance, plus a Certificate of Conformance and serial-number traceability. For pharmaceutical and semiconductor validation protocols, that individual traceability is exactly what the qualification auditor is looking for. If your filter question is really a system question, start with our 2026 system cost guide.
Managing filters across a whole facility? Send us your filter schedule — housing sizes, grades, and change-out dates — and you’ll get a line-itemed quote covering every filter on your list, with individual test reports documented against each one. One contact, one order, every grade.
HEPA & ULPA Filter Classifications
From hospital-grade HEPA to semiconductor ULPA — each grade targets a specific particle size and efficiency level for different cleanroom classifications.
HEPA H13
The standard for most cleanroom, pharmaceutical, and healthcare applications. Captures 99.97% of particles at the most penetrating particle size (MPPS) of 0.3 μm. Used in hospital isolation rooms, compounding pharmacies, general pharma manufacturing, and ISO Class 7–8 cleanrooms.
Cleanroom Class: ISO 7–8
Applications: Pharma, hospitals, food, general cleanrooms
Testing: IEST-RP-CC001 scan tested
HEPA H14
Higher efficiency for more demanding pharmaceutical, biotech, and ISO Class 5–6 environments. Required for sterile manufacturing areas, BSL-3 and BSL-4 containment, and applications where a half-order of magnitude improvement over H13 matters.
Cleanroom Class: ISO 5–6
Applications: Sterile pharma, biotech, BSL containment
Testing: IEST-RP-CC001 scan tested
ULPA U15–U17
Ultra-low penetration air filtration for semiconductor fabrication, nanotechnology, and the most demanding ISO Class 1–5 environments. Tested at the smaller 0.12 μm particle size for applications where even HEPA H14 isn’t sufficient.
Cleanroom Class: ISO 1–5
Applications: Semiconductor fabs, nanotechnology
Testing: IEST-RP-CC001 scan tested
Filter Styles & Mounting Options
Multiple media types, frame materials, and sealing methods to match your ceiling grid, fan filter unit, or air handler housing.
Mini-Pleat Panel Filters
The most common HEPA/ULPA configuration. Compact pleated media pack delivers maximum filter area in a standard 24×24 or 24×48 frame. Low initial pressure drop extends fan life and reduces energy costs. Available in aluminum, stainless steel, or MDF frames.
Gel-Seal Filters
A continuous bead of gel around the filter perimeter compresses against the housing frame to create a leak-free seal without clamps or gaskets. The industry standard for cleanroom ceiling grid installations and fan filter units. Allows tool-free filter replacement from below the ceiling.
Knife-Edge (Fluid Seal)
A metal knife-edge on the filter frame seats into a channel of fluid sealant on the housing. Provides an extremely reliable seal for critical applications. Common in semiconductor fabs, pharmaceutical isolators, and high-security containment where zero bypass leakage is required.
V-Cell (V-Bank) Filters
Angled mini-pleat media packs arranged in a V configuration to maximize filter area within the depth of a standard air handler housing. High dust-holding capacity with lower pressure drop than flat-panel equivalents. Ideal for high-airflow air handler applications.
High-Temperature HEPA
Glass fiber media in stainless steel frames rated for continuous operation up to 500°F. Designed for autoclave exhaust, oven exhaust, and pharmaceutical processes that require HEPA filtration at elevated temperatures. Some models are autoclavable for sterilization.
HEPA + Activated Carbon Combo
Combined particulate and gas-phase filtration in a single unit. HEPA media captures particles while an activated carbon stage removes VOCs, odors, and molecular contaminants. Used in pharmaceutical applications, laboratories, and recirculating air systems where both particle and chemical control are needed.
Where HEPA & ULPA Filters Are Used
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Sterile filling, compounding pharmacies, tablet coating, API handling, and cGMP production areas requiring FDA 21 CFR compliant HEPA filtration.
Semiconductor Fabrication
ULPA filtration for wafer fabs, photolithography, and deposition processes operating at ISO Class 1–5. Fan filter units with gel-seal or knife-edge mounting.
Healthcare & Hospitals
Operating rooms, isolation rooms (airborne infection control), burn units, and immunocompromised patient areas. HEPA H13/H14 in ceiling-mounted or portable configurations.
Biotech & Life Sciences
BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4 containment labs, cell culture facilities, vivaria, and gene therapy manufacturing. HEPA exhaust filtration for containment of biological agents.
Food & Beverage
HEPA filtration for food processing clean zones, aseptic packaging lines, and allergen-controlled production areas requiring FDA cGMP compliance.
Nuclear & Hazardous Materials
HEPA containment filtration for radioactive particulate, hazardous material handling, and decommissioning operations meeting DOE NE F 3-43 and ASME AG-1 standards.
Dust Collector After-Filters
HEPA after-filter stages on cartridge dust collectors for return-air applications where filtered air goes back into the workspace. Required when PELs demand secondary filtration beyond primary cartridges.
Aerospace & Defense
Controlled environments for optics assembly, satellite integration, and precision manufacturing. Combination of HEPA and ULPA grades depending on particle sensitivity of the process.
Every Filter Individually Tested — Here’s Why That’s the Whole Ballgame
Batch-tested HEPA filters can pass as a lot while individual units within the batch fail. For critical environments, that’s not an acceptable risk — and for validated facilities, it’s not acceptable documentation either. Your filters are individually scan-tested per IEST-RP-CC001, the industry standard test protocol that scans the entire face of the filter to verify there are no pinhole leaks or seal defects anywhere in the media or frame.
Each filter ships with its own individual test report documenting actual penetration performance, a Certificate of Conformance, and serial-number traceability. When your IQ/OQ protocol asks for filter documentation, you hand over the report that matches the serial number in the ceiling — not a lot certificate covering five hundred filters you never saw.
IEST-RP-CC001
Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology recommended practice for HEPA/ULPA filter testing. Full-face scan test with aerosol photometer to detect any localized penetration above the rated efficiency.
ISO 29463
International standard for HEPA and ULPA filter classification, testing, and marking. Defines efficiency grades H13, H14 (HEPA) and U15, U16, U17 (ULPA) with corresponding test methods.
Individual Test Reports
Every filter ships with its own scan-test data — not a batch certificate. Documented penetration values, test conditions, and serial number traceability for your validation records.
Certificate of Conformance
Formal certification that each filter meets the specified efficiency, construction, and dimensional requirements. Included with every shipment for audit and compliance documentation.
Which Filter Grade Do You Need?
General Cleanroom & Healthcare
ISO 7–8 cleanrooms, hospital isolation and operating rooms, compounding pharmacies, food processing clean zones, general pharmaceutical production.
→ HEPA H13 (99.97% @ 0.3 μm)
Mini-pleat panel, gel-seal mount
Sterile & Containment
ISO 5–6 sterile manufacturing, BSL-3/4 containment, aseptic filling, biotech cell culture, nuclear applications.
→ HEPA H14 (99.995% @ 0.3 μm)
Mini-pleat, knife-edge or gel-seal
Semiconductor & Nano
ISO 1–5 wafer fabs, photolithography, nanotechnology, and processes where even H14-level penetration is too high.
→ ULPA U15–U17 (99.9995%+ @ 0.12 μm)
Mini-pleat, knife-edge mount
Need help matching a filter grade and mounting style to your system? Schedule a free consultation — you’ll get a grade and mounting recommendation matched to your cleanroom class, housing type, and airflow requirements.
When HEPA or ULPA Filters Are Not the Right Choice
HEPA and ULPA filters solve specific problems — but specifying them in the wrong application wastes money and can actually create performance issues. Here’s when a different approach makes more sense.
General Industrial Dust Collection
HEPA filters are not appropriate as primary filters in industrial dust collection systems. They clog rapidly under high dust loads, have very low dust-holding capacity compared to cartridge filters, and carry far higher replacement cost. Use HEPA only as a secondary after-filter stage when return-air applications require it.
High-Humidity or Wet Applications
Standard HEPA glass fiber media loses efficiency and structural integrity when saturated with moisture. Applications involving high humidity, condensation, or liquid aerosols require hydrophobic-treated media or specialized wet-rated HEPA configurations — not standard filters pulled off the shelf.
Over-Specifying for the Cleanroom Class
Installing ULPA U17 filters in an ISO Class 7 cleanroom that only requires H13 doesn’t make it cleaner — it just increases energy consumption (higher pressure drop), replacement filter cost, and validation complexity. Match the filter grade to your actual classification requirement, not the highest available grade.
High-Temperature Process Exhaust
Standard HEPA filters are rated to approximately 250–300°F. Processes above that temperature — kiln exhaust, oven exhaust, high-temperature dryers — require our high-temperature HEPA configuration with stainless steel frames and specialty glass fiber media, or in some cases a baghouse with appropriate media is the better fit entirely.
Gas-Phase or Chemical Contaminants
HEPA and ULPA filters remove particles only — they have zero effect on gases, vapors, or molecular contaminants like VOCs, formaldehyde, or ammonia. If your application requires both particle and chemical control, you need our HEPA + activated carbon combination filter, or a separate gas-phase filtration stage.
Not Sure What Your Application Requires?
Specifying the wrong filter — in either direction — costs more than getting it right the first time. Our free filter consultation reviews your cleanroom classification, housing configuration, airflow requirements, and contamination type before we recommend anything.
Get the Right HEPA or ULPA Filter — Tested, Certified, Documented
Tell us your cleanroom classification, housing dimensions, and mounting style — or just send your filter schedule. You’ll get the right grade matched to your spec, with individual scan-test reports and a Certificate of Conformance in the box, and validation-ready documentation for your records.
Serving cleanrooms and critical environments across Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah — with filter shipping nationwide.