MERV, MPR, and FPR: What Do Those Mean?

If you own a forced air furnace, one of your most important tasks is to regularly check and change its filters. A clogged filter will lose its ability to blocking the microorganisms, dander, and other contaminants that fly around inside your home, leaving your immune system with fewer resources left to fight bigger battles.

A clean air filter will also prevent your equipment from overworking, which means lower energy bills, less maintenance, and a longer lifespan for your equipment.

Replacing your HVAC filter

When it comes time to buy a replacement HVAC filter, one thing you’ll notice is that there is an alphabet soup of acronyms to sort through, including terms like MERV, MPR, FPR. Each of these terms refers to a system that uses numbers to describe the tightness of the filter weave, with higher numbers indicating finer filtration; the only difference among the three systems is who manufactured them.

• MERV, or Minimum efficiency reporting value, is a measure developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); MERV ratings range from 1-20.
• MPR, or Micro-Particle Performance Rating, pertains only to products developed by the 3M company; typical MPR ratings range from 300 to 2200.
• FPR, or Filter Performance Rating, is a filter rating system developed by Home Depot for the brands sold through its stores, including Honeywell; it uses a 1-10 rating scale.

Converting MERV, MPR and FPR values

Here’s a conversion table of MERV, MPR and FPR ratings for common residential usage (higher-valued filters are often used in hospitals and operating rooms, but are not necessary for home use):

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