What’s the Difference between MERV, MPR and FPR?

What is the difference between MERV, MPR, and FPR ratings?

When shopping for air filters for your home, you may have come across these letters and may have found yourself asking the following questions:

• What is a MERV rating?
• What does MERV stand for?
• What does MPR rating on air filters stand for?
• What does FPR rating mean?
• MERV and FPR what is the difference?
• What is the difference between air filters?

Have no fear, we’re here to answer these questions and help you figure out why they’re important.

First things, first. What do these letters stand for?

• MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value
• MPR stands for Microparticle Performance Rating
• FPR stands for Filter Performance Rating

Here’s a simple chart we put together to explain each of the different air filter ratings and what the differences are:

Here’s a MERV rating chart to help you better understand their effectiveness:

MERV or Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value is the industry-standard reporting value for air filters. AC filter MERV ratings start at 1 and go up to 16. At FiltersFast.com, our branded air filters are categorized by MERV ratings. We sell the most recommended MERVs for residential applications: MERV 8, MERV 11, and MERV 13.

Need help figuring out which MERV rating is right for you? Check out this blog post.

The higher the MERV rating the higher the resistance to airflow. Many systems were not designed to accommodate filters with higher than MERV 8 as the airflow will be too restricted. This can result in coil freeze-up, flooding, or compressor failure. You should consult your HVAC unit manufacturer’s data to determine the correct MERV rating for your filter.

MPR or Microparticle Performance Ratings were developed by 3M which is the company that makes Filtrete Air Filters. MPR Ratings range from 100-2800 and indicate the filter’s capacity to remove particles from 0.3-1 micron. We do carry 3M Filtrete Filters on our site, so we’ve done some research to see what MERV ratings and a few MPR ratings have:

• 800 MPR, 1000 MPR, 1085 MPR & 1200 MPR have a rating of MERV 11
• 1500 MPR & 1550 MPR have a rating of MERV 12
• 1900 MPR & 2200 MPR have a rating of MERV 13
• 2800 MPR has a rating of MERV 14

FPR or Filter Performance Ratings were created by The Home Depot. Ratings go from 4 to 10 and are very similar to MERV ratings. Here’s a simple way to remember what FPR numbers mean: the higher the number the better the air filter performance is according to The Home Depot.

No matter where you shop for or buy your furnace filters, we hope this blog is helpful to you and hope that you now have a better understanding of what MERV, MPR, and FPR stand for and why they’re important. Have a question about air filters, MERV ratings or Indoor Air Quality? Leave us a comment and we’ll be happy to answer it.

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What MERV, MPR or FPR rating do you use and why? Let us know in the comments.