MERV 8 vs MERV 13 Filter: Which Option is Best?

Without a clean air filter, you and your family could breathe in a wide variety of harmful contaminants. This can include dust, pollen, mold, and much more. To put up a strong line of defense, you need a high-quality air filter.

While there are various air filters on the market today, choosing the right one for your needs may be difficult. As for the most common options, you’ve probably heard of a MERV 8 filter and a MERV 13 filter. 

Below, we’ll discuss what the MERV rating system means and help you decide if a MERV 8 or MERV 13 air filter is best for your needs:

MERV 8 vs MERV 13: Key Differences

MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. It’s a rating system used to determine the quality of an air filter. The rating is based on how successful the filter is at trapping airborne contaminants. But while these numbers might confuse you, understanding how the system works is pretty simple. The higher the MERV rating, the more successful the filter is at catching particles. The lower the MERV rating, the higher the chance airborne contaminants will move through the filter.

The MERV Rating System

The MERV rating system is numbered 1 to 20. For filters with a MERV 1 rating, this is the lowest possible level of air filtration. As for a MERV rating of 20, that is the highest level. However, air filters with a rating this high, MERV 16 to MERV 20, are typically only found in hospitals and nuclear power plants where air filtration is essential. The common air filter in residential applications today usually has a MERV rating between MERV 5 and MERV 13. However, it’s never encouraged to use anything below a MERV 8 air filter. If you do, your indoor air quality can certainly suffer. 

MERV 8 Air Filter

Thinking of using a MERV 8 filter? Before purchasing one, there are few things you should know. While these filters do a great job of trapping pollen, dust, mold, and other basic air contaminants, they aren’t ideal if you have allergies or pets. Also, if you live near smoke pollution, we advise choosing a filter with a higher MERV rating.

A MERV 8 air filter is common in households, commercial buildings, paint booths, and industrial workplaces. These filters have 90% efficiency in trapping particles at 3 to 10 micrometers in size.

MERV 13 Air Filter

A MERV 13 air filter is one of the best filters on the market. These will trap all of the typical airborne contaminants, including several more. While a MERV 13 filter can catch dust, pollen, mold, and bacteria, it can also filter out smoke, smog, and even virus carriers. In fact, there aren’t many airborne particles that a MERV 13 air filter can’t catch.

A MERV 13 filter will trap under 75% of particles at 0.3-1.0 micron in size. While these filters are effective at catching most tiny particles, some of them can still pass through. However, for common household airborne particles such as pet dander and mold spores, a MERV 13 air filter is an excellent option for many homeowners.

MERV 8 vs MERV 13: Which Option is Best?

If you have allergies, pets, or live near smoke pollution, choosing a MERV 13 filter is the ideal choice. But if you simply need a filter to trap pollen, dust mites, and hair, a MERV 8 filter should definitely get the job done.