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Cleanroom Classification

A cleanroom is an enclosed or isolated work area which incorporates high standards of control; humidity, temperature and filtration to minimize all forms of particulate matter and contamination. The degree of cleanliness required in a cleanroom facility is dependent upon the work performed in the room.

Cleanroom Work AreaCleanroom levels refer to the amount of contamination present in the atmosphere when there are no people in the room. Cleanrooms are defined by their level of cleanliness, more specifically the amount of particles found in the air.

A class 1 cleanroom or ISO class 3, which is today’s standard, typically have one .5 micron sized particle per cubic foot of air, which a typical HEPA is rated for. Cleanrooms range up to class 100,000 or ISO class 8 which include up to 100,000 particles at .5 microns. A micron (denoted as µm) is one millionth of a meter. A typical human hair is about 80 µm wide.

Cleanliness can also be affected by the types of filters used. The HEPA filter (high efficiency particular arrestor) can give you class 1 through 100,000 at .5 microns depending on the quantities and the air flows used in the design. To meet a higher cleanliness level and smaller particulate level ULPA filters (ultra-low particulate arrestors) are used to reduce particles sized down to .3 microns or less.

Standards for Cleanroom Classification

Cleanroom ClassificationCleanrooms are classified according to the amount and size of particulate contamination which exists in the work area. Air cleanliness classes are determined by International Standard ISO 14644, Cleanrooms and controlled environments-Part 1: Classification of air cleanliness, and Part 2: Specifications for testing and monitoring.

  • Class 1 – particle count not to exceed a total of 1 particle per cubic foot of a size 0.5 microns and larger, and zero particles of 5.0 microns and larger.
  • Class 10 - particle count not to exceed a total of 10 particles per cubic foot of a size 0.5 microns and larger, and zero particles of 5.0 microns and larger.
  • Class 100 - particle count not to exceed a total of 100 particles per cubic foot of a size 0.5 microns and larger, and zero particles of 5.0 microns and larger.
  • Class 1000 - particle count not to exceed a total of 1000 particles per cubic foot of a size 0.5 microns and larger, or 6.5 particles per cubic foot of a size 5.0 microns and larger.
  • Class 10,000 - particle count not to exceed a total of 10,000 particles per cubic foot of a size 0.5 microns and larger, or 65 particles per cubic foot of a size 5.0 microns and larger.
  • Class 100,000 -particle count not to exceed a total of 100,000 particles per cubic foot of a size 0.5 microns and larger, or 700 particles per cubic foot of a size 5.0 microns and larger.

Let Unified Cleanroom Construction build your cleanroom to your exact specifications.  Call us today for a free quote – 877-644-1816.

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