CADR: what a room air-cleaner rating does and does not show
Clean air delivery rate (CADR) is the rate of relatively clean air delivered by a portable room air cleaner. EPA defines it as particle-removal efficiency multiplied by airflow and reports it in cubic feet per minute (cfm). It describes particle cleaning after air enters the device, not capture at a nail workstation. [1]
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The rating’s purpose
EPA explains CADR as a way to compare portable room air cleaners and their intended area. It also notes that the rating is typically measured at the highest speed. This is a stated test context, not evidence for every operating setting. [2]
Particles are specified
EPA describes separate smoke, dust and pollen CADRs representing different particle groups. A document should identify which number it reports. The same guide says the CADR system applies to particles; a high particle CADR alone does not establish removal of gases. [2]
The inlet’s location is a different test question
A room air cleaner treats air after particles reach the room environment. Local extraction aims to draw contaminated air towards an inlet near the source. HSE’s nail-bar engineering guide is relevant to that second question. A clean-air delivery rate from a room test does not specify the distance between a filing source, an inlet and a person’s breathing zone. [2][3]
Using the number carefully
A useful record preserves device identity, test-particle category, speed and rating method. When these are missing, a bare number cannot support a precise comparison. This explanation does not prescribe room sizing or certify occupational exposure control; EPA’s guidance concerns home air-cleaner terminology. [2]
Article Sources
- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — Residential Air Cleaners: A Technical Summary, third edition
Primary source
Cover: EPA 402-F-09-002, third edition. Printed page 2: residential scope; 7–8 and 33–34: CADR/cfm, efficiency × airflow, maximum-speed ratings and noise; 16: single-pass efficiency versus effectiveness in the occupied space; 19–20: fibrous media and particle-size metrics; 22–25: loading, resistance and bypass. Printed and one-based PDF page numbers match.
Date on PDF cover:
- US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home, second edition
Primary source
Cover: EPA-402-F-08-004, second edition. Printed pages 3–5: particle CADR, gas filtration and filter choice; page 5: highest-speed ratings and smoke/dust/pollen categories; page 6: fan-speed-dependent noise. Residential room-air guidance, not a workstation capture test.
Date on PDF cover:
- Health and Safety Executive, UK — Nail bars and other beauty services (SR13)
Primary source
Pages 1–3: local exhaust ventilation for nail work and exposure controls; UK occupational guidance, not EU legal limits.
Published:
Written and reviewed with AI assistance using the linked sources. No hands-on product testing or independent specialist review was performed.
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