Technical note
10 Nov 2026
Two catalogues can both say “10 micron” and describe completely different products. That single number is the most misread line on any filter datasheet, and it is usually the reason a cheaper element fails early in service.
A micron rating is a statement about particle size. It says nothing by itself about how much of that size the element removes. A manufacturer can quote a nominal rating from a single-pass observation, from an efficiency figure at one size, or from a full multi-pass test report — and all three can legally be written as “10 micron”.
That is why the same number appears on a 4 EUR element and a 40 EUR element. The number is not wrong on either datasheet. It is simply incomplete.
A beta ratio is a measured efficiency at a stated particle size: the number of particles of that size and larger upstream divided by the number of the same particles downstream. A beta value of 200 at 10 micron means that for every 200 particles of 10 micron and above entering the element, one leaves — an efficiency of 99.5 percent at that size.
Because it is a ratio, the beta figure always has to travel with two companions: the particle size it refers to, and the test method it was obtained under. β(10)=200 under one multi-pass standard is not interchangeable with a number obtained under a different test dust or a different upstream loading.
Many elements are sold with a nominal rating for the aftermarket and a beta rating for OEM approval documents. Both describe the same pleat pack, but one is a marketing line and the other is a laboratory result.
When a buyer compares a replacement element against an original on price, the honest comparison is the beta curve, not the headline micron figure. If a supplier cannot produce the curve, that is itself the answer.
Ask for the particle size the beta value refers to, the beta value itself, and the test standard it was measured under. Ask whether the report covers the full range or a single point. A supplier who answers those three questions is working from test data; one who answers with a micron number only is working from a datasheet template.
For a first order, a single-element trial on the actual machine tells you more than any catalogue: check differential pressure when clean, differential pressure at change-out, and the contamination count if you have it.
All brand names and part numbers are the property of their respective owners and are used only to indicate compatibility. JIANASH is not affiliated with, authorised by or sponsored by these manufacturers.
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