Cleanrooms

General Information About Cleanrooms

A cleanroom is an area free of impurities, where contamination, air velocity, pressure, temperature, and humidity are controlled under rigid specifications. Things to be considered when planning a cleanroom:

• Rate of personal emission
• Amount of physical movement
• Hot and cold environments create different rates of particulate generation
• Type of undergarments worn
• Contamination from the tools used
• FDA regulations

Airborne Particulate Cleanliness Classes and ISO Standards

A cleanroom class is determined by the number of particles present per unit volume. A class is met if the measured concentration is within the limits of a specified particle size. Use this table to convert from English to metric classes and the equivalent ISO standard.

Class name			Particle count limit*
English	SI	ISO standard
Class 1	M 1.5	ISO 3	1
Class 10	M 2.5	ISO 4	10
Class 100	M 3.5	ISO 5	100
Class 1000	M 4.5	ISO 6	1000
Class 10,000	M 5.5	ISO 7	10,000
Class 100,000	M 6.5	ISO 8	100,000

                         *Particles 0.5 microns or larger in a cubic foot of air.