FFP3 Respirators
What Does an FFP3 Respirator Mean?
Respirators are certified worldwide according to various standards. The most common certification is “Filtering Facepiece,” abbreviated as FFP. The different classes FFP1, FFP2, and FFP3 indicate the level of protection provided according to European standards. Other commonly used standards include N95, N99, and N100 (United States) as well as P1, P2, and P3 (Australia). The higher the number following FFP, N, or P, the greater the level of protection. If you work with toxic substances, it is recommended to choose the highest possible level of protection, such as an FFP3, P3, or N100 respirator. However, if your goal is protection against viruses, a special category known as Antiviral or ANTI COVID has recently been introduced. These are protective devices certified according to a new European COVID-19 certification standard.
| Respirator | Material filtration efficiency (removes x% of all particles with a diameter of 0.3 μm or larger) |
Overall efficiency1 |
| FFP1 & P1 | min. 80% | min. 75% |
| FFP2 & P2 | min. 94% | min. 92% |
| N95 | min. 95% | – |
| N99 & FFP3 | min. 99% | min. 98% |
| P3 | min. 99.95% | – |
| N100 | min. 99.97% | – |
1 Total inward leakage consists of three components:
- Leakage around the face seal
- Leakage through the exhalation valve (if present)
- Penetration through the filter material
FFP3 respirators are required to provide a minimum overall efficiency of 98% for particles up to 360 nm in size.
Do All FFP3 Respirators Capture Coronavirus? We Do Not Know
It is generally assumed that because FFP3 respirators provide better filtration of particles measuring 0.3 μm and larger than FFP2 respirators, they will also capture coronavirus particles. In reality, however, we do not know whether this level of protection is sufficient, since viruses are typically only 80–150 nm in size. This is why nanofiber antiviral respirators are receiving increased attention, as they can reliably capture even smaller particles. At the same time, the EU is introducing a new COVID-19 testing standard that directly evaluates viral penetration by smaller-sized particles.