Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR)

What Does Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) Mean?

Clean air delivery rate (CADR) is the rate at which an air cleaning device or equipment delivers clean purified air to a room or a space. The rate is measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM). It is an essential parameter to determine the indoor air quality of any workplace. Employers are legally bound to provide quality air to employees working in a workplace.

Safeopedia Explains Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR)

CADR is a tool for comparing the overall performance of air cleaners. It measures the total volume of air that a particular air purification system cleanses of a specific pollutant in one minute.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) developed a method for measuring the CADR for portable household electric room air cleaners in the 1980s. Later it became an American National Standard now known as ANSI/AHAM AC-1. The standard measures the air purifier’s ability to reduce smoke, dust and pollen particles. A high CADR number indicates it can provide more purified air per minute. The defined particle size for an air cleaner or a purifier ranges between 0.09-1.0 µm for smoke, 0.5-3 µm for pollen, and 5-11 µm for dust.