Source-specific comparison · reviewed October 31, 2026
Read the label.
Question the shortcut.
Higher MERV is not a reliable shortcut for higher pressure drop. Here is the full photographed group behind our homepage example.
A closer look at the label
More capture.
Less resistance?
These Filtrete packages tell a useful story. The photographed 1900 MPR / MERV 13 has lower printed initial resistance than the other MERV 5–14 filters in this group.
Nominal 16 × 25 × 1 in · 11 package records · 5 shared airflows
See every point and source →Lower means less resistance at this airflow. This is a comparison of printed claims, with different actual dimensions and incomplete test conditions. It does not establish the best filter for your system.
What was excluded?
The MERV 1 flat-panel filter has still lower resistance. It is outside this MERV 5–14 pleated-filter group, and remains visible in the catalog. Other thicknesses and disputed tables are excluded. Package variants are kept separate.
Every package, every printed point.
All nominal 16 × 25 × 1 Filtrete MERV 5–14 records in this catalog are included. The MERV 10 package is included even though it was not part of the original hypothesis. Each of the 55 pairs received an independent source-image transcription readback. That verifies what the labels say, not laboratory performance.
| Package / actual inches | Rating | 410 CFM | 615 CFM | 820 CFM | 1025 CFM | 1390 CFM | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filtrete 300 · P12Actual dimensions not recovered · 3-pack | MERV 5 | 0.09 | 0.15 | 0.22 | 0.31 | 0.47 | R069 |
| Filtrete 300 · P3115-11/16 x 24-11/16 x 25/32 · 1-pack | MERV 5 | 0.09 | 0.15 | 0.22 | 0.31 | 0.47 | R186 |
| Filtrete 700 · P20Actual dimensions not recovered · 1-pack | MERV 8 | 0.09 | 0.16 | 0.23 | 0.32 | 0.48 | R115 |
| Filtrete 800 · P3315-11/16 x 24-11/16 x 25/32 · 2-pack | MERV 10 | 0.09 | 0.16 | 0.23 | 0.32 | 0.48 | R192 |
| Filtrete 1085 · P1415-11/16 x 24-11/16 x 13/16 · 2-pack | MERV 11 | 0.09 | 0.15 | 0.21 | 0.29 | 0.44 | R081 |
| Filtrete 1000 · P3215-11/16 x 24-11/16 x 13/16 · 2-pack | MERV 11 | 0.09 | 0.16 | 0.23 | 0.32 | 0.48 | R189 |
| Filtrete 1500 · P1515-11/16 x 24-11/16 x 25/32 · 1-pack | MERV 12 | 0.09 | 0.15 | 0.22 | 0.31 | 0.46 | R086 |
| Filtrete 1500 · P3015-5/8 x 24-5/8 x 25/32 · 2-pack | MERV 12 | 0.09 | 0.15 | 0.22 | 0.31 | 0.46 | R181 |
| Filtrete 1500 · P25Actual dimensions not recovered · 1-pack | MERV 12 | 0.09 | 0.15 | 0.21 | 0.30 | 0.45 | R141 |
| Filtrete 1900 · P1615-5/8 x 24-5/8 x 25/32 · 1-pack | MERV 13 | 0.08 | 0.13 | 0.19 | 0.26 | 0.40 | R091 |
| Filtrete 2500 · P0915-5/8 x 24-5/8 x 25/32 · 4-pack | MERV 14 | 0.10 | 0.18 | 0.25 | 0.36 | 0.53 | R045 |
What this does and does not establish.
The 1900 MPR / MERV 13 package is strictly lowest in this defined cohort at every shared printed flow: 410, 615, 820, 1,025 and 1,390 CFM. There are no ordering reversals involving that package over these points. Some other packages have identical printed tables; those are not additional independent experiments.
The labels identify initial resistance. Actual dimensions vary, packaging revisions are not fully established, and common mounting, conditioning and test procedures were not recovered. Do not treat this as a controlled laboratory comparison or extend it to another size or product revision.
The MERV 1 flat-panel package P13 is lower at every shared flow. It is shown in the catalog but excluded from the explicitly defined MERV 5–14 group. The 2-inch and 4-inch products, and the disputed 1550 curve, are also outside the comparison.
There is no printed 1,000-CFM point for this group. We show the actual shared 1,025-CFM point by default, with no interpolation. Lower resistance alone does not establish fit, loaded performance, service life or a system recommendation.
Explore other published points