EN 149:2004 + A1:2009

The FFP standards are mechanical filter standards used for protective respirator masks certified by the European Union. FFP-standard filters serve to protect against particulates such as dust particle s , droplets, aqeous oily aerosols and smoke. FFP abbreviation stands for Filtering FacePieces. The EN 149 standard defines three classes of filter efficiency, namely FFP 1 , FFP2 and FFP3, that differ with an increasing level of protection respectively.

FFP filters are considered functionally equivalent to certain other filter standards regulated under other jurisdictions, such as N95 mask o f the United States an K N95 filters of China. However, slightly different criteria are used to certify their performance, such as the filter efficiency, test agent and flow rate, and permissible pressure drop, however this entry considers European standards only.

The EN 149 standard defines performance requirements for three classes of particle-filtering half masks: FFP1, FFP2 and FFP3. The protection provided by an FFP2 (or FFP3) mask includes the protection provided by a mask of the lower-numbered classes.

A mask conforming to the standard must have its class written on it, along with the name of the standard and its year of publication, as well as any applicable option codes, e.g. “EN 149:200 4 FFP2 NR D”. Some manufacturers may use in addition the colour of the elastic band to identify the mask class, however the Standard does not require it.

Class	Filtration Efficiency	Inward Leakage	Airflow Resistance
FFP 1	≥80%	< 22%	<210 Pa
FFP 2	≥94%	< 8%	<240 Pa
FFP 3	≥99%	< 2%	<300 Pa

Filtering particle designed to test the respirators are of 0.3 micron – known as the most penetrating particle size. FFP respiratrors offer protection from various concentrations of pollutants. Breathing resistance is ought to be kept at minimal, so that the wearer can comfortably use the respirator over longer period of time.