Fluid Cleanliness &

Filtration
Eric Burnett / Hydraulics / 09.07.2023
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................1

ISO 4406:2021 .........................................................................................................................2

BETA RATINGS AND EFFICIENCY...............................................................................................4

FILTER CONCIDERATIONS .........................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION

Fluids contaminated with particles can damage critical components of a hydraulic system leading to costly repairs and

unnecessary down time in production. Systems can be designed to handle a certain level of contamination but the cleanliness

of the working fluid, (fuel, hydraulic oil, etc.), must be known and measured in a standard way that will assure a long working life

and determine when maintenance is necessary. In this paper, general information will be given to highlight what key variable to

look out for when selecting a filtration system.

TLDR
Example: 19/17/14
ISO CODING
• ISO 4406 uses 3 number system to classify level of fluid

contamination based on particle size.

>4µm/ >6µm />14µm.

• Measured in # of particle per ml of fluid.

• Particle count doubles as scale number increases

BETA RATIO

• Beta ratio - ratio of particles, at a particular size, US vs DS of a filter

Higher ratio means more particle removed. ß5 75 - for particles of 5µm in size, 1 will pass
through the filter for every 75 entering.
• Beta efficiency % Filtered
(ßx - 1)/ßx
• Filtration
ßx 75 = 98.7%
ßx 1000 = 99.9%
Reducing the ISO scale number of a fluid

25/19/16 → 19/17/14 reduction of 26/22/22

ß5 75 or better ( eff. > 98.4%)

1
ISO 4406:2021

What is it?
A scale to note the acceptable particle count for particles of greater or equal to 4µm(c), 6µm(c) and 14(c) per milliliter of fluid.

Section 4.2 of ISO 4406:2021 details the three-numbering convention to state how many particles of specific sizes shall be in a

fluid of the designated scale number.

Cleanliness
Small particle can damage or ware down components in a hydraulic system prematurely. In lubricating systems, for example, a

film of oil is used as a “cushion” between moving parts reducing friction and ware. This gap is predetermined and maintained by

the viscosity of the oil used. Having particles, the same size as this gap or larger can be broken up or work hardened increasing

the chances of ware or failure of components the lubrication system is trying to keep clean and free moving. ISO has

standardized a way of quantifying how clean a fluid is to make sure all fluids can be compared easily.

This method designates a “Scale Number” for a specific particle count range for three specific particle sizes, 4µm(c), 6µm(c)

and 14µm(c). The “(c)” just tells what type of particle was used in testing, in this case ISO Medium Test Dust, MTD. With out

“(c)”, refers to Air Cleaner fine Test Dust used, ACFTD. Each Scale number corresponds to a range of particle found in a milliliter

of fluid. This range doubles with each increase in scale value. Bellow shows an example of a cleanliness code and what each

number signifies below.

2
ISO 4406:2021

With this specified level, the fluid shall contain 2,500 to 5,000 particles ≥ 4 µm(c), 640 to 1300 ≥ 6 µm(c) and 80 to 160 ≥ 14

µm(c). The higher the scale number, the more contaminated the fluid is with the particle size designated by its place in this

code. If the fluid is found to have higher amounts than specified, it must be filtered as to prevent damage of critical

components.

Comparing Fluid’s cleanliness.

A fluid’s contamination classification can change depending on how it is used, how old it is and where it currently is within a

system. Consider the fluid in a fuel system being pumped from a reservoir into an engine. It passes many components along the

way either becoming cleaner or picking up contamination. Fuel that has been sitting in a tank or is filled in dusty environments

may be classified as 25/19/16. Once it is passed through the filter, however, this may be classified as 19/17/14. As expected,

the filter will block the passage of contamination, lowering the overall particle count. Knowing the minimum acceptable

cleanliness of a fluid and the current contamination level, the difference in the particle count range can aid in determining the

amount of filtration required.

3
BETA RATINGS AND EFFICIENCY

Beta rating simply is a ratio of the number of particles at size ‘x’ counted upstream and downstream of a filter. Common sizes

measured are 10 and 5 microns.

For every 75 particles (5µm in size)
ß5 75
in fluid, 1 pass through the filter.

ISO 16889 designates 8 Beta ratios to show filter efficiency.

2, 10, 20, 75, 100, 200, 1000, 2000. #𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈𝑈
ß𝑥𝑥 =
#𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷𝐷
Beta Efficiency

η = (ß-1)/ß x= size of particle counted [µm(c)]

A significant increase in beta ratio doesn’t Beta Ratio Efficiency

mean large increase in efficiency! 2 50.0%
Look at the chart on the right and consider the following.
20 95.0%
ßx 2 → ßx 20
75 98.7%
ßx 75 → ßx 1000
100 99.0%

1000 99.9%

4
FILTER CONCIDERATIONS

Determining efficiency required by a filter for an application is straight forward. First determine the classification of the

unfiltered fluid (example, “new oil” can be ISO Code 25/22/19) and the required cleanliness for the system such as 19/17/14.

The difference between the scale numbers will tell the Beta ratio required.

Going from ISO Scale number 25 to 19 will reduce the particle count per mililiter from 160,000 – 320,000 to 2,500 -5,000.

Using the beta ratio equation will result in a filter with the following:

ßx = 160,000/2,500 = 64 or an efficiency of 98.44%

Another way without looking up the code and finding particle ranges, is by taking advantage of the fact the scale number

indicates a doubling of particulates. Therefor you can find ßx by raising 2 to the power of the difference between the filtered and

unfiltered fluid classification codes.

ßx = 26 = 64

26 − 1
𝜂𝜂 = = 98.44%
26

All that is left to to is select the filter that has the correct beta ratio for the given particle size.

>4µm(c) >6µm(c) >14µm(c)

Unfiltered 25 22 19

Required 19 17 14

Difference 6 5 5

ßx 64 32 32