Three sizes, one sample
The three numbers count particles of 4, 6 and 14 micron(c) and larger in one millilitre. The larger particles are part of the smaller count, so the numbers never rise from left to right.
Reference tool — not a selection
Read an oil report and a filter rating before they go in an RFQ.
ISO 4406, beta and ISO VG
Code, ratio, grade.
Enter the code from the report. Add a target, a filter rating and the viscosity to compare. The chart and the RFQ line update with every change.
Examples:
All 130 engineering tools
An oil analysis report gives particle cleanliness as an ISO 4406 code of three numbers, such as 18/16/13: range numbers for the particles per millilitre of 4, 6 and 14 micron(c) and larger. A filter element is rated by its beta at a particle size, such as beta 1000 at 10 micron(c), from the ISO 16889 multi-pass test. Enter the code, a target and the rating, and the reader shows the counts, how far the oil is from the target and what the beta means, with an RFQ line for the element.
The reader chooses neither a target nor a filter: the machine maker’s cleanliness requirement and the filter housing data decide.
How the numbers are read
Sizes, steps and ratios.
Each step doubles
One range number up is twice the particles; two steps are four times. 20/18/15 against a target of 18/16/13 is four times too many particles at every size.
Beta needs its size
A beta of 1000 at 10 micron(c) means about one particle of that size in a thousand passes the element: 99.9 % efficiency. Without the size, a beta says little.
| Range number | More than, per mL | Up to and including, per mL |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | 80,000 | 160,000 |
| 23 | 40,000 | 80,000 |
| 22 | 20,000 | 40,000 |
| 21 | 10,000 | 20,000 |
| 20 | 5,000 | 10,000 |
| 19 | 2,500 | 5,000 |
| 18 | 1,300 | 2,500 |
| 17 | 640 | 1,300 |
| 16 | 320 | 640 |
| 15 | 160 | 320 |
| 14 | 80 | 160 |
| 13 | 40 | 80 |
| 12 | 20 | 40 |
| 11 | 10 | 20 |
| 10 | 5 | 10 |
| 9 | 2.5 | 5 |
| ISO VG | Minimum | Midpoint | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1.8 | 2 | 2.2 |
| 3 | 2.7 | 3 | 3.3 |
| 5 | 4.5 | 5 | 5.5 |
| 7 | 6.3 | 7 | 7.7 |
| 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 15 | 13.5 | 15 | 16.5 |
| 22 | 19.8 | 22 | 24.2 |
| 32 | 28.8 | 32 | 35.2 |
| 46 | 41.4 | 46 | 50.6 |
| 68 | 61.2 | 68 | 74.8 |
| 100 | 90 | 100 | 110 |
| 150 | 135 | 150 | 165 |
| 220 | 198 | 220 | 242 |
| 320 | 288 | 320 | 352 |
| 460 | 414 | 460 | 506 |
| 680 | 612 | 680 | 748 |
| 1000 | 900 | 1000 | 1100 |
| 1500 | 1350 | 1500 | 1650 |
| 2200 | 1980 | 2200 | 2420 |
| 3200 | 2880 | 3200 | 3520 |
| Beta | Efficiency | Pass per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 50 % | 500 |
| 10 | 90 % | 100 |
| 20 | 95 % | 50 |
| 75 | 98.7 % | 13.3 |
| 100 | 99 % | 10 |
| 200 | 99.5 % | 5 |
| 1000 | 99.9 % | 1 |
Below 9 the published tables round the boundaries differently (1.25 or 1.3 particles per mL at range number 8), so the reader says only 2.5 or fewer there. Efficiency follows (1 - 1/beta) × 100 %.
Sources
ISO 4406 code and range numbers 9 to 24: Wix Filtration, "ISO Cleanliness Code" bulletin; the same bands are repeated by Mobile Hydraulic Tips ("Understanding ISO 4406": range numbers 22, 18 and 13 and the rule that two steps quadruple the count), Petro-Canada (17, 18, 19) and Construction Equipment (13, 14). Beta and efficiency: Machinery Lubrication ("Understanding Filter Beta Ratios"), Mobile Hydraulic Tips ("Understanding beta ratios") and Fabrico on hydraulic filter beta ratios and ISO 16889. Viscosity grades: the Anton Paar wiki, "ISO viscosity classification", the EngineersEdge ISO 3448 table and the ISO 3448:1992 preview (twenty grades, limits 10 % either way).
Before you send the request
Questions about oil cleanliness and filters in an RFQ
What does 18/16/13 mean?
Per millilitre of oil: more than 1,300 and up to 2,500 particles of 4 micron(c) and larger, more than 320 and up to 640 of 6 micron(c) and larger, and more than 40 and up to 80 of 14 micron(c) and larger (ISO 4406).
How much dirtier is 20/18/15 than 18/16/13?
Four times at each size: every step of the code doubles the particle count, and the two codes differ by two steps.
What does a beta of 200 mean?
In the ISO 16889 multi-pass test, 200 times as many particles of the stated size reach the element as pass it: 99.5 % efficiency, about 5 in 1,000 getting through. Always give the particle size with the beta.
What does ISO VG 46 mean?
An ISO 3448 viscosity grade: a kinematic viscosity of 46 mm2/s (cSt) at 40 °C at the midpoint, with limits 10 % either way, 41.4 to 50.6. An oil report reading of 44 is inside the grade; 52 is above it.
What should the filter request include?
The number printed on the old element, the filter housing maker and model, the rating and beta from the element or its box, and the oil cleanliness now and wanted. A photograph of the element and its label helps match it.
Code read?
Send the line with a photograph of the element.
A decoded number is a cross-check, not a selection. Attach photographs of the old element and its label, and Vessel Core checks them against the filter housing before an offer goes back.
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