F.

1998 Training Manual 8/14/98 11:49 PM Page 16

Fluid Cleanliness Standards

Filtration Fact In order to detect or correct problems,
a contamination reference scale is
The ISO 4406 (International Standards
Organization) cleanliness level stan-
Knowing the cleanliness used. Particle counting is the most dard has gained wide acceptance in
common method to derive cleanliness most industries today. A widely-used
level of a fluid is the basis
level standards. Very sensitive optical modified version of this standard refer-
for contamination control instruments are used to count the ences the number of particles greater
measures. number of particles in various size than 2, 5, and 15 micrometers* in a
ranges. These counts are reported as known volume, usually 1 milliliter or
the number of particles greater than a 100 milliliters. The number of 2+ and
Filtration Fact certain size found in a specified
volume of fluid.
5+ micrometer particles is used as a
reference point for “silt” particles. The
The ISO code index 15+ size range indicates the quantity
numbers can never of larger particles present which con-
tribute greatly to possible catastrophic
increase as the particle
component failure.
sizes increase
(Example: 18/20/22).

ISO CODE 18 / 16 / 13

Particles
> 2 microns
Particles
> 15 microns
Particles
> 5 microns

An ISO classification of 18/16/13 can be defined as:

Range Number Micron Actual Particle Count Range (per ml)

18 2+ 1,300 - 2,500

16 5+ 320 - 640

13 15+ 40 - 80

*The ISO codes described here are for the 2, 5, 15 micron format. A 5, 15 micron format which currently meets the ISO standard, may
12 still be used in some publications (Example: an ISO code of 16/13 would reference particles in the 5 + and 15 + micron ranges only).
F.1998 Training Manual 8/14/98 11:49 PM Page 17

Fluid Cleanliness Standards

ISO 4406 Chart

Range Number of particles per ml
Number More than Up to and including
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
8 1.3 2.5
7 .64 1.3
6 .32 .64

ISO 21/19/17 fluid (magnification 100x) ISO 16/14/11 fluid (magnification 100x)

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F.1998 Training Manual 8/14/98 11:49 PM Page 18

Fluid Cleanliness Standards

Filtration Fact
Most machine and
hydraulic component
manufacturers specify a
target ISO cleanliness
level to equipment in
order to achieve optimal
performance standards.
Component Cleanliness
Level Requirements
Many manufacturers of hydraulic and
load bearing equipment specify the
optimum cleanliness level required for
their components. Subjecting compo-
nents to fluid with higher contamina-
tion levels may result in much shorter
component life.
In the table below, a few components
and their recommended cleanliness
levels are shown. It is always best to

Filtration Fact consult with component manufacturers

and obtain their written fluid cleanli-
Color is not a good ness level recommendations. This
indicator of a fluid’s information is needed in order to
select the proper level of filtration.
cleanliness level.
It may also prove useful for any
subsequent warranty
claims, as it may draw
the line between nor-
Fluid Cleanliness Required for
Typical Hydraulic Components
mal use and excessive
or abusive operation. ISO
Components Code
Servo control valves 16/14/11
Proportional valves 17/15/12
Vane and piston 18/16/13
pumps/motors
Directional & pressure 18/16/13
control valves
Gear pumps/motors 19/17/14
Flow control valves, 20/18/15
cylinders
New unused fluid 20/18/15

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F.1998 Training Manual 8/14/98 11:49 PM Page 19

Fluid Cleanliness Standards

Cleanliness Level Correlation Table

Particles/Millilitre NAS 1638 Disavowed SAE
ISO Code >2 Micrometers >5 Micrometers >15 Micrometers (1964) Level (1963)
23/21/18 80,000 20,000 2,500 12 –
22/20/18 40,000 10,000 2,500 – –
22/20/17 40,000 10,000 1,300 11 –
22/20/16 40,000 10,000 640 – –
21/19/16 20,000 5,000 640 10 –
20/18/15 10,000 2,500 320 9 6
19/17/14 5,000 1,300 160 8 5
18/16/13 2,500 640 80 7 4
17/15/12 1,300 320 40 6 3
16/14/12 640 160 40 – –
16/14/11 640 160 20 5 2
15/13/10 320 80 10 4 1
14/12/9 160 40 5 3 0
13/11/8 80 20 2.5 2 –
12/10/8 40 10 2.5 – –
12/10/7 40 10 1.3 1 –
12/10/6 40 10 .64 – –

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