Different Types of Cleanroom Standards

As critical environments for high-precision manufacturing, medical research, and pharmaceutical production, cleanrooms must be designed and operated in compliance with stringent international and national standards. Common cleanroom standards include the ISO 14644 series, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice), FDA regulations, as well as various country- or industry-specific standards. These standards specify clear requirements for air cleanliness classes, particle control, microbial limits, temperature and humidity, pressure differentials, air change rates, and monitoring methodologies, thereby ensuring product quality and personnel safety.

A person wearing protective clothing is inspecting a wafer.
International Universal Standards
  • ISO 14644-1 Air Cleanliness Classes
    Table 1: ISO 14644-1 Cleanroom Standard
    Class > 0.1 μm > 0.2 μm > 0.3 μm > 0.5 μm > 1 μm > 5 μm FED STD 209E equivalent
    ISO 1 10 2
    ISO 2 100 24 10 4
    ISO 3 1,000 237 102 35 8 Class 1
    ISO 4 10,000 2,370 1,020 352 83 Class 10
    ISO 5 100,000 23,700 10,200 3,520 832 29 Class 100
    ISO 6 1,000,000 237,000 102,000 35,200 8,320 293 Class 1,000
    ISO 7 352,000 83,200 2,930 Class 10,000
    ISO 8 3,520,000 832,000 29,300 Class 100,000
    ISO 9 35,200,000 8,320,000 293,000 Room Air
  • ISO 14644-2: Monitoring and verification of cleanrooms in operation.
  • ISO 14644-3: Test methods, including airflow, pressure differential, filtration efficiency, and microbial sampling.
  • ISO 14644-4: Cleanroom design and construction.
  • ISO 14644-5: Cleanroom operation.
  • ISO 14644-7: Separative devices (such as clean benches, pass box etc.)
  • ISO 14698: Primarily used for biological contamination control
U.S. Standards
  • Federal Standard FED STD 209E (Cancelled but still used as a reference)
    Table 2: FED STD 209E Cleanroom Standards
    Class > 0.1 μm > 0.2 μm > 0.3 μm > 0.5 μm > 5 μm ISO equivalent
    1 35 7 3 1 ISO 3
    10 350 75 30 10 ISO 4
    100 100 ISO 5
    1000 1000 7 ISO 6
    10,000 10,000 70 ISO 7
    100,000 100,000 700 ISO 8
  • FDA cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practice): A mandatory standard for cleanrooms in the production of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
European Standards
  • EU GMP (European Union Good Manufacturing Practice)
    Table 3: EU GMP Cleanroom Classification
    EU GMP Grades ISO equivalent Description
    A ISO 5 The highest grade, typically required for local laminar flow hoods, isolators, or aseptic filling zones.
    B ISO 5 Serves as the background environment for Grade A areas, ensuring a clean background for aseptic operations.
    C ISO 7 / ISO 8 Primarily used for preparation of sterile ingredients, secondary operations, and non-critical processes in sterile product manufacturing.
    D