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How To Distinguish Between Civilian Masks And Medical Masks

Oct 25,2017

There are many standards for "civil masks" and "medical masks", but the most important difference is: civilian masks generally emphasize the filtration efficiency of "particulate matter", and medical masks generally emphasize the "bacterial filtration efficiency".

1. KN95 mask: "KN" is actually just a code name. This code name "KN" is dedicated to China. What he said is a type of mask "only used to filter non-oily particles" (correspondingly, there is another The code name of the mask for "filtering non-oily and oily particles" is KP, such as KP95 mask, but it is not common in daily life). The national standard implemented is GB2626, which is a standard for "civil masks". In this standard, 3 levels are defined according to the difference in the filtration efficiency of particulate matter:

KN90: ≥90%

KN95: ≥95% 

KN100: ≥99.97% 

Therefore, generally speaking "KN95 mask" means: a non-medical mask with a filtration efficiency of ≥95% for "particulate matter" produced according to the Chinese civil mask standard GB2626. (Special note: This has nothing to do with the American N95 mask. N95 is a non-medical mask with a "particulate" filtration efficiency of ≥95% produced according to the American NIOSH standard. There are also N99 (≥99%) and N100 ( ≥99.7%) these 2 higher filtration levels) 

2. FFP grade. Most people think that FFP2 means civilian use, and FFP3 means medical use. In fact, this is wrong. The FFP grade is only the “Particulate Matter” filtration grade mark in the European “Civil Mask Testing Standard” EN149. There are 3 kinds of filtration efficiency:

FFP1(P1): ≥80%

FFP2(P2): ≥94% 

FFP3(P3): ≥97%

In other words, no matter FFP2 or FFP3, it means "particulate matter filtration level". Both civil and medical use can be tested and marked if passed.

What is the European medical mask standard? It is EN14683. There is no filtering level in this standard, only the mask level, which are:

Type I

Type II 

Type II R

Therefore, if European customers mention that they want to buy masks in the future, they must first determine whether they are "civilian" or "medical". The easiest way is to confirm with the customer whether the mask standard is EN149 or EN14683. If the customer simply talks about FFP2 and FFP3, they must confirm with the customer clearly. It is best to literacy and popularize the knowledge of masks for the customer. 

Also explain some commonly used descriptions: 

KN95-FFP2: It means that the filtration efficiency of "particulate matter" produced according to the Chinese civil mask standard GB2626 is ≥95%, and it has passed the European EN149 test to identify the civilian mask with the filtration level of FFP2 

KN95-FFP3: It means that the filtration efficiency of "particulate matter" produced according to the Chinese civil mask standard GB2626 is ≥95%, and it has passed the European EN149 test to identify the civil mask with the filtration level of FFP3

KN95-Type II: Indicates that the filtration efficiency of "particulate matter" produced according to the Chinese civil mask standard GB2626 is ≥95%, and it has passed the European EN14683 test and certified as a Type II "medical mask" 

Therefore, after reading the above content, everyone should also understand the meaning of these professional vocabulary. Most of the disputes that have appeared are foreign customers and some domestic suppliers who mistakenly interpret conventional FFP3 masks as "medical masks" for use. Therefore, determining the inspection standards of the required mask is the key to judging whether the mask is "civilian" or "medical".

Masks exported to the United States, whether for medical use or not, must be registered with the FDA. Among them, non-medical applications must pass NOISH certification, and medical applications must pass ASTM F2100 certification.

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