ASHRAE 110 Testing Performance of Laboratory Fume Hoods

HEPA is committed to providing its customers with the most up to date standards and information as clearly seen in our ASHRAE 110 department.

The ANSI/ASHRAE 110 test is a method of testing the performance of laboratory fume hoods as well as the impact that the design of the lab itself can have on containment.

There are three test procedures incorporated into the ASHRAE 110 test:

  1. Face Velocity Grid Test
  2. Flow Visualization or Smoke Test
  3. Tracer Gas Containment Test


ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) has defined three modes for evaluating fume hoods. They are: as manufactured (AM) as Installed (AI) and as Used (AU). The AM requires manufacturers to test the fume hood in their facility and provide test data with the hood. The AI mode requires fume hoods to be tested once they are installed and before use. The AU mode requires testing to be performed in an actively occupied lab.

CSA Z316.5-04 and SEFA 1-2002 Recommended Practices for Laboratory Fume Hoods. Both standards recommend face velocity and smoke visualization tests as a means of fume hood evaluation. Both standards refer to ANSI/ASHRAE 110 tests for specific fume hood performance. This test is the most accurate and quantitative standardizing fume hood test available.

Below is a brief summary of the tests performed by HEPA Filter Services Inc in compliance with the ANSI/ASHRAE 110 tracer gas test.