The label on your paint booth is gone. Painted over, worn to bare metal, or peeled off years ago by a previous owner. Now you need filters, and every search for a part number is a dead end. You are not alone, and you are not stuck.
Here is the truth that saves you hours: a paint booth filter is defined by its size and media type, not by a part number. Part numbers are just a manufacturer's shorthand. Once a booth is a few years old, or the maker stops supporting it, that number is worthless anyway. What always works is identifying the filter physically. This is the universal method, and it fits any booth, any brand, any age.
Why chasing a part number is the wrong move
Part numbers change, get discontinued, and were never standardized across brands in the first place. Two booths with identical 20 x 20 exhaust openings might have carried completely different OEM codes. Worse, some sellers will happily invent a plausible-looking number to close a sale, and you find out it does not fit only after it ships. Skip all of that. Measure the booth and match the media, and you get a filter that fits and performs every time.
The universal five-step method
Work through these in order. You need a tape measure, your phone camera, and about five minutes at the booth.
Step 1: Photograph the booth data tag, even if it looks blank
Before you assume the tag is useless, photograph it and zoom in. A faded plate often still shows the manufacturer, model, and rated airflow in CFM once you brighten the image. Even a partial model name points you to the right brand collection. Check the fan housing, the control panel, and the inside of the man-door for a second tag.
Step 2: Measure the ceiling or intake filter openings
In a downdraft or semi-downdraft booth, the ceiling holds intake filter media in a grid. Measure the inside of one grid opening, width by length. That is the size you order. If the ceiling is one large blanket, measure the full covered area so you can cut to fit.
Step 3: Measure the exhaust filter openings or bank
Find the exhaust chamber, the wall of filters behind the work zone, or the filter bank in the stack. For pad-style filters, measure the frame opening and the pad thickness. For roll media, measure the track width or chamber face. For bag or pocket filters, measure the frame face and the pocket depth.
Step 4: Identify the media type
Pull a filter and look at it. Intake ceiling media is a soft, usually tackified synthetic or poly/glass blend. Exhaust media is either spun fiberglass, accordion-folded kraft paper, or a synthetic pocket/bag. Match like for like, or upgrade within the same position.
Step 5: Note thickness, airflow, and any tack
Thickness matters for pads and pockets. Airflow, from the tag, tells you whether you need a higher-capacity media. And note whether the ceiling media is tackified (sticky, to hold dust), so you replace it with the same.
What to record at each position
| Filter position | What to measure | What to note |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling / intake | Inside of one grid opening, or full ceiling area | Tackified media, F5 / M5 class |
| Exhaust / arrestor | Frame opening + thickness, or roll width | Fiberglass, accordion paper, or pocket/bag |
| Intake pre-filter | Panel or face opening (W x L x thickness) | Coarse poly or mesh |
Match your measurements to a brand fit guide
Once you know your booth make, our brand cross-reference guides shortcut the media selection. Each one maps that brand's real booth models to the correct filter types and sizes, with no invented part numbers, just the media that fits:
- Garmat filter cross-reference
- Global Finishing Solutions (GFS) filter cross-reference
- Accudraft filter cross-reference
- Blowtherm filter cross-reference
- USI Italia filter cross-reference
- Nova Verta filter cross-reference
- Binks and DeVilbiss (legacy) filter cross-reference
If you are not sure of the make, the by-brand exact-fit guide covers the major manufacturers in one place, and the filter size chart by brand lists common opening sizes to check yours against. For step-by-step measuring technique, keep how to measure for the right paint booth filter size open while you work; if the booth is a total mystery with no legible make at all, sizing filters for an unknown booth walks the full process end to end. Once you have your dimensions, browse the complete paint booth filters catalog to match them.
The always-works fallback: custom-cut
Some booths have odd openings that never matched a stock size, or a previous owner rebuilt the ceiling. When your measurements do not land on a catalog dimension, order a custom-cut ceiling filter blanket to your exact size. No part number required, no minimum, no tooling. See how to order custom-cut filters for any booth for the full process. Custom-cut is exactly why a missing label is never a real obstacle.
Still stuck? Let us identify it for you
Send your measurements and a couple of booth photos through Find My Filter and our team will confirm the exact media and size. We do this every day for shops with unlabeled booths, so you do not have to gamble on a fit.
Frequently asked questions
Do I really not need the original part number?
Correct. Filters are matched by size and media type. Measure your ceiling and exhaust openings, identify the media, and you can order the right filter without any OEM code.
The data tag is completely unreadable. Now what?
Measure the booth. The physical dimensions of your ceiling grid and exhaust frames, plus the media type you pull out, are all you need to match replacements.
How do I tell intake media from exhaust media?
Intake ceiling media is soft and usually tackified to trap dust before it reaches your finish. Exhaust media is a paint arrestor: spun fiberglass, accordion paper, or a pocket/bag designed to capture overspray. They sit in different parts of the booth and are not interchangeable.
What if my openings do not match any standard size?
Order custom-cut. A custom-cut ceiling blanket is made to your exact dimensions, which solves odd or rebuilt booths without forcing a fit.
Get the exact fit, no part number needed
A missing label just means you measure instead of look up. Photograph the tag, measure each position, match the media, and go custom if the size is odd. Start with the brand fit guide, or hand it to us through Find My Filter and we will confirm the right filter for your booth.