"Which filter does my booth need?" is the most common question we get, and the honest answer is: it depends on four things, in order. Your booth type, the stage you're filtering, the media that suits your work, and the size that fits your opening. Get those four right and you'll never order the wrong filter again.
This guide is a decision path. Start at the top, answer each question, and follow the branch to the right collection and the deep-dive article that explains it in full. If you'd rather we just match it for you, jump to Find My Filter and we'll do the work.
Step 1: What type of booth do you have?
Airflow direction decides where your filters live and which stages you even have. There are three common layouts, covered in depth in downdraft vs. crossflow vs. semi-downdraft filters.
- Downdraft: air enters through the full ceiling and exits through floor pits or a rear plenum. You have a large ceiling filter area and floor-level or pit exhaust filters.
- Crossflow: air enters through intake filters in the door end and exits through exhaust filters in the back wall. Intake and exhaust are both wall-mounted.
- Semi-downdraft: air enters through the front portion of the ceiling and exits low in the rear. A hybrid of the two.
Knowing your layout tells you which filter stages you're buying for. Downdraft booths lean heavily on ceiling media; crossflow booths split the job between intake and exhaust panels. The physics of why this matters is covered in the direction of airflow in paint booths.
Step 2: Which stage are you filtering?
Every booth has two filtration jobs, and they are not interchangeable. Putting the wrong one in the wrong place hurts your finish and your compliance. The full breakdown is in intake filter vs. exhaust filter, but here's the short version.
| Stage | Job | Typical media | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intake / ceiling | Deliver clean, particle-free air to the workpiece | F5 tackified ceiling blanket, tacky panels, prefilters | Ceiling plenum or door-end intake |
| Exhaust | Capture paint overspray before air leaves the booth | Fiberglass, polyester, accordion (Andreae), pocket bags | Floor pit, rear wall, or exhaust plenum |
Intake filters keep dirt out of your finish. Exhaust filters keep overspray out of the air and are the ones that carry compliance obligations. For a full walk-through of matching stage to media, see how to choose the right paint booth filter by stage, media, and booth type.
Step 3: Choose your media
Once you know the stage, pick the media that matches your work and your standards. This is where finish quality and compliance get decided.
Intake / ceiling media
- F5 tackified ceiling blanket is the standard for downdraft and semi-downdraft ceilings. The tack holds fine dust so it never reaches your paint. Shop ceiling blanket filters.
- Tacky panels and F5 panels suit smaller or panel-style ceiling grids. Shop ceiling and intake filters or green tacky filters.
- Prefilters and mesh extend the life of your main intake media on dusty makeup air. Shop prefilters.
Exhaust media
- Fiberglass is the economical, high-loft standard for exhaust overspray. Shop exhaust filters and fiberglass rolls.
- Andreae accordion media delivers high holding capacity and efficiency for high-throughput exhaust. Shop Andreae filters.
- Pocket / bag filters are used where booths pull air through deep multi-pocket exhaust housings. Shop pocket bag filters.
Deciding between exhaust media types? Our head-to-head comparisons weigh cost against holding capacity: Andreae vs. fiberglass vs. pocket filters, polyester vs. fiberglass exhaust media, and OEM vs. aftermarket booth filters. Your industry steers the choice too, with work-specific guides for truck and fleet shops, industrial finishing lines, and powder coating booths.
Whatever exhaust media you choose, verify it meets the capture standard your work requires. NESHAP 6H (40 CFR 63.11173(e)(2)(i)) requires exhaust filter technology demonstrated to capture at least 98% of paint overspray by weight. Our compliance hub holds the certificates. This is general information, not legal advice, so confirm requirements with your state or local air authority.
Step 4: Get the size right
Media type is only half the order. The size has to match your opening, and for ceiling blankets that's brand-specific. Match your booth in the paint booth filter size chart by brand and model, which lists the stocked ceiling blanket sizes for Garmat, GFS, Blowtherm, Accudraft, USI, Nova Verta, Binks, DeVilbiss, Eagle, and Spraybake booths.
If your size isn't listed, or your booth has been modified, order a custom-cut blanket to your exact dimensions. Not sure how to measure? Follow how to measure for the right filter size before you order.
The whole path at a glance
| Question | Answer routes you to |
|---|---|
| 1. Booth type? | Downdraft / crossflow / semi-downdraft, tells you which stages you have |
| 2. Stage? | Intake/ceiling (finish) or exhaust (compliance) |
| 3. Media? | Blanket, panel, prefilter, fiberglass, Andreae, or pocket bag |
| 4. Size? | Brand size chart or a custom cut |
Four answers, one correct filter. Most wrong orders come from skipping a step, usually buying the right media in the wrong size, or grabbing an intake blanket when the booth needed exhaust media.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if I need an intake or exhaust filter?
Intake (ceiling) filters clean the air coming into the booth to protect your finish; exhaust filters capture overspray before air leaves the booth and carry your compliance obligations. Most booths need both, replaced on their own schedules. If dirt is landing in your paint, look at intake; if overspray is escaping or airflow is dropping, look at exhaust.
Can I use the same filter for intake and exhaust?
No. Intake media (tackified blankets and panels) is built to hold incoming dust; exhaust media is built to hold paint overspray and meet capture standards. They are not interchangeable, and swapping them hurts both your finish and your compliance.
What filter does a downdraft booth use?
Downdraft booths use a large ceiling filter area, typically F5 tackified blankets, for intake, and floor-pit or rear exhaust filters for overspray capture. The ceiling media is sized to your booth brand and model.
How do I pick exhaust filter media?
Match it to your throughput and standards: fiberglass for economical high-loft capture, Andreae accordion media for high holding capacity, or pocket bags for deep exhaust housings. All should meet the NESHAP 6H 98%-by-weight capture requirement where it applies to you.
What if I don't know my booth brand?
Measure your filter opening and match the size, or use Find My Filter and we'll identify the right media and size from your booth details. A correctly sized filter fits whether or not you know the original badge.
Still not sure? Let us match it
Work the four steps and the answer is usually clear. When it isn't, we're here: browse all paint booth filters, start from your Find My Filter match, or reach out with your booth brand, model, and opening size and we'll confirm the exact intake and exhaust filters your booth needs.
Four questions answered — now get your filter
Booth type, stage, media, and size: once you know all four, ordering is simple. Orders placed before 2pm MST ship the same day.
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