Selection Guide: Paper Filters

Your needs

• Gravity filtration (funnel): filter paper (qualitative / standard / quantitative)
• Syringe filtration (sample preparation): Syringe filter (membrane + porosity)
• Vacuum filtration (filter holder): Filter membrane (diameter + porosity + membrane)
• Highly loaded sample / pre-filtration: Glass microfiber
• Aqueous/organic separation: Phase separation paper
• Soxhlet extraction: Extraction cartridges (thimbles)
• Decolorization / adsorption: Activated carbon paper

Your objective

• Rapid clarification: Fast grade / pleated format if there is a risk of clogging
• Retaining finer particles: Lower porosity / slower filtration
• Gravimetry / "ash-free": Quantitative filter paper

"Qualitative" filter paper

A versatile option, often equivalent to general-purpose grades.

Qualitative filter paper is ideal for routine filtration requiring good retention capacity and satisfactory clarification of the liquid. Made from refined cellulose, it offers controlled porosity and a constant filtration rate, ensuring reproducibility of tests. Available in various weights and pre-cut diameters, it fits easily into glass or plastic funnels. It is a reliable solution for practical work, quality control, and laboratory analysis.

"Standard" Filter Paper

A versatile option, often equivalent to general-purpose grades.

This laboratory filter paper is specially designed for the separation of solids and liquids in routine analyses. Its high-purity cellulose structure ensures uniform filtration and excellent clarity of the filtrate. Available in various sizes and retention rates, it fits most funnels and filtration systems used in teaching and research laboratories. It is an essential consumable for ensuring the safety of your protocols and the reliability of your experimental results.

"Quantitative" Filter Paper

A versatile option, often equivalent to general-purpose grades.

Low-ash quantitative filter paper is suitable for gravimetric titrations and analyses requiring very low contamination levels. Its optimized composition minimizes residues after calcination, enabling precise determination of masses and analytical concentrations. Available in various porosity grades, it ensures excellent retention of precipitates while maintaining a satisfactory filtration rate. It is the preferred choice for analytical chemistry and quality control laboratories.

Porosity (P)

• 0.45 µm: Standard clarification (pre-filtration, particles).
• 0.22 µm: finer filtration (when more particles need to be removed).

Diameter

• 13 mm: small volumes.
• 25 mm: larger volumes / higher flow rate.

Membrane (single choice)

• PTFE: solvents / aggressive media (often non-aqueous).
• PVDF: low adsorption, versatile "clean" option.
• PES: very good flow rate in aqueous solutions, low interaction.
• Nylon: versatile, robust.
• CA / MCE: often used in aqueous systems (depending on your method).