Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) is the industry standard for measuring how well a heating and cooling system’s filter captures particles. MERV air filter ratings range from 1 (least efficient captureability) to 16 (very efficient).
Filters with a MERV rating of 1-4 mostly filter out dust, lint and pollen among other larger, common particles — they do very little to trap small microparticles.