CADR: What It Is, How It Matters for Air Purifiers, and What to Look For

When you buy an air purifier, you’re not just buying a box with a fan and a filter—you’re buying CADR, Clean Air Delivery Rate, a standardized measurement of how quickly an air purifier can remove pollutants from a room. Also known as Clean Air Delivery Rate, it’s the only number that tells you if the device will actually make a difference in your space. Without knowing the CADR, you’re guessing. And in air quality, guessing can mean breathing in more dust, pollen, or smoke than you need to.

CADR isn’t just a marketing term. It’s tested by independent labs using strict protocols. The number you see on the box—usually three values for smoke, dust, and pollen—tells you how many cubic feet of clean air the purifier delivers per minute. A CADR of 240 for dust means it can clear dust from a 240-square-foot room in about 20 minutes. If the number is too low for your room size, the purifier will just spin its wheels. That’s why matching CADR to room size matters more than fancy features like LED lights or app controls.

Most people focus on noise levels or price, but if the CADR doesn’t match your needs, none of that matters. A $300 purifier with a CADR of 100 won’t help in a large living room, while a $150 model with a CADR of 300 might work perfectly. It’s not about cost—it’s about output. And CADR is the only metric that directly measures output.

What you’re seeing in the posts below isn’t random. Every comparison—Biktarvy vs HIV regimens, Iverheal vs antiparasitics, Ciprodex vs eye drops—is built on the same principle: knowing the numbers lets you make better choices. Just like you’d check the CADR before buying an air purifier, you should check the data before choosing any medication or treatment. These posts give you that clarity. You’ll find side-by-side comparisons that cut through the noise and show you what actually works, what’s overpriced, and what’s worth skipping. No fluff. Just facts you can use.

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