Industrial HVAC air filters are installed in commercial HVAC systems to remove airborne contaminants from the air stream. This helps improve indoor air quality and prevents the build up of contaminants in equipment and damaging it. The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating of a filter measures how efficiently it removes contaminants from the air stream based on the size of the particles it can effectively capture. The higher a filter's MERV rating the more effectively the filter traps small particles.