ISO 14644-1 Coming soon

What the standard actually says

ISO 14644-1 classifies air cleanliness in controlled environments by the concentration of airborne particles, at specified particle sizes. A class is a threshold: the maximum number of particles of a given size permitted per cubic metre of air. Lower class numbers mean fewer particles allowed — ISO Class 5 is far more demanding than ISO Class 8.

The important thing for a facilities conversation is what that framework does to the meaning of the word clean. In a commercial building, clean is a judgment made by a person. Under this standard, clean is a measurement made by an instrument, and either the count is within the limit or it isn’t.

Classification is measured, not delivered

Class is established by testing — sampling at defined locations with calibrated particle counters, performed by qualified personnel, under a defined occupancy state. It is verified on a schedule, and the facility holds it.

No cleaning contractor grants a classification, and we will never suggest otherwise. It’s worth stating because the industry is not always careful here, and a vendor implying it can “certify” a cleanroom is telling you something about how it treats claims generally.

Where a cleaning provider genuinely matters

Within that framework, the cleaning contractor carries real responsibility: not introducing what the classification exists to exclude. Personnel shed particles. Tools shed fibres. Products leave residue. Working in the wrong direction moves contamination toward the areas that can least tolerate it.

So the protocol is designed around the class rather than adapted to it afterwards — materials selected for low particulate generation, procedures written for the occupancy state, and records kept at a level that survives an audit. That work supports the facility in holding its classification. It does not replace measurement, and it isn’t a substitute for the testing regime.

Our position, stated plainly

We are building this capability and we are not offering it yet. We hold no certification we have not earned, and we do not describe our commercial cleaning work as meeting a standard it was never measured against.

The operational side of this work is described under cleanroom services. If you operate a classified environment and want to influence what we build, we would rather have that conversation than publish a claim.