The standard methods for removing dust are: fiber woven bags, cartridges, pleated filters, plus a water trapping process.

Bags, cartridges and pleated filters come in different densities and fiber types. The density determines the removal efficiency, but also the amount of air pressure that is needed for a given amount of air flow.

Bags and cartridges are most common for volume filtration. The air flows from the outside to the inside trapping the dust on the outside. Compressed air jets periodically blow into the inside of the filter or cartridge and blow off the trapped dust particles which then fall into a bin or drum below the filters. For large air volume applications, bag filters are the most common. They come with removal efficiencies from 35 to 95%.

Special cartridge or pleated filters are used often as after filters to obtain a 99.9% efficiency. The removal of dust particles from the filter is done either by shaking the bags or by blowing (pulsing) compressed air on the inside of the bag or cartridge. Systems using the pulsing method require a compressed air connection in addition to the electrical connection.

The air flow capacity is determined by the fan design and power in Hp plus the area of the filter media. As particles collect on the filter surface, more air pressure is needed for the air to flow. The pressure drop from the input to the output of the filter affects the amount of air flow. The flow capacity listed here is for most models at a 4 in water pressure drop.