Data Center Testing & Certification

Data Center Testing

Data Center Testing & Certification

Data Center Testing & Certification to Ensure Compliance, Validate Air Quality, Protect Equipment & Support Operational Readiness

Benefits of Data Center Testing & Certification

SET3 specializes in data center testing and certification services designed to validate environmental performance, minimize contamination risks, and support operational compliance. Our testing solutions—ranging from airborne particle counts to airflow analysis and power quality assessments—adhere to ASHRAE, ISO 14644, and IEST standards. We help data centers, cleanrooms, and critical facilities maintain regulatory standards, protect sensitive equipment, and ensure infrastructure is optimized for uptime, efficiency, and long-term reliability.

STANDARD & OPTIONAL TESTING

Essential Testing Procedures for Data Center Certification & Environmental Assuranc

Services include environmental reports detailing pre and post clean test results, along with recommendations for increasing environmental effectiveness.

standard

Standard Tests & inspections Include

Airborne Micro Particle Counter (pre/post clean)

Metallic Debris Inspection

Biological Contamination Inspection

Cardboard Contamination Inspection

Concrete Dust Inspection

Drywall Particle Inspection

Old Floor Wax Inspection

Tacky Mat Check

Access Floor Unsealed Hole Inspection

Belt Debris Inspection

Wall/Floor Seam Inspection

Rust/Corrosion Inspection

optional

Optional Tests & inspections Include

Air Particle Certification (Certificate Provided)

Airflow Velocity

Airflow Static Pressure

Thermal Testing

Humidity Testing

Gaseous Testing (VOC)

Micro-Particle Identification (Chromatography)

Corrosion Testing (Air and Surface)

Sulfur Particles / Sulfur Gas Testing

ESD (Electro-Static Dissipation) Testing

Zinc Needle Testing

Airborne & Surface Microbial Testing (Bacteria, Fungi, Mold, etc)

Experiencing unknown downtime? Warranty issues on failed servers due to environmental issues? We can help.

Talk TO A Pro

78% of unknown downtime events are attributed to the environment. Ask us about our consulting with testing to resolve your data center downtime issues.

International Standards for
Data Centers

Table 1 - Airborne Particulate Cleanliness Classes

International Cleanroom Standards: ISO/TC209 has proposed ten (10) documents which will make up the cleanroom standards. These documents are in their final voting stages and can be legally used in trade. The tables and sections below outline the first seven of these documents in order.

ISO-14644-1 Classification of Air Cleanliness: Cleanliness class designations and quantity have changed from FS209E (see Table 1). Along with the obvious change to metric measure of air volume, ISO 14644-1 adds three additional classes.

ISO Class	0.1 μm	0.2 μm	0.3 μm	0.5 μm	1.0 μm	5.0 μm
ISO 1	10	2
ISO 2	100	24	10	4
ISO 3	1,000	237	102	35	8
ISO 4	10,000	2,370	1,020	352	83
ISO 5	100,000	23,700	10,200	3,520	832	29
ISO 6	1,000,000	237,000	102,000	35,200	8,320	293
ISO 7				352,000	83,200	2,930
ISO 8				3,520,000	832,000	29,300
ISO 9				35,200,000	8,320,000	293,000

Table 2 - Airborne Particulate Cleanliness Class Comparing FED STD 209E to the new ISO 14644-1

Note 1: ISO-14644-2 Cleanroom Testing for Compliance.

Note 2: This document determines the type and frequency of testing required to conform to the standard.

ISO 14644-1	FED STD 209E
ISO 1
ISO 2
ISO 3	Class 1 / M1.5
ISO 4	Class 10 / M2.5
ISO 5	Class 100 / M3.5
ISO 6	Class 1,000 / M4.5
ISO 7	Class 10,000 / M5.5
ISO 8	Class 100,000 / M6.5
ISO 9

Table 3 - Strategic Testing Schedule of Tests to Demonstrate Continuing Compliance

Test Parameter	Class	Maximum Time Interval	Test Procedure
Particle Count Test	≤ ISO 5	6 Months	ISO 14644-1 Annex A
Particle Count Test	> ISO 5	12 Months	ISO 14644-1 Annex A
Air Pressure Difference	All Classes	12 Months	ISO 14644-1 Annex B5
Airflow	All Classes	12 Months	ISO 14644-1 Annex B4

Table 4 - Strategic Testing Schedule of Additional Optional Tests

Test Parameter	Class	Maximum Time Interval	Test Procedure
Installed Filter Leakage	All Classes	24 Months	ISO 14644-3 Annex B6
Containment Leakage	All Classes	24 Months	ISO 14644-3 Annex B4
Recovery	All Classes	24 Months	ISO 14644-3 Annex B13
Airflow Visualization	All Classes	24 Months	ISO 14644-3 Annex B7

ISO-14644-4 Cleanroom Design & Construction

This document will be a primer on the design and construction of cleanrooms. It will cover all aspects of the process from design development to startup and commissioning.

ISO-14644-5 Cleanroom Operations

This document will be an introduction on cleanroom operation. It will cover all aspects of the operation of a cleanroom including entry and exit procedures for equipment and personnel, education and training, cleanroom apparel, and facility issues such as maintenance, housekeeping, monitoring, system failure, etc.

ISO-14644-6 Terms, Definitions & Units

This document will provide a consistent reference for all terms, definitions and units discussed across all ISO cleanroom standards.

ISO-14644-7 Minienvironments & Isolators

This document will focus on specialized stand-alone clean spaces including their design, construction, and operations.

What is Federal Standard 209e?

The outmoded (replaced by ISO 14644) benchmark for optimum and safe operating levels is compared to Federal Standard 209e for at 100,000 particles at .5 microns per cubic foot of air space. Optimum levels for temperature should normally be 70 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity levels at 50%.

Differences: Federal Standard 209E and ISO 14644-1

ISO Establishes 0.1um as the “Standard” Diameter

Allows for discarding of “Outliers” – Federal Standard 209E did not.

ISO Creates 3 New Cleanliness Classes-

- 2 “Cleaner” classes (ISO class 1 and ISO class 2) than Federal Standard 209E
- 1 “Dirtier” Class (ISO Class 9) which is allows more particulate than Fed Standard 209E class 100,000

Outmoded Cleanroom Standards

Notice: Federal Standard 209E has been replaced with ISO Standard 14644. The first subsection in ISO 14644 (ISO STND. 14644-1) has some unique changes from the old Federal Standard – however they are very similar. This standard is now in effect for critical environments (Cleanrooms, Data Centers, etc.) worldwide. Some companies have been successful with the federal Standard 209E, and may not have switched over yet. It is important for these companies to know the main differences are easy to implement and may not be a costly or diificult change. If you need help we have expert consultants that can assist.

FS 209E	ISO 14644-1
N/A	1
N/A	2
1	3
10	4
100	5
1,000	6
10,000	7
100,000	8
N/A	9

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How Can We Help?

We provide services across the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Asia Pacific rim. Contact us today to find out how we can bring you peace of mind, money savings, and experienced consulting for your critical environment needs. Our online contact form was built to handle a wide variety of requests to better serve you. Please complete the contact form, and we will contact you shortly regarding your needs.

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