Need to source an air-circulating fan? See AMCA’s revised Standard 230 first

Posted by Johann Nacario — March 1, 2023 — The Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International recently announced the publication of ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-23, Laboratory Methods of Testing Air-Circulating Fans for Rating and Certification, which establishes uniform methods of laboratory testing air-circulating fans to determine performance for rating or certification purposes.

Laboratory Methods of Testing Air-Circulating Fans for Rating and Certification.

ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-23, Laboratory Methods of Testing Air-Circulating Fans for Rating and Certification.

Stakeholders for ANSI/AMCA Standard 230 are fan manufacturers, testing laboratories, fan engineers, fan-equipment specifiers, HVAC professionals, energy-efficiency regulators, utility-incentive-program developers, and building owners.

Superseding ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-15, ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-23 applies to electrically powered air-circulating fan heads with an input power greater than or equal to 125 W and ceiling fans.

Standard 230-23 does NOT apply to:

  • Jet fans as defined in ANSI/AMCA Standard 214-21, Test Procedure for Calculating Fan Energy Index (FEI) for Commercial and Industrial Fans and Blowers.
  • Powered roof ventilators, induced-flow fans, and laboratory exhaust fans.
  • Positive-pressure ventilators as defined in ANSI/AMCA Standard 240-22, Laboratory Methods of Testing Positive Pressure Ventilators for Aerodynamic Performance Rating.
  • Compressors.
  • Positive-displacement machines.

Updates to ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-23 include:

  • Updated definitions related to air-circulating-fan classification.
  • Revised classification of air-circulating fans into three product groups: unhoused air-circulating fan head, housed air-circulating fan head, and ceiling fan.
  • Clarification on the use of fan outlet area as opposed to fan discharge area with housed air-circulating fans.
  • The ceiling-fan-energy-index (CFEI) and thrust-efficiency-ratio metrics.
  • Clarified procedures for measuring fan speed.
  • 2021 errata to ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-15.
  • Equations for calculating fan total pressure, which is required to calculate CFEI.
  • A new annex (Annex C) defining subcategories of air-circulating fans.

To purchase a copy of ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-23, Laboratory Methods of Testing Air Circulating Fans for Rating and Certification (in printed or PDF format), visit AMCA.

For more information about ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-23, contact Director of Publications and Standards Joe Brooks, PE, at jbrooks@amca.org or Senior Manager, Publications and Standards Shruti Kohli-Bhargava at shrutik@amca.org.