Is your mask qualified? Three tips here help you to recognize!

As the outbreak of the COVID-19, face masks became a heated topic to everyone. It disturbs millions of people that the medical supplies fall into the shortage. Now with the continuous expansion of the epidemic, the factories of mask emerged endlessly. How to choose the better-quality mask is in priority in winning the battle.

The masks now on the market are mainly three classifications. The first one is cotton masks with low filtering efficiency. The second one is disposable surgical masks with slightly higher filtering efficiency and non-woven material. And the third one is the respirator with higher filtering efficiency. (KN95, kN99, etc.). It is more often a choice for people to choose disposable surgical masks and respirators. Is your mask qualified? How to find better products? Now come and test by some tips!

Packaging check

Let’s observe the outer packaging of the mask and think about these questions: What is the material of the box? Are the masks in individual package? Is the packaging sealed? And is the package printing information complete?

Individual packaging masks are more likely to be packaged by machines, which have a complete mechanical production line. Compared to the masks in bulk, individual packaging masks are more convenient, hygienic, and sealed better. And a qualified mask packaging box should contain product description, product structure, precautions, relevant information of the manufacturer, registration number of mechanical font number, production license number, product technical requirements and so on.

Mask inspection

For the effective disposable surgical masks, there must be three layers (or more). The upper and lower sides are waterproof spunbond non-woven fabric. The middle is melt-blown fabric with sufficient gram weight (grams per square meter). There are 4 welding points on each mask. The breaking strength of the joint between the root of the mask and the body should not be less than 10N. So pulling the mask belt slightly for 5 seconds to observe whether it is broken is a good method to test. What’s more, since both sides of the mask are waterproof non-woven fabrics, it is watertight after pouring water.

For Kn95 masks, except for detecting mask strips, we can also check the metal strips. When the metal strip is outside, it means that the masks are likely made by hand, which is in a risk of pollution. Compared to the masks with the built-into metal strips are more likely to be mechanically completed. It is safer and more guaranteed.

Melt-blown fabric test

The composition of the mask determines the quality. The key role in the mask is the melt-blown fabric, which is vital to resist virus in surgical masks and N95 masks. If the gram weight of melt-blown fabric reaches 40-50g, the mask is in a nice filtering effect. Meltblown fabric looks as white as paper, but the difference is that melt-blown fabric can melt but not burned when exposed to fire. And a small amount of transparent plastic residue may appear after burning. What’s more, the melt-blown fabric has static electricity. After being torn up, it can not only absorb each other but also paper scraps and stainless steel.

While these tips could be used to check if a mask is in the standard, the key to safety is the choice of mask. It is well known for its protective capabilities as follow:

N95 ≈ KN95  > N90> disposable surgical masks > mask

It is worth mentioning that the N95 is a particulate respirator with a filter that meets the N95 NIOSH air filtration rating, meaning that it filters at least 95% of airborne particles but is not resistant to oil. As N95 did, KN95 is the standard set by China (GB2626-2006). And there is also KP standard applicable to filter oily particulate matter. The technical requirements and test methods of Chinese KN standard and American NIOSH standards are basically the same. So there is no difference between their functions.

HiGlobal Consulting Company is devoted to strictly controlling each step on the supply chain for you. Not only through the tips we talk about but also professional knowledge to select the high-quality and low-cost medical supplies for you. HiGlobal is always devoted to studying the high-quality supply chain. We not only guarantee quality certification for you, but also provide you with the lowest cost, highest efficiency, and safest medical supplies. HiGlobal helps you in product sourcing, price negotiation, factory audit, QC, legal support and after service. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, HiGlobal has successfully helped more than 10 countries import medical supplies. Making you more resilient in the global value chain and protect your business and family from beginning to end is what we are doing. Get in touch with us to start a profitable business NOW!