16x25x3 air filter: actual size, MERV, and price

A 16x25x3 is a three-inch-class media filter for cabinets such as Trion Air Bear Cub and Lennox BMAC-12 / X0581. Buy the printed size 16x25x3. The face of the panel is smaller than that label. Depth on the SKUs we found is a published full 3.00 inches — not the ~1.75 of a 2-inch filter, and not the ~3.63–4.38 of a 4-inch media cabinet.

Same panel, swapped axes: 25x16x3. We treat 16x25x3 as the canonical label. Order 16x25x3. One-inch, two-inch, four-inch, and five-inch are not drop-in swaps. Do not substitute a 16x25x1. Do not mix this up with a 16x25x2 (~1.75 actual thickness) or a 16x25x4 / 16x25x5 Honeywell-class cartridge.

Actual size by brand

These numbers are copied from manufacturer or merchant product copy, not from a competitor size chart. Thickness is the fit: a 3-inch Air Bear Cub rack takes a printed 3.00 inch cartridge. A 1-inch (~¾), 2-inch (~1.75), or 4-inch (~3.6–4.4) panel is a different part. Some other 3-inch labels print ~2.75 actual thickness; none of the 16x25x3 listings below printed that figure.

Honeywell Store had no 16x25x3 SKU when we checked (1-inch 16x25x1 and 4-inch 16x25x4 only), so that brand is omitted rather than guessed. Filtrete had no 16x25x3 listing on Amazon that printed a fractional actual — omitted. Amazon Basics search for 16x25x3 returned 16x25x1 packs (actual 15.75 × 24.75 × 0.75), not a 3-inch Basics SKU. Nordic Pure’s generic factory 16x25x3 page did not print a numeric actual until options were selected. Face sizes differ slightly (Nordic Pure 15.81 × 24.31 vs Filterbuy 15.63 × 24.13) even though both are sold as Air Bear Cub / Lennox X0581 replacements — measure the old filter if the slot is tight. Full method: how to measure.

MERV 8 vs 11 vs 13 (facts only)

MERV is ASHRAE 52.2, as summarized by EPA. Higher MERV captures a larger share of smaller particles. It also adds resistance. EPA says to pick at least MERV 13 or as high a rating as your system fan and filter slot can accommodate, and to ask an HVAC technician if you are unsure. A 3-inch MERV 13 is not HEPA. We do not claim health outcomes.

Source: U.S. EPA, “What is a MERV rating?”, last updated 14 Jan 2026. Nordic Pure also sells MERV 10 and MERV 12 in this size — those sit between the EPA table rows above. Nordic Pure product copy sometimes prints an MPR equivalent (e.g. MERV 8 ~ MPR 800; MERV 13 ~ MPR 2200–2400); MPR is 3M’s scale, not MERV. Compare MERV to MERV.

Pack prices checked 30 Aug 2026

Amazon rows re-checked 27 Sep 2026 against the live featured-offer buy-box in a headed browser (Buy links now open the exact listing named in each row). Other merchants keep their own stamps.

These are public shelf/cart prices we recorded on 30 Aug 2026. They are not live. Shipping, subscribe-and-save, and store-only deals will move them. Per-filter math is pack price ÷ count, rounded to the cent. Honeywell Store had no 16x25x3 cart. Amazon Nordic Pure MERV 13 3-pack (B00EII6ZEK) did not show a buy-box price — omitted.

Observed range that day, ordinary pleated 16x25x3 Air Bear Cub / Lennox replacements: about $23–$27/filter at MERV 8 in 3-packs (JB Tools at the low end; Amazon Nordic Pure at the high end; the JB Tools 1-pack was $34.19), $23.40 at Nordic Pure MERV 10 in a 3-pack, $24.99 at MERV 11 (Filterbuy 3-pack), $30–$43 at MERV 13 (JB Tools 3-pack vs Amazon Nordic Pure 1-pack). Singles cost more than 3-packs. Nordic Pure Buy buttons now go through Awin to nordicpure.com (pick MERV and pack on the factory page). Factory cart pack prices for listed MERV 8, MERV 10, and MERV 13 packs matching the live JSON were verified 15 Sep 2026 from nordicpure.com (pick MERV and pack on the factory page).

Where to buy

• Amazon Nordic Pure 16x25x3 Air Bear Cub (actual 15.81 × 24.31 × 3): MERV 8 3-pack B00EII73O6 · MERV 13 1-pack B07B698JCP. Filterbuy 16x25x3 with printed actual 15.63 × 24.13 × 3.00: MERV 8 3-pack B0CRWM3H6N · MERV 11 3-pack B0CRWLKTMP · MERV 13 3-pack B0CRWGL2B7. Search: 16x25x3 furnace filter.
• Nordic Pure Factory page for this size (pick MERV and pack; no numeric actual until options selected): nordicpure.com/product/16x25x3-air-filter/. Air Bear Cub actual 15 13/16 × 24 5/16 × 3: Trion Air Bear replacements · Lennox X0581 / X5427 / BMAC-12C. Factory page (via Awin); published actual ~15.81 × 24.31 × 3: Nordic Pure 16x25x3ABM8-3 · Nordic Pure 16x25x3ABM13-3.

No ranking. Stock and price change. If the slot is an odd fraction that none of these actual sizes match, measure first — that is not a 16x25x3 SKU. A 16x25x1, 16x25x2, 16x25x4, or 16x25x5 is not a substitute for this rack unless the published actual (especially depth) matches the old panel.