FilterBySize Furnace and AC filter sizes, actual dimensions, MERV

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20x25x3 air filter: actual size, MERV, and price

A 20x25x3 is a three-inch-class rectangle filter. The common residential SKU is a return-grille “top-hat”: a foam or rigid gasket seats in a 1-inch grille and about 3 inches of media hangs into the duct. Do not substitute a 20x25x1. Do not mix it up with a 20x25x2 (~1.75 inches thick in a 2-inch rack). Do not mix it up with a 20x25x4 or 20x25x5 media cabinet (~3.63–4.38 inches). Buy the printed size 20x25x3. Honeywell FC40R1011 merchants print about 19.75 × 24.75 × 3; Zephyr VGF listings print 20 × 25 × 3 including the gasket and 18⅜ × 23⅜ × 3 without it.

Same panel, swapped axes: 25x20x3. We treat 20x25x3 as the canonical label. Order 20x25x3.

Actual size by brand

These numbers are copied from manufacturer or merchant product copy, not from a competitor size chart. Thickness is part of the fit: a 3-inch return-grille filter is not a 1¾ inch 2-inch rack panel and not a 4-inch cabinet cartridge.

Brand Nominal Published actual (in.) Source
Honeywell FC40R1011 MERV 10 (return grille) 20x25x3 19¾ × 24¾ × 3 (19.75 × 24.75 × 3) Filters Fast, HVAC Wholesale Direct, and Filter Outlet product copy. SameDaySupply prints 19⅞ × 24⅞ × 3 for the same model. Air Quality Honeywell Store spec sheet 68-3062-06 prints face 19¾ × 24¾ and Dim E 4⅜ for the older FC40R design; current Resideo listing is 20 × 25 × 3. Measure if the grille is tight
Zephyr VGF Z20253 MERV 13 (return grille, 2-pack) 20x25x3 Outside including gasket 20 × 25 × 3; inside without gasket 18⅜ × 23⅜ × 3 DiscountFilters Z20253-M13 product copy “Outside dimensions including gasket — actual size 20″ × 25″ × 3″; Inside dimensions — actual size — 18 3/8 × 23 3/8″ × 3″”

A Honeywell FC40R and a Zephyr VGF are not the same cut. Zephyr’s gasketed “inside” 18⅜ × 23⅜ is much smaller than Honeywell’s ~19¾ × 24¾ face. A 20x25x2 (~1.75 inches thick) will not fill a 3-inch grille pocket. A 20x25x4 (~3.63–4.38) is a different cabinet. Carrier/Bryant PGAPXCAR2025 is sold as 20x25x3 but is a media-cabinet cartridge, not this return-grille SKU. 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.

MERV EPA average capture efficiency (particle size) Typical 20x25x3 use
8 ≥20% of 1.0–3.0 µm; ≥70% of 3.0–10.0 µm Common pleated replacement when the manual does not call for higher
11 ≥20% of 0.30–1.0 µm; ≥65% of 1.0–3.0 µm; ≥85% of 3.0–10.0 µm Mid-grade 3-inch return-grille pleat (Zephyr VGF MERV 11)
13 ≥50% of 0.30–1.0 µm; ≥85% of 1.0–3.0 µm; ≥90% of 3.0–10.0 µm Higher-efficiency 3-inch; confirm the furnace/air handler can take the extra pressure drop

Source: U.S. EPA, “What is a MERV rating?”, last updated 14 Jan 2026. Honeywell FC40R1011 is MERV 10; that SKU is in the price table, not in this EPA 8/11/13 grid. Honeywell Home also sells FC313R2025 as a 20x25x3 MERV 13 return-grille filter; we found no published actual for that model, so it is omitted from the size table.

Pack prices checked 30 Aug 2026

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.

Listing MERV Pack Price that day Per filter Merchant
Zephyr 20x25x3 VGF (return grille) 11 2 $65.30 $32.65 HVACFilters
Zephyr 20x25x3 VGF (return grille) 11 3 $99.95 $33.32 Amazon
Zephyr 20x25x3 VGF (return grille) 11 2 $79.95 $39.98 Amazon
Zephyr 20x25x3 VGF (return grille) 13 2 $82.95 $41.48 Amazon
Zephyr 20x25x3 VGF (return grille) 13 2 $83.95 $41.98 HVACFilters
Honeywell FC40R1011 (return grille) 10 1 $94.50 $94.50 Honeywell Store

Observed range that day for ordinary 20x25x3 return-grille packs: about $32.65–$39.98/filter at MERV 11, $41.48–$41.98 at MERV 13, with the OEM Honeywell FC40R1011 MERV 10 1-pack at $94.50. Filtrete had no 20x25x3 SKU with a printed actual (1-inch, 2-inch, and 4-inch 20x25 pages only). Nordic Pure / JB Tools had no 20x25x3 listing (search 20x25x3M8 returned zero). Amazon Basics had no 20x25x3 listing with a printed actual, so that brand is omitted. Target did not return a Filtrete or Filterbuy 20x25x3 product. No merchant we used printed a ~2.75 inch actual for this size. SupplyHouse Honeywell pages were Cloudflare-blocked, so those pack prices are omitted rather than guessed. Filters Fast FC40R1011 ($73.99) and SameDaySupply ($72.47) listed actuals but were out of stock that day, so those prices are omitted. Walmart Filtrete pages were not used for prices (prefer Target). Filterbuy.com size-chart pages were not used for dimensions; Filterbuy had no standard 20x25x3 product listing (their nearby SKUs are 20x25x2 at 1.75, 20x25x4 at 3.63, and 20x25.25x3.5 Aprilaire at 3.75).

Where to buy

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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 20x25x3 SKU. A 20x25x1, 20x25x2, 20x25x4, or 20x25x5 is not a substitute unless the published actual depth matches the old filter.

Sources (accessed 30 Aug 2026)