Screen Sizing Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Screen Your OA Intake
- Jebb Lakey
- Sep 8, 2025
- 3 min read
Nailing air filtration can be tricky for a large commercial building - custom screening solutions get you one step closer to the perfect system.
Here you'll learn exactly how to survey your own site. We will cover everything that you may need help with, and we are always available if you have questions
Let's be honest, measuring a unit to order a screen for it relatively straight forward... but there are some small detail that turn into pitfalls once your product arrives on site. After screening and surveying hundreds of units we have found common problems that are easy to glance over.
For the facilities teams across various industries and the manufacturers that are reading this, thank you for keeping our buildings operational. Now let's cover the basics!
Why include screens in your air filtration program?
Building a rock-solid air filtration program for your building(s) is no simple task. It involves a deeper understanding of the air filters you need, differential pressures, timeframes and an ironclad installation schedule. Screens filter out 99%+ of the large particles that are responsible for plugging up your air filters. Particles like cottonwood, pollen, bugs, grass and a million other things. All of these particles drastically reduce your air filter life span (and make your energy bill higher).
If lowering your energy bill, increasing your air filter life span and keeping your air handlers clean sounds good then a screening program will help. Not to mention they last YEARS.
Heading #3: Additional Notes on Surveying
The Basics of Measuring for Air Filter OA Intake Screens
Our method for measuring accurately and consistently to build the best screens on the market.
Measure from outside edge to outside edge.
To get the best results and to transfer information accurately we like to measure from each outside edge. This is the very outside edge of where you are mounting. Our screen will meet the edge, and our grommet placement will be inset ever so slightly.
The above pictures should give you an idea of the outside edge to outside edge process.
Is there anything blocking where your screen is being placed?
When surveying your unit it is vital to make sure there isnt anything that could get in the way of installing your screen. If there is something in the way, we build around it and accommodate it.
Do you have a good edge for your mount points?
Sometimes we have to get creative when we are mounting our screens. If we don't have a large enough edge for our clips, we will often do something like the pictures below.
Wrapping around to find another edge is almost always an option - if you do this please mention so in your drawings or emails
Do you need to submit a quick drawing of your OA intake screen?
We try to streamline this as much as possible when it comes to surveying, most of the time you can just email the dimensions of the screen(s) you need, and we are good to go. Sometimes however, we need a drawing to get a good grasp of the screen layout.
The drawing usually will show where cutouts, slits or wider border material are required.
Below is an example of what drawings look like:
Please email any requests to: info@theoacompany.com
It is really important that we craft your screen correctly the first time - so we have to nail the drawings.
If you are requesting a basic shaped screen with no custom built-in's, just send the dimensions over email or text.
I should also note that using any online drawing program would work perfectly fine.
We have had screens with upwards of 10 cutouts and slits, so we are well prepared to handle any project that you need help with.
Extra Things to Note:
if you have an abrasive edge that you are putting material over, we can sew in more boarder material to cover the screen to avoid any tearing.
If you are considering mounting with magnets, please ensure magnets will work for your unit(s).
If you are looking for framed screening options that go in a filter bank, we are currently working towards offering that.
If you are mounting on surfaces like galvanized steel - we highly recommend using glue for the majority of your mount points (excluding corners).
Other Handy Resources: Installing OA Intake Screens to Boost Your Air Filtration System
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