The vacuum cleaner you just bought will play an important role in keeping your home clean. That’s why it’s important to carefully read over its specifications so you know how to properly use it.
The suction power is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a vacuum cleaner. If the unit doesn’t have enough suction power, it may not be able to clean your entire space effectively.
But you don’t know how to measure the suction power of vacuum cleaner through the specifications and it’s also hard to compare for that very reason.
Sit back, we’ve got you!

Here’s How To Measure Suction Power of Vacuum Cleaner
You must determine what is the best suction power for a vacuum cleaner that would be able to handle your space. And you do that by measuring the suction power by pascal, watts, or amps. You cannot skip emphasizing the two important factors for the measurement, which are airflow and sealed suction.
The Basics to Know
Before we talk about ways to measure suction power, it’s important to have a clear perspective of what we are trying to find.
The chamber of vacuum cleaners needs to get all the dirt particles you want to eliminate from your space. And that happens from the suction power of the unit, as it helps to suck all of the nasty stuff into that chamber.
There’s a motor in the unit that should work with a certain power for the whole mechanism to be better, faster, and more useful. And that happens when there’s an utmost pressure difference, between the vacuum outside and inside the area.
This power, that the motor needs, is the suction power we are aiming to measure. And now that you know the definition, the vacuum suction power measuring part should be easier to understand.
There are quite a few units of this measurement, which we will talk about one by one, keep reading…
Taking The Measurement in Pascals
Because the suction power creates pressure, one can measure pascals.
When a square meter of area experiences 1-newton force, that’s called 1 pascal. For most good vacuum cleaners, the pascal measurement is around 20 kPa.
And this means that every square meter area would experience a force of 2 tons. You can measure the suction power of the vacuum cleaner that you’re willing to purchase, by checking the specification and comparing it to the pascal standard that we just mentioned.
Can Also Be Measured in Watts
Now if you want to measure vacuum cleaner suction power in watts, it’s very much possible.
For your information, watt has to be a common one for evaluating the supplied power amount of a unit. The range for most vacuums would be from 40 to 2500 watts.
However, it’s not the same as suction power watts that we are trying to measure. You need to apply some math for getting the suction power watts.
For instance, the unit suction power can consume around 370 watts from a power wattage rating of 1600 watts. The remaking wattages are emaciated for all the other components that the vacuum has.
The Most Common Measurement is Taken in Amps
Most users of vacuum cleaners measure the suction power of that unit through amps. It’s quite similar with the wattage though. The good suction power consumption is not similar to the total consumption.
Here the range starts from 4 to 12 amps. And you must convert it into watts for having a clear view of what’s happening. The formula you can use here is, dividing watts by volts to get the amps.
Two Most Important Factors to Consider for The Measurement
- Airflow is the first most important vacuum suction power measurement factor we want you to consider. It’s measured through the CFM unit, which means cubic feet per minute. The more CFM value the unit has. the better suction power there will be.
- You must also consider a sleazed suction factor for measuring the suction power of a vacuum cleaner. It’s a test that checks the water level increase in a tube. Something that increases the water to 90 inches is supposed to be a powerful vacuum cleaner with high suction power.
Wrapping Up
So, we are done discussing how to measure suction power of vacuum cleaners using different units. Also, you now know the two most crucial factors for the measurement to happen accurately.
Apart from the specifications, there are other factors to consider when choosing a vacuum cleaner. Before making any decision, you should have a clear idea of your needs.
But suction power is one of the most important factors that you need to be gravely serious about.
Hope we were able to give you some good insight on it!
Relevant Resources: