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Lab Fume Hood Specifications: 2026 RFQ Checklist
A lab fume hood RFQ often fails because it lists width, material, and face velocity but omits the process, containment target, and building interfaces. A reliable specification treats the laboratory fume hood and exhaust system as one performance package with measurable tests and payment hold points.
Lab Fume Hood Procurement Checklist at a Glance
RFQ section | Minimum requirement | Planning benchmark |
Process | Chemicals, temperatures, equipment envelope | Standard 4–6 ft unit: $6,000–$15,000 ex-works |
Materials | Liner, worktop, sash, corrosion class | Specialty unit: often $15,000–$35,000 |
Airflow | Sash height, control mode, containment target | 60–100 fpm is common; performance governs |
System | Duct, fan, stack, make-up air, balancing | Building work: $10,000–$40,000 per hood |
These 2026 allowances come from international laboratory projects, not quotations. Freight, scrubbers, certification, and local labor can move installed cost by more than 50%.
Convert the Laboratory Process Into a Technical Specification
Chemical Inventory, Equipment Dimensions, Heat Loads, and Working Clearance
List each chemical, concentration, maximum open quantity, temperature, and incompatibility. State apparatus dimensions, heat load, and sash opening; a 1,500-mm hood can become unusable when a 900-mm reactor leaves inadequate clearance.
In our experience, equipment-envelope checks prevent more redesign than increasing hood width later. Allow roughly 150 mm around apparatus and keep equipment away from the rear baffle.
Liner, Worktop, Sash, Utilities, Cleanability, and Corrosion Resistance
Match materials to the process: phenolic resin for many general chemicals, polypropylene for strong acids, stainless steel for cleanability, and dedicated construction for perchloric acid or radioisotopes. Specify the spill edge, sash glass, opening limit, valves, outlets, lighting, and access panels.
A standard chemical fume hood may contain seams and painted surfaces acceptable in a normal lab but difficult to sanitize in a GMP cleanroom. Flush panels improve cleanability but add cost and can slow maintenance.
Specify Airflow and Building-Service Requirements
CAV, VAV, Low-Flow Design, Face Velocity, Alarms, and Containment Performance
State whether control is CAV, VAV, two-state, or low-flow. SEFA 1-2026 gives 60–100 fpm as a widely accepted average range while warning that velocity alone is not a safety measure; ASHRAE 110 evaluates velocity, smoke visualization, and tracer-gas containment.
For a 5 ft × 2.5 ft opening, 80 fpm equals approximately 1,000 cfm. A high-performance laboratory fume hood may reduce exhaust, but the RFQ must fix sash height, alarm setpoint, VAV response, and containment value.
Exhaust Ducts, Fans, Discharge Stacks, Make-Up Air, and Pressure Control
Define duct material, joints, drainage, fan redundancy, stack height, discharge velocity, noise, and corrosion protection. NFPA 45’s 2024 edition addresses chemical-laboratory fire protection, while ANSI/ASSP Z9.5-2022 covers system design, commissioning, maintenance, and ventilation management.
From the projects we’ve completed, the ducted fume hood is rarely the largest coordination risk; insufficient make-up air is. Removing 1,000 cfm without matched supply can destabilize doors, temperature, room pressure, and cleanroom pressure cascades, so require airflow schedules for every operating mode.
Define Supplier Documentation and Acceptance Testing
Drawings, Material Certificates, Test Reports, Electrical Data, and Spare Parts
Require drawings, utility points, exhaust collar size, pressure-drop data, material certificates, wiring diagrams, control sequences, spare-parts lists, and “as manufactured” ASHRAE 110 reports. Ask for fan curves and static-pressure calculations, not only a fan model number.
For a ducted fume hood package, hold approval until every exclusion is listed. Common gaps include transitions, roof curbs, drives, fire stopping, isolators, and building-management-system points.
Factory Testing, Site Installation, Air Balancing, and ASHRAE 110 Commissioning
Use three gates: factory inspection, installation verification, and testing after HVAC balancing. ASHRAE identifies Standard 110-2016 (RA 2025) as the current method, while SEFA calls for installed testing under occupation-ready conditions.
Before final payment, verify sash movement, alarms, face-velocity mapping, smoke behavior, tracer-gas containment, VAV response, room pressure, noise, and emergency modes. Independent field testing often needs a $1,000–$3,000-per-hood allowance, excluding travel or retesting.
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We'll call you
In order to serve you better, if you could kindly send an e-mail to nick@biogreenness.com for questions and details.
