Respirator Cartridge Color Chart

Not sure which cartridge? Our free respirator cartridge selector maps your hazard to the right NIOSH class, color code, and example models — with the supplied-air safety gates up front.

Respirator Cartridge Color Chart — Every Color, Every Hazard, Every Product

Reviewed by the WC Safety Editorial — Last updated: May 2026.

Short answer: NIOSH standardizes respirator cartridge colors under 42 CFR Part 84. Black = organic vapor. Magenta = P100 particulate. White = acid gas. Yellow = OV + acid gas. Green = ammonia. Olive = multi-gas. Blue = carbon monoxide. Combination cartridges show two colors simultaneously. Every NIOSH-approved brand — 3M, Honeywell North, Moldex, MSA — follows the same system. Use the fast-lookup table below to go from color to product.

Fast Lookup: Color → Hazard → Product

Find your color, confirm the hazard, click the product. For full selection guidance see the complete respirator cartridge selection guide.

NIOSH regulatory basis: Color coding is mandatory under NIOSH 42 CFR Part 84. All NIOSH-approved cartridges must display the correct color — it is a federal marking requirement. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134(d)(1) requires NIOSH-approved respirators matched to the specific hazard. Shop 3M cartridges and Honeywell North cartridges at WC Safety.

How to Verify Your Cartridge Color Before Every Use

A wrong cartridge on the right facepiece provides no protection. This three-step field check takes under thirty seconds and should happen before every donning.

Common Respirator Cartridge Color Mistakes

What Does Each Respirator Cartridge Color Mean?

Black — Organic Vapor (OV)

Black cartridges contain activated carbon that adsorbs vapor-phase organic chemicals: solvents (xylene, toluene, MEK, acetone, mineral spirits), paint fumes during brush or roller application, lacquers, degreasers, and petroleum vapors. OV cartridges are rated for chemicals with boiling points above 65°C and require a written OSHA change schedule. Black does not protect against particles, acid gases, or ammonia. Products: 3M 6001 (3M half-mask) · North N75001L (North half-mask).

Magenta / Purple — P100 Particulate

Magenta indicates P100 — 99.97% efficiency at the most penetrating particle size (0.3 microns), oil-proof rated. Protects against silica dust, lead, asbestos, welding fume, mold spores, wood dust. Does not protect against gases or vapors of any kind. Products: 3M 2091 · North 7580P100.

White — Acid Gas

White cartridges use chemisorbent media (impregnated activated carbon or inorganic base) that reacts with acid gas molecules. Protects against chlorine (Cl₂), hydrogen chloride (HCl), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and hydrogen fluoride (HF). At elevated acid gas concentrations, a full-face respirator is required because acid gases also severely irritate eyes. Products: 3M 6002 · North N75002L.

Yellow — OV + Acid Gas

Yellow combines an activated carbon OV layer with an acid gas chemisorbent in one cartridge. No P100 particulate protection. Use when solvents and acid gases are both present but particles are not. Product: 3M 6003 (SKU: 3M-6003).

Green — Ammonia / Methylamine

Green cartridges use specialized impregnated sorbent for alkaline gases — ammonia is not captured by standard OV carbon. At ammonia concentrations above 25 ppm (OSHA PEL), eye irritation warrants a full-face respirator. Products: 3M 6004 (SKU: 3M-6004) · 3M 60924 (green + magenta, adds P100).

Olive / Tan — Multi-Gas Vapor

Olive is the broadest vapor-only color — OV, acid gas, ammonia, and methylamine simultaneously in one cartridge. No P100. Used in chemical plants, environmental remediation, and any scenario requiring broad gas coverage. Products: 3M 6006 · North 75SCL Defender.

Black + Magenta — OV / P100 Combination

The most common combination cartridge in general industry. Black + magenta means organic vapor plus P100 particulate in one unit — the correct cartridge for spray painting, epoxy, polyurethane clearcoat, and isocyanate coatings. The OV layer captures solvent vapor; the P100 layer captures atomized mist and aerosol. Products: 3M 60921 · North 75SCP100L · North 7581P100L. See: paint fumes guide.

White + Magenta — Acid Gas / P100

White + magenta provides acid gas protection plus P100 particulate filtration in one cartridge. Use when acid gases (Cl₂, HCl, SO₂) and solid particulates are present simultaneously — for example, pool chemical handling with calcium hypochlorite dust, or metal pickling with mist and particles. Provides no OV protection. Products: 3M 60922 (SKU: 3M-60922) · North 7582P100L.

Yellow + Magenta — OV / Acid Gas / P100

Yellow + magenta delivers organic vapor, acid gas, and P100 particulate protection together — one of the broadest combination cartridges available in the 3M lineup without adding ammonia coverage. Use in industrial chemical processing environments where solvents, acid gases, and particles are all simultaneously present. Product: 3M 60923 (SKU: 3M-60923). For the North platform, the North 7582P100L covers acid gas/P100 and the North 75SCP100L covers OV/P100.

Olive + Magenta — Multi-Gas / P100

Olive + magenta is the broadest single-cartridge option available for most elastomeric respirators — OV, acid gas, ammonia, methylamine, and P100 particulate in one unit. If you need to cover multiple unknown or variable gas/vapor hazards plus dust, olive + magenta is the correct selection. It still does not protect against carbon monoxide, oxygen deficiency, or IDLH concentrations. Product: 3M 60926 (SKU: 3M-60926).

Brown — Formaldehyde (Specialty)

Brown indicates formaldehyde-specific impregnation. Standard OV (black) cartridges provide inadequate protection against formaldehyde because of its low boiling point (−19°C) and high polarity — formaldehyde requires an impregnated sorbent, not plain activated carbon. Formaldehyde work is governed by OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1048. Applications: embalming, phenol-formaldehyde resin manufacturing, particle board and MDF fabrication. Colour banding for formaldehyde is not one of the base 42 CFR Part 84 assignments and varies between manufacturers and between the NIOSH and European (EN 14387) systems, where brown denotes Type A organic vapour — so confirm formaldehyde coverage on the cartridge's NIOSH approval label rather than on its colour. In the WC Safety catalog the multi-contaminant North 75SCP100L is the option Honeywell identifies as covering formaldehyde. The North 7583P100L is OV / acid gas / P100 and is not a formaldehyde cartridge.

Blue — Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Blue is the NIOSH color for carbon monoxide cartridges. CO cartridges use hopcalite catalyst (a manganese/copper oxide mixture) that oxidizes CO to CO₂. In practice, standalone CO APR cartridges have very limited use: hopcalite is sensitive to moisture, has a short service life once opened, and CO's IDLH of 1,200 ppm is only 20× its PEL of 50 ppm — making the margin between permissible and immediately dangerous very narrow. OSHA generally requires supplied-air or SCBA for serious CO exposure rather than air-purifying CO cartridges. If CO appears on an SDS as a co-hazard, consult an industrial hygienist before selecting an APR solution.

Related reference

Related on this site: honeywell north 7583p100l vs 3m 60923: organic vapor, acid gas & p100, how to choose a respirator cartridge: complete selection guide, honeywell north 7580p100 vs 75scp100l: p100 filter vs multi-gas, honeywell north n75001l vs n75002l: organic vapor vs acid gas, honeywell north n75002l vs 7582p100l: acid gas vs acid gas/p100 — when, and msa vs honeywell north respirator cartridges: complete comparison.

Why trust WC Safety

WC Safety is an independent, affiliate-supported review site. It is not a retailer: it holds no inventory, takes no orders, and earns only from qualifying purchases through clearly marked links — which never changes what a product is rated to do. Standards language is taken from the regulation text directly, and ratings are reported as the manufacturer publishes them. We run no laboratory and perform no testing of our own. Where published sources disagree, we say so and plan on the conservative figure rather than the flattering one.

Our methodology

Figures come from the regulation and the published specification, in that order. Derated numbers are calculated, not estimated. Nothing here is presented as a measured result, because we measure nothing.

Researched and written by Steven Eaton, editor of WC Safety. Steven holds no safety certification and does not test products; this page compares what manufacturers and regulators publish, with the gaps in that record marked. Last reviewed August 2026.

Affiliate disclosure: as an Amazon Associate, WC Safety earns from qualifying purchases. WC Safety is not a retailer and takes no orders — links go to the seller, and the price you pay is unchanged.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the orange (mercury vapor) band require that other colors do not?

An end-of-service-life indicator: mercury vapor gives no reliable odor warning, so mercury-rated cartridges pair the orange band with an ESLI that shows when the sorbent is spent. It is the clearest example of why change schedules — not smell — govern cartridge life across every color on this chart.

Can I stack cartridges or filters to combine colors?

Only in configurations the manufacturer's NIOSH approval explicitly covers — typically a particulate prefilter or pad mounted over a gas cartridge with the approved retainer. Improvised stacking voids the approval; where you need two hazard families covered, buy the combination cartridge that carries both bands from the factory.