How do I know if an N95 mask is real?
A real N95 has the word NIOSH printed directly on the mask, along with an approval number you can look up in a public database. If the mask has no printing on it at all, or the number does not come back as valid, it is not an approved respirator no matter what the packaging says.
What a real N95 has printed on it
Approved respirators carry their markings on the mask itself, not just the box. Look for the word NIOSH spelled correctly, a filter rating (N95, N99, N100, R95, R99, R100, P95, P99, or P100), an approval number in the format TC-84A-####, the manufacturer's name with a model number, and two headbands that go around the back of your head rather than loops over your ears.
If the mask is blank, the decision is already made. Approved respirators are always marked.
How to check the number
NIOSH publishes every approved respirator in a public database called the Certified Equipment List. Search the TC number printed on your mask. If the search returns nothing, that number is not a valid approval and the product is not NIOSH approved. The list also shows any alternate brand names tied to that approval number, which helps when a mask is sold under a name you do not recognize.
The red flags
- No markings at all on the mask itself
- No approval number on the facepiece or headband
- NIOSH spelled wrong, which is one of the most common tells
- Ear loops instead of headbands, because ear loops cannot pull the seal tight enough against your face
- Decorative fabric, patterns, or add-ons
- Any claim that it is approved for children, which is always false since NIOSH approves no respiratory protection for children
- "FDA approved" on the packaging, since respirators are approved by NIOSH and not the FDA
Why it matters for wildfire smoke
Wildfire smoke is fine particulate, which is what an N95 is built to filter and what a cloth mask, surgical mask, or bandanna will not stop. A counterfeit gives you the feeling of protection without the protection, and smoke is a situation where you cannot tell the difference by how it feels.
Two limits even when the mask is genuine. A respirator filters particles and not gases, so if you can still smell smoke through a sealed mask, that is the signal to cut your time outside. For cleanup in a burned area, a P100 with multi-gas cartridges does more than an N95 can. Our wildfire evacuation plan guide covers both situations in detail.
What about children?
There is no approved answer, and we would rather say so. An adult small will often seal on a child around age seven or older. Below that age, the real plan is filtered indoor air and leaving early. Close the windows, set the HVAC to recirculate, and run a portable HEPA air purifier in one room. That room does more for a young child than any mask on the market.
Do you sell N95s?
Not right now. Our supplier cannot provide them as a standalone item, and we are not willing to put our name on a respirator we cannot verify. When we find a source we trust, we will add it. Until then you will buy yours elsewhere, and we would rather send you off knowing how to check it.
Our wildfire emergency kits cover the 72-hour foundation and leave room for the personal layer, respirators included. Every kit leaves space for the things only you can pack.
Because prepared families don't have to scramble.