OSHA Table 1 HEPA Vacuum Bags: The Pro Guide

Where OSHA Table 1 allows dust collection, it sets the requirement on the dust collector’s filter, not on the bag. The collector needs a filter of 99% or greater efficiency and a way to clean it, and the bag’s job is to catch the dust ahead of that filter. The wrong bag still costs you. One that does not seal lets dust into the tank around it, the cartridge clogs sooner, and suction at the shroud drops. This guide covers what the standard says, OEM against aftermarket bags, the replacement schedule, and how to document your setup.

The OSHA Rule in 60 Seconds

OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1153, the silica rule, limits worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica. Table 1 of the rule lists common construction tasks with the controls that satisfy it for each one, and the control depends on the tool:

• Saws. Handheld, walk-behind and stationary masonry saws cutting concrete get one control: water fed continuously to the blade. Table 1 lists no vacuum option for them, and OSHA’s July 25, 2019 letter of interpretation treats a grinder fitted with a cutting blade as a handheld power saw.
• Handheld grinders, other than mortar removal. Water fed to the grinding surface, outdoors only, or a shroud with a dust collector that moves at least 25 cfm per inch of wheel diameter through a filter of 99% or greater efficiency, with a cyclonic pre-separator or filter-cleaning mechanism. Mortar removal has the same collector rule and no water option.
• Handheld drills. A shroud with a dust collector at the airflow the tool maker recommends, with a filter of 99% or greater efficiency and a filter-cleaning mechanism, plus a HEPA-filtered vacuum to clean the holes.
• Jackhammers and chipping tools. Water at the point of impact, or a shroud with a dust collector at the tool maker’s airflow, with a filter of 99% or greater efficiency and a filter-cleaning mechanism.
• Walk-behind floor grinders. Water, or the maker’s dust collection system with a filter of 99% or greater efficiency and a filter-cleaning mechanism, plus a HEPA-filtered vacuum between passes indoors.

A HEPA filter, which the standard defines as at least 99.97% efficient at 0.3 microns, clears the 99% bar. The standard also names HEPA for cleanup: its housekeeping rule bars dry sweeping unless wet sweeping, HEPA-filtered vacuuming or another low-dust method is not feasible. OSHA’s text does not mention vacuum bags. The respirator column of Table 1 applies on top of every control above, and it changes with location and hours; our Silica Dust Safety Guide sets it out row by row.

Why the Bag Still Matters

In every extractor on this page, the rated filter is the cartridge: Festool’s HF-CT, Bosch’s VF110H, DeWalt’s DWV9330 and their equivalents. The bag goes in the tank and catches the dust before the air reaches that cartridge. A bag made for the machine seals at the inlet, holds the fine dust, and keeps the cartridge from loading as fast, so suction at the shroud holds up longer. It also lets you take the dust out sealed in a bag instead of dumping an open tank.

A bag that does not fit fails in a predictable way. Dust gets around the collar into the tank, the cartridge clogs sooner, and suction at the shroud drops. On a grinder, that suction is the control, and Table 1 sets its floor at 25 cfm per inch of wheel diameter.

The fix is simple: buy the bag the extractor maker specifies, or an aftermarket bag whose listing names your model. A filtration claim on the bag is a bonus. Fit decides whether the bag works.

OEM vs Aftermarket: When Each Wins

OEM bags (Festool, Bosch, DeWalt, etc.):

• Higher cost (~$3-8 per bag)
• Made for the machine, with the part number in the manual
• Fit matched to the inlet collar, so no leak around it
• The safe choice while the machine is under warranty (check whether your warranty covers aftermarket consumables)

Aftermarket bags:

• Lower cost (~$1.50-4 per bag)
• Filtration claims vary, and the bag is not the rated filter, so weigh fit first
• Fit varies; generic-claim bags don’t always seat correctly on Festool/Bosch collars
• Fine for crews not under OEM warranty if the listing names your model and the bag seals

Bottom line: at 100 bags a year and a $5 OEM premium, aftermarket saves about $500 a year. That saving is worth taking when the aftermarket bag is made for your model and seals at the inlet. A bag that does not fit costs more than it saves, in clogged cartridges and lost suction at the shroud.

Replacement Schedule

Trigger	When to Replace
Bag at 2/3 full	Always; concrete dust compacts and restricts airflow before bag looks full
Heavy-cut production week	At minimum weekly, even if bag isn’t full
Any visible tear or seal compromise	Immediately; a torn bag sends dust straight to the filter
New crew member taking over	Replace and reset visual baseline
End of multi-day project	Replace before storage to prevent moisture migration into bag

The “2/3 full” rule matters because compacted concrete dust restricts airflow before the bag visually looks full. Reduced airflow means less suction at the shroud and more dust escaping the capture zone, and on a grinder Table 1 sets that airflow at 25 cfm or more per inch of wheel diameter. Bag changes are an operating cost, and a cheap one next to a clogged cartridge or a citation.

Vacuum-Brand Compatibility Quick Reference

Vacuum Brand	Common Models	OEM Bag
Festool	CT 15 / CT 26 / CT 36 / CT 48	496187 Selfclean, 5-pack, CT 26 · 496186 for CT 36
Bosch	VAC090A / VAC090AH	VB090F fleece, 5-pack, dry use · VB090S for wet
DeWalt	DWV010 / DWV012	DWV9402 fleece, 5-pack · DWV9401 paper
Milwaukee	PACKOUT wet/dry 0960-20 / 0970-20	49-90-2016 fleece, aftermarket; we found no Milwaukee-branded listing, so confirm the fit for your model. The 9-gal 0888-20 takes a different bag
Makita	VC4710 / XCV11Z	Verify OEM part for your model
Ridgid	NXT Pro Series	Verify OEM part, varies by tank size
Hilti	VC 20-UL / VC 40-UL	Model-specific fleece, verify part
Generic Shop-Vac	Various	Aftermarket; confirm the listing names your model

Four rows above link a specific listing we checked on September 22, 2026. The Makita, Ridgid, Hilti and generic rows still point at a search on purpose, because the listings we found either did not match the model named in the row or were ordinary shop-vac bags, and a bag that does not fit is worse than one more minute of searching.

Bosch’s VB090F is dry-use fleece, wet-vac use damages it; use the VB090S for wet recovery. Always verify against the specific vacuum model, Festool CT 26 takes different bags than CT 36, for example. The HEPA bags by vacuum brand hub carries the full verified breakdown including the matching HEPA filter cartridge per brand.

When the Bag Is Not the Problem

Table 1 sets its rule on the extractor, not the bag. If the machine underneath lacks a rated filter, a filter-cleaning mechanism, or enough airflow for the shroud, no bag on the market fixes it, and better bags for a shop vac are money spent on the wrong end of the problem.

Three checks before you buy another bag:

1. Is the filter rated, or only labeled? Table 1 requires a filter of 99% or greater efficiency. A HEPA filter, at least 99.97% at 0.3 microns under the standard’s definition, clears that bar. “HEPA-style” and “HEPA-like” are marketing terms with no rating behind them. If the spec sheet states no efficiency figure, you cannot show an inspector that the setup meets Table 1.
2. Does it clean its own filter? Table 1 requires a filter-cleaning mechanism on the collector, and a grinder setup may use a cyclonic pre-separator instead. A shop vac with a good filter, no cleaning cycle and no pre-separator does not meet that line of the table.
3. Does it move enough air for your shroud? For a handheld grinder, Table 1 sets the floor at 25 cfm per inch of wheel diameter, so a 5-inch wheel needs 125 cfm and a 7-inch wheel needs 175 cfm. For drills and chipping tools, the floor is the airflow the tool maker recommends.

If the machine fails one of those, replacing it is the fix. Two machines with automatic filter cleaning: the Bosch VAC090AH, 9 gallon, about $633, whose listing states 99.97% at 0.3 microns, and the DeWalt DWV010, 8 gallon, about $488, which DeWalt describes as part of an OSHA-compliant system under 1926.1153 but without an efficiency figure on its product page. Confirm the filter efficiency and the airflow for your wheel diameter before buying, since the category name alone guarantees nothing.

Worth stating plainly: if your work is saw cutting, Table 1 offers no dust-collection option at all. Handheld, walk-behind and masonry saws on concrete get one control, water fed to the blade. An extractor on a saw job earns its place for cleanup, not as the cutting control.

How to Document Compliance for an OSHA Audit

If an OSHA compliance officer asks about your silica control, you want documentation ready, not improvisation:

1. Equipment spec sheets on file: extractor, filter and bag, showing the filter efficiency, the airflow and the filter-cleaning mechanism
2. Bag replacement log: date, vacuum model, bag part number, replaced by [name]
3. Bag and filter purchase records: invoices show you buying the specified bags and filters at a rate consistent with crew size and workload
4. Written silica exposure control plan: the standard requires one, describing each task, the engineering controls, work practices and respirators used for it, and your housekeeping measures
5. Training records: the crew knows which Table 1 control applies to each tool and when to replace bags and filters

When in Doubt, Wet Cut

For a cut-off saw, water is not the backup plan. It is the Table 1 control. Plumbed water on a cut-off saw (Stihl TS 420, Husqvarna K 770/K 970, Milwaukee MX FUEL COS350) or a masonry saw’s water feed meets the engineering-control column of Table 1 with no extractor involved. The respirator column still applies: for a handheld saw, none outdoors up to four hours in a shift, and APF 10 beyond four hours or anywhere indoors.

If your crew grinds as well as cuts, carry both: water for the saws, a shroud and extractor for the grinders, and a HEPA vacuum for cleanup.

For the full silica control framework, see our Silica Dust Safety Guide. For PPE selection and dust shroud picks, see our Concrete Saw Safety Checklist.