William Greco, Warrington, Pa.

Page-1 of 3
w2gre@Verizon.net
March 2, 2013
Duct Air Leakage
Executive Summary
In this article the leakage equation found in ASHRAE Fundamentals handbooks has been
modified to provide an easier to use and practical formula.
Main
Conditioned duct systems generally leak a certain percentage of air.
Most calculations made by consulting engineers concerning duct leakage are
simply assumed to be a fixed percentage. Leakage is an important consideration in
duct design. All ducts leak air, causing a reduction of cooling or heating capacity.
The rate of leakage can vary considerably depending on the various duct sealing
methods used during conditioning system installation.
Leakage Classifications
The following table are averages based on tests conducted by various societies and
associations and can be found in ASHRAE fundamentals handbooks. The values listed
in Table-1 are averages, for a more complete listing see ASHRAE fundamentals handbooks .
Equation-1 can be found in ASHRAE fundamentals handbooks as:
( )
0.65
Equation-1
Where:
Duct classification
CFM leakage per 100 sqft of duct surface
Static Duct Pressure Differential
L
L
Q
C
P
C
Q
P inwg
A
=
=
A =
=
Table-1 Duct Leakage Classification
Duct Type Sealed Unsealed
Round and Flat Oval 3 30
Rectangular Less than 2inwg both
positive and negative D pressure
12 48
Rectangular greater than 2inwg both
positive and negative D pressure
6 48
Flexible Metal Duct 8 30
Flexible Non Metal Duct 12 30
Fiberglass Rectangular 6 NA
Fiberglass Circular 3 NA
William Greco, Warrington, Pa. Page-2 of 3
w2gre@Verizon.net
March 2, 2013 Duct Air Leakage
Equation-1 becomes Equation 1a by substituting the 100 sqft of duct surface into Equation-1:
( )
0.65
100
Equation-1a
L
Q
C
P A
=
Multiply each term in the equation by
0.65
P A and cancel like terms to get:
( )
( )
( )
0.65 0.65
0.65
100
L
Q
C P P
P
A A
A
=
Divide each term in the equation by 100:
( )
( )
0.65
100
100 100
L
C P
Q
A
=
Switch sides:
( )
( )
0.65
1
1
Equation-2
100
Where:
Duct classification
CFM leakage per square foot of duct surface
Static Duct Pressure Differential
L
L
C P
Q
C
Q
P inwg
A
=
=
=
A =
Total CFM leakage for each rectangular duct main or branch:
( )
( )( )
( )
( )
( )
0.65
2 2 Equation-3
100
Where:
Duct classification
Total CFM leakage for rectangular duct
Static Duct Pressure Differential
Length of duct feet
Depth of duct feet
L
L
R
R
C P
Q L D W
C
Q
P inwg
L
D
W
A
= +
=
=
A =
=
=
= ( ) Width of duct feet
William Greco, Warrington, Pa. Page-3 of 3
w2gre@Verizon.net
March 2, 2013
Total CFM leakage for each circular duct main or branch:
( )
( )( )
( )
( )
( )
0.65
Equation-4
100
Where:
Duct classification
Total CFM leakage for circular duct
Static Duct Pressure Differential
Length of duct feet
Diameter of duct feet
L
L
C P
Q L D
C
Q
P inwg
L
D
c
c

A
=
=
=
A =
=
=
Example:
A 24 foot long rectangular duct measuring 18 x 24 inches with 1.5 inches of pressure will lose
the following capacity of air (cubic feet per minute) :
( )
( )( )
0.65
2 2 Equation-3
100
L
R
C P
Q L D W
A
= +
( )
( )
0.65
12 1.5
18 24
24 = 13.12 cfm
100 12 12
R
Q
| |
= +
|
\ .
Reference:
ASHRAE Fundamentals handbook