Referenced in 2018 IECC. Though other ASHRAE standards aim to reduce the overall air leakage found in HVAC systems, they do not provide a way to determine the effectiveness of specific components in an HVAC system in preventing air leakage. ASHRAE Standard 193 was created specifically to test the airtightness of HVAC equipment. It provides results that cognizant authorities can use to regulate air leakage of HVAC equipment and that contractors and installers can use to specify and install equipment with known leakage characteristics.
The 2014 reaffirmation of this standard provides minor editorial updates.