Cigarette Filter Tar Reduction Claims: How to Read the Numbers
Many cigarette filter brands advertise a tar-reduction percentage. These numbers can come from different methods and conditions — or from no published measurement at all. Here's how to read such claims critically.
How Tar Reduction Is Measured
The standard method uses smoking machines set up according to ISO 3308, which simulate cigarette use with fixed puffs: 35 ml puffs at 60-second intervals, drawn through the cigarette (and, if tested, an add-on filter) into a Cambridge filter pad that captures the total particulate matter (TPM). The pad is weighed before and after. Subtracting nicotine and water gives 'tar' — technically NFDPM (nicotine-free dry particulate matter). To calculate a reduction percentage, a brand would compare the result with and without its filter.
What the Percentages Actually Mean
A machine-measured percentage only describes what happened under those machine conditions. People smoke differently — puff size, puff frequency and how deeply they inhale vary from person to person and from cigarette to cigarette — so a machine figure cannot simply be transferred to an individual smoker. For TS Teer STOP we have no such measurements, so we don't state a percentage.
The 'Compensation' Problem
Smokers tend to compensate when less smoke reaches them: they take more puffs, draw harder or inhale more deeply, often without noticing. This is one reason why so-called 'light' cigarettes did not turn out to be less harmful, and the same effect can apply to add-on filters. It is also why machine figures and real-world exposure can diverge.
How to Identify Honest Brands
Three signals of credible reporting: 1) Named source — the brand says who carried out the measurement. 2) Methodology transparency — the standard used (such as ISO 3308), the conditions and the sample size. 3) Real-world disclaimer — honest brands explain that machine figures don't translate directly to real smoking. If a percentage comes without this information, treat it with caution. For transparency: we have no such measurements for TS Teer STOP, which is why this site does not state any reduction percentage.
What to Compare Across Brands
When choosing a filter, compare: whether any reduction figure is backed by a described measurement, the design (one or two stages — as a description of how the filter is built, not as proof of performance), the size (regular or slim) and how many cigarettes each filter is meant for. Don't choose on a percentage alone.
Bottom Line
Tar reduction percentages should be read with skepticism: without a named source and a described method they tell you very little, and even a properly measured machine figure is not what an individual smoker inhales. No filter makes smoking safe — quitting is the most effective way to reduce the harm. See the TS Teer STOP product range →