Is Brita NSF certified?

Last reviewed July 2026.

Yes — but only some models. Brita filters appear in the public certified listings (WQA), yet the certification is per model, and the models differ on the one thing most buyers care about: lead. Some Brita filters hold NSF/ANSI 53 (health effects, which is where lead lives). Others are certified only to NSF/ANSI 42 — chlorine, taste and odour. Both are honestly "certified". Only one filters lead.

What the listing actually says

OB06: WQA Gold Seal certified to NSF/ANSI 42, 53 and 401. Brita's US pitcher filters are certified by WQA, not NSF — they do not appear in the NSF listing database.

OB03: Certified to NSF/ANSI 42 (aesthetic effects — chlorine taste and odor) ONLY. It carries no NSF/ANSI 53 health certification, so it makes no certified lead claim. Brita's own product page lists chlorine, mercury, copper and cadmium — lead is absent.

What those standard numbers mean

• NSF/ANSI 42 — aesthetic effects (chlorine, taste and odour). Not a health claim.
• NSF/ANSI 53 — health effects. This is the standard that covers lead.
• NSF/ANSI 401 — emerging contaminants: PFOA/PFOS, pharmaceuticals, microplastics.

Verify it yourself: every Brita row above links the certifier's own listing. If a number here disagrees with the listing, the listing wins — tell us and we'll fix it.

What the certified claim costs to run

Certification is per model, and so is the running cost. The cheapest Brita model carrying the claim is the Elite Replacement Filter (formerly Longlast+) (OB06) at about $19.99 per filter for a certified 120 gallons — $0.167 per certified gallon.

That capacity is what the certifier tested to, not a marketing estimate. For one person drinking about half a gallon a day it is roughly 8 months per filter; for a family of four, closer to 2 months. Run past the rated capacity and the claim no longer applies — the media is exhausted even though the filter still passes water.

See how Brita ranks on cost per certified gallon against every filter we track →

Related: Does Brita remove lead? · Does Brita remove PFAS?

We do not test filters — we index what accredited certifiers publish, with attribution, and make no health or treatment claims. A certification covers a specific model against a specific standard; it is not a general seal of quality. We are not affiliated with NSF International.