Is Berkey NSF Certified? Only for Chlorine and Taste. Here Are Listed Alternatives

Partly. NSF lists the Big, Royal and Travel Berkey with the new Phoenix elements for chlorine, taste and odor only (NSF/ANSI 42). We found no listing for the Black Berkey elements, and no listing for any Berkey claim about lead, PFAS or germs. If you want a countertop tank that is listed for lead and PFAS, NSF lists the Patriot Pure Ultimate for both.

Amazon prices as of November 12, 2026 at 12:18 PM ET. Prices can change; the price on Amazon is the one that counts.

Berkey vs listed alternatives

"Listed for" comes from the certifier's own listing for that model, read October 14, 2026. Prices as of November 12, 2026 at 12:18 PM ET.

Filter	Listed for	Not listed for	Who lists it	Price
British Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl ceramic elements, 2-pack Model W9121226 · fits steel gravity tanks	Cysts, turbidity, microplastics, particles	Lead, PFAS, chlorine	NSF 42, 53, 401	$84.00	Amazon →
Black Berkey (BB9-2) elements and systems The original Berkey element	No listing found	—	None found	—	Not linked

We also searched NSF, IAPMO and WQA for Alexapure and ProOne gravity filters on October 14, 2026 and found no listing. Many Amazon listings sell "replacement" elements for Berkey; we found no listing for those either.

What "NSF 42" means on a Berkey box

NSF/ANSI 42 covers how water looks, tastes and smells, mainly chlorine. It does not cover health contaminants. Lead, PFAS and cysts are covered by NSF/ANSI 53, and germs by other standards. So "NSF certified" on a Berkey listing is true for the Phoenix version, but only for chlorine, taste and odor.

Some Berkey listings also say "NSF 372." That standard is about how little lead is in the parts the water touches. It does not mean the filter removes lead.

What happened with the EPA

December 27, 2022: the EPA ordered a Berkey distributor in Colorado to stop selling Black Berkey filter products.
May 8, 2023: the EPA sent the same kind of order to Berkey International. It says the Black Berkey filters contain silver and are sold with claims about germs, so they count as pesticides that must be registered, and they were not. The order stays in effect until the EPA lifts it in writing. Read the order (EPA PDF).
November 17, 2023: a federal court in Texas dismissed a suit against the EPA by Berkey's maker because the plaintiffs lacked standing. The appeals court later affirmed.
September 18, 2026: the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's refusal to block the order for Berkey International. Read the ruling.

The EPA order is about registration and labeling. It is not a recall and not a finding that Berkey water is unsafe. Berkey's sellers dispute the EPA's view. The newer Phoenix elements are what Berkey's sellers now offer in place of Black Berkey.

Which one to buy

You already own a Berkey tank: British Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl elements are listed for cysts and microplastics. They are not listed for lead or PFAS. See them on Amazon
You want the most removed for the least money: a reverse osmosis system under the sink. See certified reverse osmosis systems.

Questions people ask

Is Berkey NSF certified?

Only in part. On October 14, 2026, NSF listed the Big Berkey, Royal Berkey and Travel Berkey with the new Phoenix Gravity New Millennium Edition elements under NSF/ANSI 42 for chlorine, taste and odor. NSF listed no Berkey product under NSF/ANSI 53, the health standard for contaminants such as lead. We found no NSF, IAPMO or WQA listing for the Black Berkey elements.

Does Berkey remove lead or PFAS?

Berkey's sellers say so, but we found no certifier listing for those claims. A certification means a lab tested that exact model for that contaminant and a certifier lists it in public. For a countertop tank listed for lead and PFAS (PFOA and PFOS), see the Patriot Pure Ultimate.

Why did the EPA stop Berkey sales?

On May 8, 2023 the EPA ordered Berkey International to stop selling Black Berkey filter products. The order says the filters contain silver and are sold with claims about killing or removing germs, which makes them pesticides that must be registered with the EPA, and they were not. The order is about registration and labeling. It is not a recall or a safety finding.

Is the Berkey lawsuit over?

Not fully. A Texas federal court dismissed Berkey's suit against the EPA in November 2023 because the plaintiffs lacked standing, and the appeals court affirmed. In Puerto Rico, a court denied Berkey International's request to block the order, and on September 18, 2026 the First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that denial. That ruling was on a preliminary injunction, not a final judgment.

What is the Berkey Phoenix filter?

Phoenix Gravity New Millennium Edition is the newer Berkey filter element. It is the version NSF lists, for chlorine, taste and odor under NSF/ANSI 42.

Will British Berkefeld filters fit a Berkey?

British Berkefeld ceramic elements are made for the same kind of steel gravity tank, and sellers sell them for Berkey-style systems. Check the thread size and height for your tank. NSF lists the Ultra Sterasyl element for cysts, turbidity and microplastics, not for lead, PFAS or chlorine.

Sources, and what we did and did not check

NSF listings for Berkey (New Millennium Concepts), 4Patriots and Doulton: info.nsf.org, read October 14, 2026.
IAPMO R&T (pld.iapmo.org) and WQA (find.wqa.org) searched for Berkey, Alexapure, ProOne and Doulton, October 14, 2026: no listings.
EPA stop-sale order FIFRA-08-2023-0038 to Berkey International, May 8, 2023: EPA PDF.
New Millennium Concepts v. EPA, N.D. Tex. No. 4:23-cv-826 (dismissed November 17, 2023); Berkey International v. EPA, 1st Cir. No. 24-1917 (September 18, 2026).
Amazon listings and prices: Amazon's product API. A price shows only if we read it in the last 24 hours.
We did not: test any filter, or judge whether any filter works beyond what its listing covers. Brand lab reports are not certifier listings, so we do not use them.