Wood dust extractor
Updated: 2026-10-21
You have just cut a length of oak on the mitre saw in a UK shed, and the fine dust is still in the light. A wood dust extractor on the tool, a vacuum for the floor, and a mask are three controls, and a tidy bench is not the same thing as clean air. Prices are the amazon.co.uk figures stored for this comparison on 19 October 2026. The Products Compared editorial team used those listings and public UK guidance, and did not lab-test the machines. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The shelf is on the [dust extractor comparison](/hub/workshop/dust-extractor).
You have just cut a length of oak on the mitre saw in a UK shed, and the fine dust is still in the light.
You have just cut a length of oak on the mitre saw in a UK shed, and the fine dust is still in the light. A wood dust extractor on the tool, a vacuum for the floor, and a mask are three controls, and a tidy bench is not the same thing as clean air. Prices are the amazon.co.uk figures stored for this comparison on 19 October 2026. The Products Compared editorial team used those listings and public UK guidance, and did not lab-test the machines. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The shelf is on the dust extractor comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Dust class | Supply | Fits when | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Trend Trend T32 | M-class | 240 V | A house socket, and you switch it yourself | 8.2 | about £114.95 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Trend Trend T35A | M-class | 240 V | Auto-start and the 7 m hose on the Amazon listing | 7.5 | about £334.48 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Trend Trend T33AL 110 V | M-class | 110 V | Only if you already have a 110 V supply | 5.9 | about £226.95 | View offer |
On this page
The limits you can quote
The Health and Safety Executive sets wood-dust limits as a concentration over an eight-hour shift. Hardwood dust is 3 mg per cubic metre. Softwood dust is 5 mg per cubic metre. A mixture uses 3 mg/m³ for all of the wood dust, not the higher softwood figure for part of the day. You can quote that number. You cannot read it off a hose diameter or a star rating. A haze is a warning, not a measurement. L-class is the band HSE associates with lower-toxicity dusts such as gypsum. Oak and pine on the same day still take 3 mg/m³ for the whole mix.
Extraction on the tool
HSE's cutting and sanding guidance points on-tool extraction at class M or class H, and it asks for an antistatic hose. Class M is the minimum this comparison can point at in these listings. It does not prove the air in the shed stayed under 3 mg/m³. Three listings state M-class: the Trend T32 on 240 V, the Trend T35A on 240 V, and the Trend T33AL on 110 V, which will not run from a BS 1363 socket. The Bosch GAS12-25LS is L-class and the wrong label for hardwood or MDF. The Evolution, the KATSU and the Vacmaster state no class. The honest buy is on the M class dust extractor vs shop vac page.
Cleaning up afterwards
HSE's wood-dust pages say you clean with a vacuum that at least meets class M, and you do not sweep or blow the dust. A brush on concrete puts the fine fraction back into the air. Extraction on the saw during the cut does not clear the floor, the bench or the inside of the guard. If the T32 has run on the mitre saw and you then sweep the pale film into a dustpan, the saw was extracted and the floor was not. Emptying the drum sits on the how to use a dust extractor page.
Masks, employees and the line you do not cross
A running extractor does not retire a mask for sanding or a long cut. HSE treats respiratory protection with an assigned protection factor of at least 20, the FFP3 band, as likely on top of extraction. Hand-sanding MDF for an hour keeps the mask on. A hobby shed is not the employer duty in COSHH regulation 9. Call a competent person when you employ people, an electrician if you are building 110 V for the T33AL, a licensed contractor for asbestos, which none of these listings is for, and a doctor for chest or skin symptoms. Volts and take-off are on the dust extractor buying guide.
Common questions
What is the UK limit for wood dust?
The Health and Safety Executive sets hardwood dust at 3 mg/m³ and softwood dust at 5 mg/m³, both over eight hours. The figure is a concentration in the air across a shift, not a judgement you make by looking at the bench. It is not printed on the extractor as a pass or fail. Mixed hardwood and softwood dust is judged at 3 mg/m³, not at the higher softwood number.
Does hardwood and softwood mixed use the higher or the lower limit?
The mixture uses the lower limit. HSE applies 3 mg/m³ to all of the wood dust when hardwood and softwood are worked together. Oak offcuts and pine offcuts on the same Saturday are that case. You do not split the day into two limits because you changed timber halfway through, and you do not average the two figures.
Can I sweep the floor if I have an extractor on the saw?
No. HSE says you do not sweep or blow wood dust, even when extraction ran on the tool during the cut. A brush lifts the fine dust back into the air. Clean the floor, the bench and the guards with a vacuum that at least meets class M. An extractor on the saw and a dustpan on the concrete are not the same control.
Is an L-class machine enough for MDF?
MDF is wood dust, and HSE points wood-dust cleanup at class M or better, not at the L band it associates with dusts such as gypsum. In this set the Bosch GAS12-25LS states L-class, at about £192.98, which is the wrong label for MDF or hardwood. The M-class listings are the Trend T32, the T35A and the T33AL. The T33AL is 110 V only.
Do I still need a mask if the extractor is running?
Yes for sanding and for a long cut. HSE still points at respiratory protection with an assigned protection factor of at least 20, such as FFP3, while extraction is running. The hose cuts what leaves the tool. It does not measure what you breathe over the shift, and a mask that does not seal does not replace that missing measurement.
Does a home workshop need a 14-month test?
A hobby workshop is not the employer duty in COSHH regulation 9. That regulation requires a thorough examination of local exhaust ventilation at least every 14 months where an employer relies on the extraction, with records kept for five years. If you employ people, the test is for a competent person. Owning a Trend in a shed is not, by itself, that examination.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Updated October 2026.
- HSE: Wood dust (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: CIS69 Controlling construction dust with on-tool extraction (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: Cutting and sanding wood (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: WD7 Wood dust (retrieved October 2026)
- COSHH regulation 9 (retrieved October 2026)
- HSE: Electrical systems in buildings (retrieved October 2026)
- Bosch Professional GB: Dust extractors (retrieved October 2026)
- Trend UK: T35A 1400 W M-class dust extractor (retrieved October 2026)