Hayward Pool Filter Cartridge: Sizes, Parts, and Costs

Hayward has been building pool filtration for decades, which is why so many backyards run a hayward pool filter cartridge setup without the owner ever knowing which element is actually inside the tank. Then flow drops, the pressure gauge climbs, and suddenly the part number matters. The trouble is that Hayward has sold at least three distinct cartridge families over the years, each with its own numbering, and the aftermarket adds three more naming systems on top. This guide sorts out which cartridge belongs in which housing, what the honest difference is between genuine Hayward elements and Pleatco or Unicel replacements, how long a cartridge should realistically last, and what you should expect to pay when it is time to buy.

Which Cartridge Fits Your Hayward Filter?

The model number printed on the filter tank label determines the cartridge. Nothing else does. Hayward publishes one replacement part number for each housing, and aftermarket manufacturers including Pleatco, Unicel, and Filbur cross-reference their own catalog numbers back to that same Hayward part. Find the label, read the model, buy any element that cross-references to it.

The label is a sticker or molded plate on the side of the tank, usually near the base, or on the collar just under the head on smaller units. You are looking for a code like C250, C500, C750, C1200, C2030, C3030, C4030, or C5030. That code, not the pump horsepower and not the pool gallonage, decides the part.

Two things trip people up. First, the pump has its own model number and it is irrelevant to cartridge selection. Second, the housing model and the cartridge part number look similar but are not the same string, so a C1200 tank does not take a cartridge stamped C1200. Write down the tank model first, then look up the element.

If the label is faded or missing, measure the old cartridge with the tank open: outside diameter, overall height, and the end cap style at each end. Those three numbers identify almost any element in the Hayward catalog. Our Hayward pool filter guide walks through identifying each housing family if you are not sure whether you own a Star-Clear, a SwimClear, or an EasyClear.

Hayward Cartridge Cross-Reference Table

The table below covers the housings most commonly found in backyards. Treat it as a starting point for your search rather than a purchase order.

Confirm the number against your own housing label before you order. Hayward revises part numbers between production runs, adds and drops suffixes such as the trailing XRE, and the same tank model sold ten years apart can call for a differently coded element. The suffix is the part that catches people out most often, because the EasyClear C500 and the Star-Clear Plus C500 share a housing model number but not a cartridge. If your label and this table disagree, the label wins every time.

One more note on the SwimClear line: those housings use a matched set of four elements, not one. A hayward swimclear cartridge is always bought and replaced as a group of four, and mixing a new element into three tired ones just loads the new one unevenly. If you only need seals, O-rings, or a manifold rather than media, our rundown of common pool filter parts covers what wears out alongside the cartridge.

OEM vs Aftermarket Cartridges

There are three tiers in this market, and the middle one is where most owners should shop.

Genuine Hayward. The branded element costs the most and fits exactly, with no guesswork about end cap depth or overall height. If your filter is under warranty, or you have been burned by a poor fit before, the premium buys certainty. It does not buy dramatically better filtration.

Established aftermarket. Pleatco, Unicel, and Filbur build to the original dimensions and, in most sizes, use media that performs on par with the Hayward part while costing meaningfully less. These are what most pool service companies stock. When you shop for pool filter cartridges for hayward systems, this tier is the value pick, and a Pleatco or Unicel cross-reference number is a reliable signal that the element was engineered for your housing rather than approximated.

Shop Pleatco Hayward replacement cartridges on Amazon

Unbranded bargain elements. This is where the savings turn into a false economy. The cheapest listings frequently carry less media than the square footage on the label implies, use thinner filter paper that mats down early, and mold end caps that soften or collapse after one season of heat and chemistry. A cartridge that costs half as much and lasts a third as long is not a deal.

Three things to check before you buy, in any tier:

• Stated square footage. It should match the number Hayward specifies for your housing. An element advertised at a lower area than your tank calls for will short cycle and clog fast.
• Pleat count and depth. More, deeper pleats mean more real surface area. Photos that show shallow, widely spaced folds on a supposedly high area cartridge are a warning sign.
• End cap fit. Compare the end caps in the listing photos to the element you pulled out. Open-ended, closed-ended, and keyed caps are not interchangeable, and a mismatch lets water bypass the media entirely.

If you would rather start from a shortlist than a spec sheet, our roundup of the best pool filter cartridge replacement options ranks the elements worth buying across brands and sizes.

How Long a Hayward Cartridge Lasts

An inground Hayward element, whether a hayward star clear cartridge or a SwimClear set, should give you 1 to 3 years of service with correct care. Expressed in run time, that is roughly 2,000 hours of pump operation, which lines up with about two full seasons for a pool running 8 hours a day through the summer, or a little over a year on a year-round pool in a warm climate.

What pushes a cartridge toward the short end of that range: heavy bather loads, high calcium hardness that scales the media, sunscreen and body oils that blind the paper, algae recoveries that pack the pleats solid, and cleaning either too rarely or too aggressively with a pressure washer.

The signs a cartridge is finished are consistent across every housing:

• Pressure climbs back to the dirty threshold within days of a cleaning rather than weeks.
• The pleats stay grey or brown after a proper soak and rinse, meaning debris is embedded in the fibers instead of sitting on them.
• The media feels limp or fuzzy, or pleats are matted together and will not separate.
• The end caps are cracked, warped, or no longer seat squarely on the manifold.
• Water stays hazy while your chemistry tests fine.

Any two of those together and it is time to buy. Our guide on when to replace a pool filter cartridge covers the pressure math and the marginal cases in more detail. If your filter is chronically short cycling even with a fresh element, the housing may simply be undersized for your pool, and what size cartridge filter do I need explains how to work out the filter area your water volume actually needs.

Cleaning Extends Cartridge Life

Cleaning technique is the single biggest variable in how long a hayward replacement cartridge survives, and it is entirely under your control. A cartridge rinsed properly on schedule can outlast a neglected identical element by a full year. The wrong tools, particularly a pressure washer or a stiff brush, drive debris deeper into the fibers and shorten life instead of extending it. Our step by step walkthrough on how to clean a cartridge pool filter covers the correct rinse pattern, when a chemical soak is warranted, and the mistakes that quietly destroy media.

What Hayward Cartridges Cost

Prices move with season and supply, but the ranges below hold up well enough for budgeting.

Small above-ground elements, roughly $20 to $40. EasyClear C400 and C500 cartridges sit at the bottom of the range. They are single elements with modest media area, and aftermarket versions land near the low end of that band.

Mid-size Star-Clear elements, roughly $50 to $90. A C250 or C500 element sits at the lower end and a hayward c1200 cartridge at the upper end, since 120 square feet of media costs more to build. Genuine Hayward parts push toward the top of the range, with Pleatco and Unicel typically running noticeably less for the same fit.

Large SwimClear sets, roughly $150 to $350. Remember you are buying four elements at once. A C2030 set lands near the bottom, a C5030 set near the top, and genuine Hayward sets can exceed the range in peak season. This is where choosing a reputable aftermarket brand saves the most real money in one purchase.

Compare hayward pool filter cartridge replacement options on Amazon

Two habits keep the running cost down. Buy in the off season, because pool parts inflate from May through July every year. And keep the old element as a spare once you replace it, if it still holds its shape, so you can run the pool while a cartridge dries after a deep clean. Spread across a 2 to 3 year life, even a large SwimClear set works out to well under the cost of the chemicals you pour in over the same period.

Related Guides

• Hayward Pool Filter Guide - identifying and maintaining every Hayward housing family
• How to Clean a Cartridge Pool Filter - the rinse and soak method that actually extends life
• When to Replace a Pool Filter Cartridge - pressure thresholds and the retirement signs
• Best Pool Filter Cartridge Replacement - the elements worth buying, ranked by size
• What Size Cartridge Filter Do I Need - matching filter area to pool volume
• Pool Filter Parts - O-rings, manifolds, and the other components that wear out