High density nonwoven filter media

A filter medium comprising autogenously bonded continuous uncrimped conjugate spunbond fibers having less than two crimps per extended inch, said filter medium having a density between 0.1 g/cm.sup.3 and about 0.5 g/cm.sup.3 and being three dimensionally thermoformed, said conjugate fibers comprising a lower melting polyolefin and a higher melting polymer as defined by scanning calorimetry melting curves, wherein an exposure to a temperature that melts about 50% of said lower melting polyolefin melts equal to or less than about 10% of said higher melting polymer.

A sheet filter medium comprising autogenously bonded continuous uncrimped conjugate spunbond fibers having less than two crimps per extended inch, said medium having a density between about 0.07 g/cm.sup.3 and about 0.5 g/cm.sup.3 and a Frazier permeability of at least 15 m.sup.3 /min/m.sup.2, said conjugate fibers comprising a polyolefin and a second thermoplastic polymer that has a melting point higher than said polyolefin, wherein said medium has a Mullen Burst strength of at least about 3.5 kg/cm.sup.2.