Air Compressor Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know
How Much Horsepower Do I Need in An Air Compressor?
You might be wondering what all these acronyms mean regarding air compressors. How much horse power do I need? What’s a CFM? What about PSI? It might sound complicated but it’s really not...
Horsepower (hp): A unit that is used to measure the power of engines and motors. One unit of horsepower is equal to the power needed to lift 550 pounds one foot in one second, or roughly, the power of one horse. Most air compressor motors range from 1.5 hp to 7 hp, but there are also large, industrial compressors that are 20+ hp.
When it comes to air compressors, the horsepower refers to how much power the motor has. But because there are other components involved, the amount of horsepower is not the most important factor. Think of comparing two cars; just because one has greater horsepower doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the faster car because there many other components that affect the car’s speed. When comparing air compressors, the two numbers you should pay attention to are the PSI and CFM.
PSI: A measurement for air pressure, in pounds per square inch.
The vast majority of air tools require 90 PSI to operate and most air compressors produce at least 90 PSI, but you still need to check to make sure that the compressor you choose has enough PSI to operate your specific tools.
CFM: A measurement for air flow, in cubic feet per minute.
This is the most important number to look at when shopping for an air compressor. Each device that you want to run with your air compressor will require a certain amount of CFM to operate. The greater the CFM, the more power the tool uses. When purchasing an air compressor, you must choose one that will produce more CFM than your most powerful tool requires. Here is an example of some common air tools and their CFM requirements:
Brad Nailer: 0.3 CFM Ratchet: 2-5CFM
Sander: 11-13 CFM Spray Gun: 2-4 CFM
Impact Wrench: 4-5 CFM Die Grinder: 4-6 CFM
Again, to give you an idea of the scale of air compressors and the CFM they operate, for piston-driven compressors, it is uncommon to see them over 50 CFM. Both rotary-screw and centrifugal compressors can operate upwards of 1000 CFM.
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