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💨Buy an air compressor on price alone and you can end up with one that cannot keep up with your tools. Match the CFM to the job and it runs everything with ease. Here is how.
An air compressor is only useful if it can keep up with the tools you run off it. The single most common mistake is buying on tank size or price and ignoring CFM, then finding the compressor cannot keep a spray gun or rattle gun going. Getting the numbers right up front saves that frustration.
This guide explains what CFM and PSI mean, why compressor tank size matters, and how to match a compressor to your air tools.
📌Quick summary
CFM, or cubic feet per minute, is how much air the compressor delivers. It is the number that decides whether a compressor can keep a tool running. Air tools list a CFM requirement, and your compressor needs to supply at least that, with a margin, for the tool to work properly.
PSI is the pressure the air is delivered at, while CFM is the volume of flow. A tool needs enough of both. Plenty of pressure but not enough flow means the compressor cannot sustain the tool, so always check both figures against your tools.
The tank stores compressed air so the compressor does not have to run constantly. A bigger tank smooths out short bursts of demand, like a nail gun firing, and lets the motor rest between cycles. It is genuinely useful, but it is not a substitute for adequate CFM on tools that run continuously.
For short, intermittent jobs a modest tank is plenty. For continuous-demand tools like a spray gun or sander, you need both a solid tank and enough CFM, or the compressor will run flat out and still fall behind.
💬Not sure what CFM your tools need? The team at Select Fasteners in Heatherbrae can point you the right way. Give them a call on (02) 4020 7951.
List the air tools you will run and note the CFM each needs. Size the compressor to comfortably supply the thirstiest tool, or the total if you run more than one at once, with headroom on top. It is always better to have more CFM than you need than to run a compressor at its limit.
Nail guns and blow guns sip air in short bursts, so they suit smaller compressors. Rattle guns, grinders, sanders and spray guns are hungry and need serious CFM. Knowing which camp your tools fall into makes choosing a compressor straightforward.
Select Fasteners supplies air compressors and accessories as part of our air tools and compressors range. The trade specialist team at the Heatherbrae store has decades of experience and can match a compressor to the tools you actually run.
You will also find the hand tools, fittings and consumables to go with your setup in the same shop, so you can gear up in one trip.
CFM, or cubic feet per minute, is how much air the compressor delivers. It is the key figure for whether a compressor can keep a tool running, so match it to the CFM your air tools require, with a margin.
PSI is the pressure the air is supplied at, and CFM is the volume of flow. Tools need both, so a compressor with high pressure but low flow will still struggle to keep a hungry tool going.
Size the compressor to comfortably supply your thirstiest tool, or the combined demand if you run several at once, with headroom on top. It is better to have more CFM than you need than to run at the limit.
Not on its own. A bigger tank smooths out short bursts of demand and lets the motor rest, but it does not replace adequate CFM for tools that run continuously. You need both right.
Spray guns are continuous-demand tools, so they need a solid tank and enough CFM to sustain them. Check the gun’s CFM requirement and choose a compressor that comfortably exceeds it.
Yes, if it supplies enough CFM for your thirstiest tool, or the total if you run more than one at once. Work out your air demand first, then choose a compressor with headroom to spare.
The right compressor runs your tools without breaking a sweat. The team at Select Fasteners in Heatherbrae will match a compressor to the air tools you actually use.
Give the team a call on (02) 4020 7951, drop by the store at 1 Archibald Place, Heatherbrae, or send us an online enquiry!
We supply air tools, compressors and trade supplies across Port Stephens, Newcastle, the Hunter Valley and Dungog, with the largest range north of the Hunter River.
Select Fasteners is a specialist fastener and industrial supplies business based at 1 Archibald Place, Heatherbrae NSW, serving Port Stephens, Newcastle, the Hunter Valley and Dungog. This article is general information only and does not account for the specific conditions of your project. For advice specific to your job, get in touch with the team.
02 4020 7951
