15 HP air compressors: the top of the piston range and the start of plant air

15 HP is the largest two stage piston compressor most manufacturers build as a simplex unit, delivering 45 to 55 CFM at 175 PSI. Above this size, piston compressors are almost always duplex and rotary screws take over. A 15 HP screw makes 54 to 81 CFM depending on pressure and whether it is variable speed. Either way, 15 HP is plant air: a 10 to 12 bay dealership, a machine shop with CNC air blast and bar feeders, a woodworking plant, or a food processor running packaging equipment.

What is on this page

Two stage piston: Quincy QT Pro and QP pressure lubricated at 15 HP, Champion 15 HP RV Series and R-Series simplex vertical, horizontal, base mounted and Airstation at 48 to 54 CFM, Champion ADVANTAGE, Mark IronAir, and Atlas Copco CR Professional and Industrial at 54 CFM and 100 PSI. Duplex: Quincy QT duplex Pro and Max, Champion Duplex R-Series at 45 to 51 CFM, Chicago Pneumatic RCP-C Iron duplex at 46 CFM, ABAC AB7 and ABC7 Ironman duplex on 120 gallon horizontal tanks, and Atlas Copco CR Industrial duplex. Rotary screw: Quincy QGS 15 and QGSV 15 variable speed at 44 CFM and 175 PSI, Chicago Pneumatic QRS 15 at 49 to 55 CFM and CPVSd 15 at 64 CFM, Atlas Copco GA15 VSDS at up to 81 CFM, and G15 at 54 CFM in 125, 150 and 175 PSI builds. Oil free scroll: Atlas Copco SF+ multi scroll at 32 to 45 CFM, Quincy QOF 15 at 43 CFM, and Chicago Pneumatic COAIRE CSOF-S 15.

Piston or screw at 15 HP

A 15 HP piston compressor is loud (80 to 85 dBA), needs a compressor room or an enclosure, and should not run more than about 60 percent of the hour. A 15 HP rotary screw costs more but produces 20 to 50 percent more CFM for the same electricity, runs continuously, and is quiet enough to sit on the shop floor. Variable speed (QGSV, CPVSd, GA15 VSDS) pays off when demand swings through the day; fixed speed (QGS, QRS, G15) is the better buy for a plant with steady load. Duplex piston still wins where redundancy matters more than efficiency.

Power, receiver and dryer

Expect 42 amps at 230 volt three phase or 21 amps at 460 volt. Use a 120 to 240 gallon receiver, larger for a screw with a fixed speed drive, and a 50 to 75 CFM refrigerated air dryer. Rate the dryer at your actual inlet temperature; a screw discharging at 100 degrees F in a hot room needs the next size up.

Related pages

• 10 HP air compressors
• 15 to 30 HP air compressors
• 5 to 15 HP piston air compressors
• 50 CFM air compressors and 60 CFM air compressors
• 0 to 20 HP rotary screw air compressors
• Shop by CFM and Shop by PSI