Moisture Content of Air Calculator
Moisture Content of Air Calculator
Compressed air carries more water than most people realize. Enter your shop conditions below and we'll show you how much water your compressor is pulling in, how much a dryer will remove, and which dryers from our catalog are sized for your system — with a 20% safety margin built in.
Where does the water come from?
Air always contains some moisture. When a compressor squeezes that air into a smaller volume, the water gets concentrated. Hot, humid days make it worse. Without a dryer, that water ends up in your tools, lines, and tanks — causing rust, freezing valves, and ruined finishes.
Refrigerated or desiccant?
A refrigerated dryer chills the air and condenses water out — perfect for general shop, automotive, and manufacturing use. A desiccant dryer uses absorbent material to pull out almost all the moisture — needed for paint spraying, instrument air, food, pharma, or outdoor lines that freeze.
How accurate is this?
Close enough to size your system. We use standard engineering formulas to estimate moisture content and dryer output at your selected line pressure. Actual results depend on real-world conditions — operating pressure, dryer condition, ambient temperature, and how hard the system is working.
Your System
Quick Reference
How Dry Each Type Gets Your Air
• Refrigerated: down to 38°F dew point
• Desiccant: down to -40°F dew point
• Ultra-dry (special): -100°F
How Much Water They Remove
• Refrigerated: about 95–98%
• Desiccant: more than 99.9%
Safety Margin
We recommend sizing 20% above your actual flow. This handles summer heat, peak demand, and normal dryer aging.
Handy Conversions
1 gallon of water ≈ 8.345 lb
CFM × 60 = ft³/hr
Your Results
Dryers That Fit Your System
Here are dryers from our catalog that match your airflow. For most shop and manufacturing work, a refrigerated dryer is the right pick — it'll handle 95–98% of the moisture for a reasonable price. Choose a desiccant dryer when you need bone-dry air for paint, instruments, food, pharma, or outdoor lines.
The everyday choice. Removes 95–98% of incoming moisture — plenty for tools, lines, and most production work.
For when you need almost all the moisture gone. Paint spraying, instrument air, breathing air, food, pharma, or outdoor lines that freeze.
