Shop Air Compressors by PSI

Pressure rating tells you what a compressor can hold, not how much air it moves. Every compressor we sell is listed here by its maximum rated pressure so you can start from the pressure your tools, process or drill rig actually needs and then pick the CFM and horsepower that fit. If you already know the flow you need, start from Shop by CFM instead.

Pick a pressure

• 100 PSI air compressors: 100 PSI builds of the Atlas Copco and Chicago Pneumatic rotary screws, Atlas Copco CR piston units and 185 CFM towables. Most CFM per horsepower for 90 PSI tools and blasting.
• 125 PSI air compressors: the standard industrial rating. Quincy QGS and QGSV, Chicago Pneumatic QRS, CPBG, CPCG, CPF and CPI, Atlas Copco GA and G series, 115 to 116 PSI oil free scroll and 120 to 125 PSI California Air Tools quiet units.
• 135 PSI air compressors: single stage piston units from 1.5 to 5 HP plus the 140 PSI COAIRE scroll and 130 PSI CPF builds.
• 150 PSI air compressors: headroom for long pipe runs and 120 PSI tools. Rotary screws at 150 PSI, 145 PSI oil free scroll, 150 PSI towables for drilling.
• 175 PSI air compressors: two stage piston from Champion, Chicago Pneumatic RCP, ABAC, Mark and California Air Tools, plus 175 PSI rotary screw builds.
• 200 PSI air compressors: high pressure towables for rock and well drilling and 200 PSI DeWalt jobsite units.

How to read a pressure rating

The PSI on the nameplate is the maximum the compressor will produce before the pressure switch or controller unloads it. Your tools do not see that number. They see what is left after the drop through the aftercooler, dryer, filters, piping, hose and coupler, which on a typical shop system is 10 to 20 PSI. A 125 PSI rotary screw set to a 110 to 125 band therefore delivers about 95 to 105 PSI at the tool, which is exactly what a 90 PSI impact wrench or sander wants.

Higher pressure is not free. On a rotary screw, every 2 PSI of extra setpoint costs roughly 1 percent in energy, and the same motor delivers less CFM as the pressure rises. The Atlas Copco G15L on our 100 and 150 PSI pages is the same machine; it makes 93 CFM at 100 PSI and 78 CFM at 150 PSI. Buy the lowest rating that reliably covers your highest pressure tool, and use a receiver, not a higher setpoint, to cover short bursts.

Single stage, two stage and rotary screw

Single stage piston compressors top out at 130 to 140 PSI and suit garages, cabinet shops and service trucks. Two stage piston compressors are rated 175 PSI and are the standard for body shops, tire shops and fabrication because the higher stored pressure stretches a tank between pump cycles. Rotary screw and scroll compressors are rated for continuous duty and are built in 100, 125, 150 and 175 PSI versions of the same frame; pick the version that matches your plant setpoint. Towable diesel compressors run 100 to 125 PSI for blasting and breakers, 150 PSI for utility work and 200 PSI and up for down the hole drilling.

Pressure and dryers

Refrigerated and desiccant dryers are rated at 100 PSI inlet. At higher pressure the same dryer handles more flow and at lower pressure it handles less, so apply the manufacturer correction factor when you size a refrigerated air dryer or desiccant dryer for a 100 PSI or 175 PSI machine. The dryer CFM calculator walks through it.

Not sure which pressure you need? Call or chat and tell us the tools or the process. Most shops land on 125 or 175 PSI, and we can size the compressor, receiver and dryer together.