How do I size a receiver tank for a compressor?

Size the receiver so the compressor pumps up in one to five minutes: V = T·(C−D)·Pa / ΔP, where C is compressor output, D is shop demand, Pa is atmospheric pressure and ΔP is the cut-in to cut-out band.

What duty cycle should a shop compressor run at?

Keep the duty cycle at or below 70% so the compressor has recovery time between cycles. Duty cycle is demand divided by compressor output; a value above 70% means the compressor is undersized for the tool load.

Why does tool SCFM demand rise with supply pressure?

Most air tools consume more air at higher supply pressure because the motor runs faster. A 1 in impact wrench draws about 12 SCFM at 90 PSI but 15.6 SCFM at 125 PSI, so size the compressor for the pressure you actually run.

How long does the Pneumatic Clamping Fixture SCFM at 90 PSI take to pump up?

At a 30 SCFM compressor output and 4 SCFM demand, the 80 gallon receiver pumps up in 0.70 minutes across the 100–125 PSI band. The 1–5 minute band is the healthy target.

What duty cycle does the Pneumatic Clamping Fixture SCFM at 90 PSI run at?

Duty cycle is demand divided by output: 4 / 30 = 13.3%. That is at or below the 70% ceiling, so the compressor has recovery time.

How much usable air does the Pneumatic Clamping Fixture SCFM at 90 PSI store?

The receiver stores 18.2 scf between cut-in and cut-out. Usable air is the tank volume times the pressure band divided by atmospheric pressure, so a wider band or a larger tank stores more.

Pneumatic Clamping Fixture SCFM at 90 PSI

Air demand for a pneumatic clamping fixture is 4.0 SCFM at 90 PSI and 5.2 SCFM at 125 PSI.

Pneumatic Clamping Fixture air demand

The Pneumatic Clamping Fixture SCFM at 90 PSI pairs a 30 SCFM compressor with a 4 SCFM shop demand and a 80 gallon receiver at a 100–125 PSI band. The tank pumps up in 0.70 minutes, the duty cycle is 13.3%, and the receiver stores 18.2 scf of usable air between cut-in and cut-out. The net surplus over demand is 26.0 SCFM.

SCFM at 90 and 125 PSI

SCFM at 90 and 125 PSI is computed deterministically from the parameters encoded in this page's address, so the same inputs always produce the same result and the same OAS-XXXX verification hash.

Compressor sizing and duty cycle

Compressor sizing and duty cycle is computed deterministically from the parameters encoded in this page's address, so the same inputs always produce the same result and the same OAS-XXXX verification hash.

Worked example

Size the Pneumatic Clamping Fixture SCFM at 90 PSI with a 80 gallon receiver for a 30 SCFM compressor against 4 SCFM of demand at a 100–125 PSI band.

Worked example steps for this calculation
Step	Formula	Value
Pressure band	ΔP = P_cutout − P_cutin	25 psi
Net surplus	C − D	26.0 SCFM
Pump-up time	T = V·ΔP / ((C−D)·Pa)	0.70 min
Usable stored air	V_usable = V·ΔP / Pa	18.2 scf

The Pneumatic Clamping Fixture SCFM at 90 PSI pumps up in 0.70 minutes at a 13.3% duty cycle, storing 18.2 scf of usable air at 90 PSI supply.

Export this calculation

OAS-4939

Copy the engineering spec, export it as CSV, or print a shop ticket. Every export carries this route's parameter outputs, a timestamp and its OAS-4939 verification hash.

Engineering summary

Governing parameters and computed results for Pneumatic Clamping Fixture SCFM at 90 PSI.

Governing parameters and computed results for this calculation
Parameter	Value
Demand Scfm	4.0
Supply Psi	90
Required Tank Volume	123 gal
Pump-up Time	0.97 min
Duty Cycle	22.2 %
Usable Stored Air	13.6 scf

Frequently asked questions

How long does the Pneumatic Clamping Fixture SCFM at 90 PSI take to pump up?: At a 30 SCFM compressor output and 4 SCFM demand, the 80 gallon receiver pumps up in 0.70 minutes across the 100–125 PSI band. The 1–5 minute band is the healthy target.
What duty cycle does the Pneumatic Clamping Fixture SCFM at 90 PSI run at?: Duty cycle is demand divided by output: 4 / 30 = 13.3%. That is at or below the 70% ceiling, so the compressor has recovery time.
How much usable air does the Pneumatic Clamping Fixture SCFM at 90 PSI store?: The receiver stores 18.2 scf between cut-in and cut-out. Usable air is the tank volume times the pressure band divided by atmospheric pressure, so a wider band or a larger tank stores more.

Receiver Tank & Duty Cycle Sizer

Size a compressed-air receiver tank from shop demand, compressor output, pressure band and pump-up time.

Result

A 60 gal receiver pumps up in 0.97 min at a 22.2% duty cycle (4.00 scfm demand, 18.00 scfm compressor).

0.97min pump-up

Shop Tools

Tools (2 selected)

Selected tool demand: 9.00 scfm

Demand & Compressor

Total Demand (D)

scfm

Leave blank to use the selected tool demand.

Compressor Output (C)

scfm

Cut-in Pressure (P₁)

psi

Cut-out Pressure (P₂)

psi

Receiver Tank

Tank Volume (V)

gal

Target Pump-up Time (T)

min