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100 Gallon Air Compressor Facts, Figures & Frequently Asked Questions

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100-gallon air compressors are some of the largest stationary air compressors available on the market. This article will provide you with everything you need to know, and hopefully answer all the questions you have about a 100-gallon air compressor.

Table of Contents

How Big Is a 100 Gallon Air Compressor?

As you can probably imagine, to fit 100 gallons of pressurized air inside an air receiver tank, the overall size of the air compressor is not going to be small. I would expect that compressor to be between 70 and 100 inches high, and up to around 50 inches in length and width.

Of course, the dimensions will vary from model to model, but this is just to give you an idea of their size. In comparison to a 6-gallon portable pancake air compressor that you may commonly see from time to time, they will only reach around 20 inches in length, width, and height!

How Heavy Is a 100 Gallon Air Compressor?

Given the sheer size of 100-gallon air compressors, it comes as no surprise that they weigh upwards of around 600 lbs. It’ll be very difficult to find one that weighs less than this and in fact, you will probably come across 100-gallon air compressors that weigh a lot more.

Due to their weight, and size, it’ll be impossible to move the compressor, and so, the placement of the stationary item is crucial. Upon delivery of the compressor, you must have already planned out the optimum space for it so that the deliverers can place it for you on arrival.

Who Makes 100-Gallon Air Compressors?

There are many manufacturers who offer 100-gallon air compressors, some being the biggest names in the compressed air industry. Here are all but a few of the manufacturers who manufacture 100-gallon air compressors:

Where Can I Buy a 100-Gallon Air Compressor?

The best place to purchase a 100-gallon air compressor is from the manufacturer directly. If you click the name of the manufacturer above you will be redirected to our brand-specific page, where you will be able to obtain the contact information for each and links to their website.

Otherwise, you may come across some on third-party websites like air compressors direct or compressor world!

How Long Will a 100 Gallon Air Compressor Run Air Tools?

Let’s walk through this answer in simple terms to give you an idea of the length of time you will be able to run your air tools.

So, we have 100 gallons of air stored at 180psi is equal to an amount of air PV = nrT. Where this volume can be expressed as “cubic feet”.

If an air tool needs 90 psi to run and uses 10 cubic feet of air per minute (10 cubic feet being the volume). The air tool will work up until the tank drops below 90 psi

So if stored at 180 psi – that’s the equivalent of half the volume in the tank available to run the air tool!

Assuming there’s 1,000 cubic feet of (atmospheric pressure) air in the tank the air tool would run for 100 minutes 1,000 / 10 CFM = 100 minutes.

Low SCFM Air Tools

Applying this formula to a low SCFM air tool with a rating of 2 CFM:

1,000 / 2 CFM = 500 minutes

Medium SCFM Air Tools

Applying this formula to a medium SCFM air tool with a rating of 5 CFM:

1,000 / 5 CFM = 200 minutes

High SCFM Air Tools

Applying this formula to a high SCFM air tool with a rating of 12 CFM:

1,000 / 12 CFM = 80 minutes

What Kind of Air Compressor Motor Do You Need for a 100-Gallon Tank?

The tank size doesn’t decide what kind of motor you need for the air compressor. Instead, the CFM rating of the air compressor will typically decide how much HP you need your air compressor motor to be providing. When all other factors are equal, horsepower is a measure of the compressor motor’s efficiency at producing a given level of CFM and PSIG.

Most well-designed compressors produce approximately 4 CFM at 100 PSIG per unit of horsepower. So if you had a 100-gallon air compressor with a CFM rating of 40, you would need a 10 HP motor equipped to the compressor.

How Many CFM Is a 100 Gallon Air Compressor?

The size of the tank doesn’t depict how much CFM the air compressor can provide. But typically with a tank that large, the air compressor CFM would need to be something reasonable, around 30-50 CFM. Of course, you may come across models with greater or less. For more information on CFM, visit our What Is CFM and What Does CFM Mean on An Air Compressor?, as well as our SCFM vs CFM for Air Tools & Air Compressors GUIDE To Compressor Rating articles!

What Is the PSI for 100 Gallon Air Compressor?

100-gallon air compressors will typically be able to operate up to a maximum pressure of around 175 PSI. Most compressed air equipment is designed to operate at 90-100 PSI. But, some applications may require higher pressure, and so, 100-gallon compressors will be suitable for the average compressed air equipment and higher pressure machinery.

How to Make an Air Compressor Out of a 100 Gallon Tank?

I have picked out the following YouTube demonstration on how to make a reserve air tank from a dead compressor. This may be a useful guide if you come across a 100-gallon air compressor or tank that is old or damaged, and you want to make use of the massive tank volume to help with your projects that require continuous compressed air.


If you have any questions or information to provide on 100-gallon air compressors, please leave a comment below, with a photo if applicable!

By Aidan Weeks

A passionate Mechanical Engineer with endless enthusiasm for fluid power - building off the back of over 18 years of high quality contribution and discussion stimulated by Bill Wade here at About Air Compressors. With both practical and theoretical experience in pneumatics and hydraulics, I'm putting my knowledge to work - and working my grey-matter through my research, assistance and publishing work here at About Air Compressors. Feel free to reach out any time! P.S. A HUGE shout out to Doug who really offers such great value to all visitors to About Air Compressors - once again, feeling like I'm standing on the shoulders of GIANTS by getting to work alongside such a great community

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