For 3 framing nailers used at the same time, allow as a rough guide about 400 L/min including margin and a blow gun. A compressor of 0.6 to 1.0 m³/min covers this: the E 75 piston compressor if you nail in bursts, the S 55 screw compressor if you nail all day in the workshop, the M 75 mobile screw compressor on site.
Where does a nailer's air consumption come from?
A nailer only uses air when it fires. Its data sheet gives the consumption per shot, in litres, and the working pressure. Consumption in L/min therefore depends on the pace:
consumption (L/min) = litres per shot × shots per minute
For example, a nailer that needs 2 litres per shot and fires 40 nails a minute uses 80 L/min. That is the value our configurator uses, as a rough guide, for a nailer in normal use at around 6 bar. A strip nailer at a high pace can need more: redo the calculation with your tool's data sheet.
Our page on compressors for timber framing covers all uses in the trade. Here we size the case of three carpenters nailing together.
Step by step for 3 nailers
Step 1: the nailers. Three carpenters nail at the same time: 3 × 80 = 240 L/min.
Step 2: the blow gun. About 150 L/min according to our configurator, used in bursts: count it at 50 %, so 75 L/min.
Step 3: the total. 240 + 75 = 315 L/min.
Step 4: the margin. At least 25 % for long hoses, tool wear and a fourth station: 315 × 1.25 = about 395 L/min, or 0.4 m³/min.
Step 5: the pressure. A nailer works at around 6 bar, sometimes more according to the manual. A compressor at 8 bar keeps a reserve for pressure loss in the hoses.
Which compressor for the way you nail?
Nailing in bursts, with breaks: the E 75
On an installation job, the three nailers do not fire non-stop. The E 75 piston compressor, 7.5 kW delivers 0.9 m³/min on a 180 L receiver, on wheels. For 400 L/min, it fills its receiver, stops, and the receiver absorbs bursts of firing. This intermittent use is what a piston compressor is made for.
Nailing all day in the workshop: the S 55
At a nailing table, three carpenters can fire for hours. A piston unit would lose its rest periods. The S 55 screw compressor, 5.5 kW delivers 0.6 m³/min at 8 bar, or 600 L/min, and is built for continuous duty. Its variable speed matches output to the number of nailers in use, as our article variable speed or fixed speed explains. It comes without a receiver: choose one with our air receiver size calculator.
Nailing on site, far from the shed: the M 75
The M 75 mobile screw compressor, 7.5 kW delivers 1.0 m³/min at 10 bar, on a 180 L receiver and wheels. It runs three nailers continuously with a good reserve. The 10 bar make up for pressure loss in hoses that run up onto the frame. It is electric: plan a 380 V three-phase supply on the site distribution board. For a one-off job, renting a screw compressor is another option.
Pitfalls when several nailers share the air
- One hose for three tools. Connecting three nailers at the end of one long hose with tees makes pressure drop just when everyone fires. Nails no longer sink fully. Better to run one hose per carpenter from a manifold near the compressor, or a fixed network with drops, as our guide on connecting a compressor to the air network explains.
- Pressure set per tool. Each nailer has its own working pressure. A regulator at each station avoids setting everyone to the most demanding tool.
- Water. It washes out the nailers' lubrication and makes them rust. Drain the receiver every day and fit an air dryer in a fixed workshop.
- Leaks. Worn quick couplings and crushed hoses use air all the time. Our article on a leak-free compressed air network gives the right habits.
For a calculation with your own tools, use the configurator or go back to our page on compressors for timber framing. Then send us your nailers' data sheets with a quote request.
For your trade: Compressor for timber framing.