An upholstery staple gun uses, as a guide, around 50 to 100 l/min depending on the firing rate, at around 5 to 7 bar. For one or two staple guns used now and then, an E 40 or E 75 piston compressor is enough. If several people are stapling all day long, an S 55 screw compressor, which delivers 0.6 m³/min at 8 bar, keeps up with the pace without overheating.
The needs of the whole workshop, from the glue spray gun to the blow gun, are presented on our page compressor for upholstery and trimming. Here, we focus on the staple gun.
How much air does an upholstery staple gun use?
A pneumatic staple gun only uses air at the moment it fires. The tool's piston fills, drives the staple, then the air is exhausted. The manual therefore often gives a consumption per shot, in litres or decilitres, rather than a flow in l/min.
To get the flow, you need the firing rate:
consumption (l/min) = litres per shot × shots per minute
A staple gun using fine wire staples, like the ones used to stretch fabric over a frame, uses little air per shot, often less than one litre at working pressure. A staple gun using long staples, to fix webbing or a spring, needs more. Some orders of magnitude, as a guide:
| Work | Usual firing rate | Indicative consumption |
|---|---|---|
| Armchair restoration, careful work | 20 to 40 staples per minute | around 20 to 40 l/min |
| Everyday seat upholstery | 40 to 80 staples per minute | around 50 to 80 l/min |
| Volume seat production, trimming | 80 staples per minute and more | around 80 to 100 l/min |
Our configurator uses 80 l/min for a staple gun or a nailer in everyday use. That is a cautious figure for most workshops. For a staple gun working at a very high rate, redo the calculation with the figures from your manual. If it gives a consumption in m³/h, divide by 60 to get m³/min, then multiply by 1,000 to get l/min. If it gives CFM, our flow and pressure converter does the conversion.
Why count the staple gun at 50%?
Even when upholstering quickly, the upholsterer does not fire non-stop: they stretch the fabric, fold it, position it, then staple. The staple gun works in bursts. Between two bursts, the compressor fills the air receiver, and it is the air receiver that supplies the air when the shots are fired.
That is why our configurator counts an intermittent tool at 50% of its consumption. A tool that blows continuously, such as a glue spray gun during gluing, is counted at 100%.
The step-by-step calculation for a workshop with two staple guns
Take an upholsterer working with one colleague. Two staple guns run at the same time, plus a blow gun for cleaning the frames.
Step 1, the staple guns. 2 × 80 l/min = 160 l/min, counted at 50%: 80 l/min.
Step 2, the blow gun. 150 l/min in bursts, counted at 50%: 75 l/min.
Step 3, the total. 80 + 75 = 155 l/min.
Step 4, the safety margin. 155 × 1.25 = about 195 l/min, for leaks, long hoses and tool wear.
Step 5, expansion. 195 × 1.2 = about 235 l/min, for a third workstation or a glue spray gun later on.
The need is therefore about 240 l/min, or 0.24 m³/min. That is a small flow, which most workshop compressors can supply. The real choice is about how long the compressor runs and how much noise it makes.
What pressure should you set for a staple gun?
The manual gives a pressure range, often 5 to 7 bar. The right pressure is the lowest one that drives the staple flush with the wood, without it springing back or marking the fabric. Too high a pressure tires the tool, wears the nose and can go through a thin fabric. Too low a pressure leaves the staple standing proud: you then have to tap it in with a hammer.
Set the compressor at around 8 bar and fit a regulator at the workstation. You keep a reserve for the pressure drop in the hoses, and each upholsterer adjusts the pressure to their tool. Our article how to calculate compressor pressure explains how to allow for these losses.
Which compressor should you choose for a staple gun?
One or two staple guns, now and then: piston
For seat restoration, fitting wall fabric or a small workshop that staples for a few hours a day, a piston compressor is the natural choice. The E 40, 4 kW on a 100 L air receiver, covers one or two staple guns. The E 75, which delivers 0.9 m³/min on a 180 L air receiver, leaves room for a glue spray gun. A piston compressor fills its air receiver, stops, and starts again when the pressure drops. It is louder than a screw compressor: install it in a separate room. Our piston compressor comparison covers the range in detail.
Several staple guns all day long: screw
In an auto trimming or seat manufacturing workshop, the staple guns fire from morning to night. A piston compressor that starts and stops constantly heats up and wears quickly. The S 55, a 5.5 kW screw compressor, is designed for continuous work. It delivers 0.6 m³/min at 8 bar, at 65 to 68 dB(A), and its variable speed follows the number of staple guns firing. Our guide screw or piston compressor helps you decide.
The pitfalls with a pneumatic staple gun
- Water in the tool. Condensed water washes the lubricant out of the staple gun, makes the piston stick and rusts the magazine. Drain the air receiver every day, or fit an automatic drain, and plan for a dryer in a permanent workshop.
- Lubrication. Some staple guns need a few drops of special oil at the air inlet, others are lubrication-free. Follow the manual. An over-oiled staple gun can blow oil out through the exhaust and onto the fabric.
- Exhaust towards the fabric. Point the tool's exhaust away from the piece. On a light-coloured fabric, the slightest dirty puff leaves a mark.
- Quick couplings. A leaking coupling on every workstation soon adds up to as much air as one more staple gun. Check them with soapy water.
- A hose that is too narrow and too long. With a small-bore hose over a long length, the pressure drops during bursts of shots, and the staples no longer go fully home.
For a calculation with your own tools, use the configurator, then send us your staple guns' manual with a quote request.
For your trade: Compressor for upholstery, auto trimming and soft furnishing workshops.