A two-bay detailing studio needs, margins included, around 850 to 1,050 l/min at 8 bar: the K 75, a 4-in-1 screw compressor delivering 1.1 m³/min, covers it. A three-bay studio running two tornado-type air cleaning guns and an air polisher at the same time climbs to 1,100 to 1,650 l/min depending on how hard the tools are used: stay with the K 75 if the tools work in bursts, and move to the K 110 (1.7 m³/min) if they run continuously.
The tools and the air quality specific to the trade are presented on our page compressor for car detailing. Here, we run the numbers for a studio with several bays.
What is a bay in a detailing studio?
A bay is one person working on one vehicle with their air tools. The number of bays matters more than the number of tools: a studio may own four tornado-type guns, but if two people are working, only two are blowing at the same time.
The typical bays in a detailing or valeting studio:
- Interior bay: tornado-type cleaning gun, blow gun, sometimes a venturi vacuum or a spray-extraction machine.
- Polishing bay: air polisher, blow gun to clear product residue.
- Wash and finishing bay: drying blow gun, tyre inflator.
The consumption figures to use
Figures given as a guide only; check each tool's manual.
| Tool | Indicative consumption | How it is counted |
|---|---|---|
| Air polisher | about 400 l/min | continuous, 100% |
| Tornado-type cleaning gun | around 300 to 450 l/min, 350 used | in bursts, 50% |
| Drying blow gun | around 250 to 400 l/min, 300 used | in bursts, 50% |
| Standard blow gun | about 150 l/min | intermittent, 50% |
| Tyre inflator | about 100 l/min | intermittent, 50% |
Our configurator counts continuously running tools at 100% and intermittent tools at 50%, because the air receiver absorbs the peaks. It then keeps only the hungriest tools, as many as there are people working, and adds a 25% safety margin and 20% for expansion.
The calculation for a 2-bay studio
Set-up A: one interior bay and one polishing bay.
- Polisher, continuous: 400 l/min
- Tornado-type gun, in bursts: 350 × 0.5 = 175 l/min
- Simultaneous need: 575 l/min
- Safety margin: 575 × 1.25 = 719 l/min
- Expansion margin: 719 × 1.2 = 863 l/min
The S 55 (600 l/min) is too tight. The K 75, 1,100 l/min at 8 bar, covers the need with some in reserve.
Set-up B: two interior bays, no air polisher.
If your two detailers spend long sessions with the tornado-type gun, count both guns in full to be safe: 2 × 350 = 700 l/min, so 700 × 1.25 × 1.2 = 1,050 l/min. The K 75 still covers this need. If the guns are only used in bursts, the need falls to 350 × 1.5 = 525 l/min and an S 55 is enough.
The calculation for a 3-bay studio
Set-up C: two interior bays and one polishing bay.
Configurator reading, with the tornado-type guns used in bursts:
- Polisher: 400 l/min
- Two tornado-type guns at 50%: 2 × 175 = 350 l/min
- Simultaneous need: 750 l/min
- With the margins: 750 × 1.25 × 1.2 = 1,125 l/min
Cautious reading, with the tornado-type guns running continuously:
- Polisher: 400 l/min
- Two tornado-type guns in full: 700 l/min
- Simultaneous need: 1,100 l/min
- With the margins: 1,100 × 1.25 × 1.2 = 1,650 l/min
In the first case, the K 75 is at its limit: it is suitable if you give up the expansion margin (750 × 1.25 = 938 l/min). In the second, the K 110, 1.7 m³/min at 8 bar, is the right choice. The way to settle the question is to watch a typical day: how long does each gun really blow?
Which compressor for how many bays?
| Studio | Need with margins | Recommended model |
|---|---|---|
| 1 bay, tornado-type gun in sessions | 500 to 550 l/min | S 55 or E 75 |
| 2 bays, interior and polishing | 850 to 900 l/min | K 75 |
| 2 interior bays, heavy use | about 1,050 l/min | K 75 |
| 3 bays, tools used in bursts | about 1,100 l/min | K 75 or K 110 |
| 3 bays, tools running continuously | about 1,650 l/min | K 110 |
The S and K series are variable-speed machines. In a detailing studio, demand changes all the time: a tornado-type gun starts, a polisher stops. The compressor follows that demand instead of switching between load and idle, which saves electricity. See variable speed or fixed speed.
What about the air receiver?
The K 75 has a built-in 420 L air receiver. Our configurator recommends roughly one litre of receiver for every 2 to 3 l/min of need: for 863 l/min, that gives 290 to 430 L, so the built-in receiver is enough. With an S 55 supplied on its own, add an air receiver sized with our air receiver size calculator. A larger receiver does a better job of smoothing out several tornado-type guns starting at the same time.
The network matters as much as the compressor
A well-sized compressor is no use if the air is lost on the way. In a three-bay studio:
- a main pipe in a ring around the studio, of sufficient diameter, with one drop per bay;
- one hose reel per bay, with an 8 to 10 mm hose for the tornado-type guns and the polishers;
- a fine filter and a regulator on every drop, for dry air and a pressure set at the tool;
- drains at the low points, because a wash area is damp.
Our article on a garage air network with hose reels explains the layout in detail, and the pressure drop tool checks the pipe diameter.
For your own studio, choose the detailing activity in the configurator and adjust the tools, or send us the list of your bays with a quote request.
For your trade: Compressor for car detailing and valeting.