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What size compressor for an air jack

Updated: 21.10.2026

Your compressor’s badge already says 8 bar, so it is easy to assume the jack will agree. This page is what size compressor for an air jack when only one of the five amazon.co.uk listings in our [compressed air jack comparison](/hub/compressors/compressed-air-jack) prints a pressure. It was written on 19 October 2026 from those listings, from SGS Engineering and ABAC UK notes on small compressors, and from HSE’s compressed-air guidance. It is not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Once the air is connected, the lift sequence is on the [how to use an air bag jack](/hub/compressors/compressed-air-jack/sub/compressed-air-jack-how-to-use) page.

Your compressor’s badge already says 8 bar, so it is easy to assume the jack will agree.

Our top picks

KATSU KATSU 3 ton air bag jack 161200

Best overall

KATSU KATSU 3 ton air bag jack 161200
7.7/10about £89.99
View offer
AIM Tools AIM Tools 3 ton air bag jack 161207

Best value

AIM Tools AIM Tools 3 ton air bag jack 161207
7.4/10about £79.99
View offer
US PRO US PRO 3 ton air bag jack 8820

Alternative

US PRO US PRO 3 ton air bag jack 8820
4.9/10about £99.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The pressure on these listings
  2. 2.Flow and tank
  3. 3.Inlet and adaptor
  4. 4.What is too small

The pressure on these listings

Use the pressure printed on the jack you bought. In this set that answer exists only for US PRO 8820: 87–116 psi, which is 6–8 bar, or 0.6–0.8 MPa, and a 1/4 inch inlet. One bar is about 14.5 psi. AIM Tools 161207 and KATSU 161200 state a G1/4 inlet and no bar figure. AIM Tools 161202 states valves and does not state pressure or inlet size. US PRO 8819 states neither. An 8–10 bar line on another bag, or 8–12 bar on a heavy air-hydraulic jack, does not belong on a listing that leaves the line blank. US PRO 8820 stops at 8 bar, not 10. ABAC UK puts many DIY tools in a 6–8 bar band, and SGS Engineering says most DIY units are about 8 bar, or 115 psi. Reaching 8 bar does not supply the unpublished rating of the other four. Height sits beside that gap on the air bag jack buying guide.

Flow and tank

None of these five listings state a CFM or litre-per-minute draw. Pressure the compressor can reach is not air it can keep supplying while a bag fills. SGS treats flow as the limiter, and SCFM times 6 is their rule of thumb for a receiver, not a measured demand for these jacks. A receiver still helps, because the bag can take a gulp a tiny pump delivers slowly. How large that gulp is, for these ASINs, is not published. Drain the receiver before you connect. On US PRO 8820, stay inside 6–8 bar. Compressed air above 0.5 bar gauge is a relevant fluid under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000.
KATSU KATSU 3 ton air bag jack 161200

Testsieger

KATSU KATSU 3 ton air bag jack 161200
7.7/10about £89.99
View offer

Inlet and adaptor

G1/4 is a quarter-inch thread. AIM Tools 161207 and KATSU 161200 state it. US PRO 8820 states a 1/4 inch inlet. AIM Tools 161202 and the 20 ton bottle do not state the thread. None of the included-components lines itemise a UK bayonet, a PCL coupler or a Euro coupling. Assume you need the adaptor that matches your hose until the box proves otherwise. A bad joint is a leak, not a way to make a small compressor more powerful. If the coupler only stays on because you are holding it, stop. A split airline on 161207 is a hose failure, and a longer tube does not change the compressor you need. The bottle prints no pressure and no inlet.

What is too small

A 12 V tyre inflator can move air into a bag. On a different, larger model a maker’s FAQ calls that fill slow and points to a 230 V compressor with a tank. Do not import that other model’s 8–10 bar, and do not expect the inflator to deliver US PRO 8820’s 6–8 bar in a hurry. No listing here states a minimum receiver, so a 6 litre tank already on the shelf is not a specification. If your jack prints no pressure, you cannot check the tank against a number. Prefer the listing that prints 6–8 bar, or ask the seller, and stop if the bag rises crooked.

Common questions

What bar does my jack need?
In this set, only US PRO 8820 answers that. It states 6–8 bar, also written as 87–116 psi. AIM Tools 161207, AIM Tools 161202, KATSU 161200 and US PRO 8819 do not state a working pressure. If you own one of those four, the honest figure is the one the seller can confirm, not 8 bar copied from a forum or from another brand’s bag.
Will a 6 litre compressor work?
There is no stated minimum tank for these ASINs, so a yes would be a guess. A very small receiver can still reach a pressure and then lag while the bag fills. SGS’s SCFM times 6 guide is their rule of thumb for other tools, not a measurement of these jacks. One UK review describes a small Bambi inflating AIM Tools 161202 under a Cayenne. That is one anecdote, not a 6 litre specification.
Is a 12 V tyre inflator enough?
Treat it as a slow fill at best, and not as shop air. A FAQ on a different, larger bag says a 12 V inflator can be slow and suggests a mains compressor with a tank. Do not import that other model’s 8–10 bar into this set. If the bag is rising unevenly, or the inflator is hot and the corner is barely up, stop and lower the car. Then use a compressor that can hold the pressure your jack actually states.
What fitting is G1/4?
It is a quarter-inch air inlet. AIM Tools 161207 and the KATSU state G1/4. US PRO 8820 states 1/4 inch. Your hose coupler may still be a UK bayonet or another plug that does not screw straight on. None of these listings put that adaptor in the included-components line. A UK buyer of AIM Tools 161202 changed the adaptor and had expected to.
Why did a buyer have to change the adaptor?
The UK review of AIM Tools 161202 says the inlet adaptor was changed, and that this was expected. The listing does not include a PCL or Euro coupling. The same review later records a snapped inlet valve, so the adaptor is not a small extra you can force. If the plug does not seat, fit the right one or do not add air.

Related pages

Air bag jack vs air bottle jack

Compressed air jack

Best air bag jack UK for a compressor-ready garage

Air bag jack buying guide for height, pressure and inlet

How to use an air bag jack before you go underneath

Sources

Public UK sources below. amazon.co.uk listings for these five jacks, shelf date 19 October 2026.

  1. HSE: Working under vehicles (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE: HSG261 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE: OC 803/69 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. BSI: BS EN 1494:2000+A1:2008 mobile or movable jacks (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. BSI: BS EN 13731:2007 lifting bag systems for fire and rescue (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015 section 22 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for the five jacks in this comparison (retrieved 19 October 2026)