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What size compressor for sandblasting

Updated: 21.10.2026

The gauge still reads 100 psi, and the sandblasting gun dies as soon as you hold the trigger. The tank has not run out of litres. It has run out of flow. What size compressor for sandblasting is a free-air question: how many litres per minute, or how many cfm, the machine can keep delivering at the pressure the nozzle needs. The [sandblasting gun comparison](/hub/compressors/sandblasting-gun) lists nine guns, and only some of them print an air figure you can match. Peter F. set those listing figures next to UK supplier charts on 19 October 2026. We did not measure your compressor. A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

The gauge still reads 100 psi, and the sandblasting gun dies as soon as you hold the trigger. The tank has not run out of litres. It has run out of flow.

Our top picks

Metabo Metabo SSP 1000

Best overall

Metabo Metabo SSP 1000
8.2/10about £21.79
View offer
Bohaner Bohaner siphon kit

Best value

Bohaner Bohaner siphon kit
5.6/10about £13.99
View offer
LIYOU LIYOU handheld sandblasting gun

Alternative

LIYOU LIYOU handheld sandblasting gun
5.2/10about £10.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Litres in the tank are not litres per minute
  2. 2.Nozzle bore sets the air
  3. 3.What this batch actually states
  4. 4.Bursts, moisture, and breathing air

Litres in the tank are not litres per minute

A 24 litre or 50 litre tank is a reservoir. Free air delivery is the volume the compressor can keep supplying at a pressure. Displacement, from piston size and speed, is larger than the air you get. Blast It Clean states that split: in their example, about 10 cfm free air delivery held about 72 psi through a 3 mm nozzle, and a 2.5 cfm machine held about 18 psi. Sand Blasters UK wants about 18 cfm and calls 100 litres a minimum. That is a seller’s line, not a rule for every 5 mm spot gun. Read free air delivery on the plate. Litres are not that number.

Nozzle bore sets the air

Atlas Copco’s UK notes put a 3 mm sandblasting nozzle at about 10–28 cfm and an 8 mm nozzle at about 78–187 cfm, and they say a worn nozzle uses more air. CoolBlast’s chart at about 7 bar is roughly 22 cfm for 3.2 mm, 49 cfm for 4.8 mm, and 85 cfm for 6.4 mm. Those figures are for pressure-blast nozzles, not these guns. The Bohaner 8 mm boron carbide gun states no cfm, and that bore is a mismatch on a home compressor. The LIYOU’s 5 mm metal nozzle sits nearer the hobby end and still wants real free air delivery. The how to use page covers a blocked tip, with the air off before you clear it.
Metabo Metabo SSP 1000

Testsieger

Metabo Metabo SSP 1000
8.2/10about £21.79
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What this batch actually states

Metabo states 300 l/min at 7 bar, about 10.6 cfm if you divide by 28.3. That is arithmetic, not your machine’s free air delivery. The Bohaner siphon kit states a minimum of 6 cfm at 80 PSI, on six reviews. LIYOU states 8.8–10.6 cfm, and UK reviews are mostly about a hopper that will not pass media. The Ejoyous 750 ml kit states 320–420 l/min at 10.0 bar and has no reviews. Both InoKraft kits state 60–120 PSI and no cfm. The MospdyGear core and the Ejoyous cabinet gun state no air figure. Who each stated figure is for is on the best sandblasting gun page.

Bursts, moisture, and breathing air

A small compressor can run a spot gun in bursts while a 900 cc hopper is refilled. One InoKraft review emptied a cup in about 3–4 minutes of blasting, then the tank has to recover. This page does not claim a 24 litre compressor will run a gun continuously. Wet air makes the shortfall worse, and only the InoKraft premium kit states a separator. At work, CN7 describes a CE-marked air-fed helmet at UK APF 40 on breathing-quality air, which is a supply the gun is not using. A workplace blast pot is a different product from a 900 ml hopper.

Common questions

Why is the tank in litres the wrong headline?
The tank stores air. Free air delivery is what the compressor can keep producing while the nozzle is open. Blast It Clean’s illustration is a 10 cfm FAD machine holding about 72 psi through a 3 mm nozzle, against a 2.5 cfm machine holding about 18 psi. A 24 litre or 50 litre badge can sit on either kind of pump.
Can a 24 litre compressor run a sandblasting gun continuously?
Treat continuous blasting as beyond a 24 litre hobby tank. The tank can support short bursts while a 900 cc hopper is refilled, and then it has to recover. Metabo’s stated 300 l/min at 7 bar is about 10.6 cfm as arithmetic, and a small tank will not hold that with the trigger down.
What does 300 l/min on the Metabo mean for your compressor?
It means the listing asks for 300 litres per minute at 7 bar, about 10.6 cfm if you convert the units. Your compressor has to approach that as free air delivery at that pressure, with some spare if you follow CoolBlast’s 25 percent rule of thumb. A 50 litre tank does not, by itself, deliver 300 l/min.
Why does a worn ceramic nozzle suddenly need more air?
The bore has opened. Atlas Copco notes that worn nozzles use more air, and Blast It Clean makes the same point. A 3 mm hole and an 8 mm hole are not in the same band: about 10–28 cfm against about 78–187 cfm in Atlas Copco’s UK notes. A ceramic tip that started near 4 or 5 mm and has worn open can move a marginal compressor from just holding pressure to a gauge that collapses.
Do you add the air-fed helmet on top of the gun?
At work, yes. CN7 describes breathing-quality air for a CE-marked air-fed helmet at UK APF 40, which is air the gun is not using. Kit goggles are not that helmet. A home spot job with a hopper still produces dust, and people nearby still need to be out of it.
Which guns in this batch do not state an air figure at all?
Both InoKraft kits state 60–120 PSI and no cfm. The Bohaner 8 mm gun, the MospdyGear WHX0127, and the Ejoyous cabinet gun state neither cfm nor a working pressure you can match to FAD. The Ejoyous 750 ml kit does state 320–420 l/min at 10.0 bar, and it has no reviews.

Related pages

Sandblasting gun buying guide

Sandblasting gun

Best sandblasting gun for steel, cabinet or hopper

How to use a sandblasting gun when the hopper stops

Soda blasting vs sandblasting: pick the right media

Sources

Sources from the research digest. amazon.co.uk listings checked on 19 October 2026.

  1. HSE: COSHH essentials CN7 Abrasive blasting (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE: Construction dust CIS36 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. COSHH Regulations 2002, regulation 7 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Metabo UK: SSP 1000 (601569000) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Sealey: SG13 sandblasting gun (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. CoolBlast: compressor buyer’s guide for sandblasting (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Sealey: SB998 shot-blast instructions (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk: Metabo SSP 1000 listing (retrieved 19 October 2026)