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Quiet air compressor buying guide

Updated: 21.10.2026

You are on amazon.co.uk looking at a corded compressor whose title says silent, and the page does not say one thing. One cell gives a tank size and another cell gives a different one. A bullet states an airflow and the table states another. A decibel sits there with no distance. This quiet air compressor buying guide is the order to read those lines in. It does not name a winner. Prices for the six kept listings, from £95.99 to £155.99, are on the [silent compressor comparison](/hub/compressors/silent-compressor). These are listing claims, not a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are on amazon.co.uk looking at a corded compressor whose title says silent, and the page does not say one thing. One cell gives a tank size and another cell gives a different one.

Our top picks

Hyundai Hyundai HY7524X 24 litre

Best overall

Hyundai Hyundai HY7524X 24 litre
8.4/10about £149.95
View offer
Hyundai Hyundai HY5508X 8 litre

Best value

Hyundai Hyundai HY5508X 8 litre
7.7/10about £129.99
View offer
ORAZIO ORAZIO 9 litre 241183

Rank 3

ORAZIO ORAZIO 9 litre 241183
6.0/10about £95.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Airflow before litres
  2. 2.Pressure, cut-out, and 250 bar litres
  3. 3.What the decibel line is missing
  4. 4.Plug, voltage, and the box

Airflow before litres

Free air delivery is the air the tool can use at a stated pressure. BuildWiz says, as a rule of thumb, that free air is often about half to two-thirds of displacement. That is not a measurement of these six pumps. The Hyundai HY7524X prints 5.2 CFM in the bullets and 2.65 CFM in the table. Metro Sales calls the larger figure displacement and 2.65 CFM free air delivery. The HY5508X table says 2 cubic centimetres a minute against a 4 CFM bullet. HYCHIKA prints 160 litres a minute intake and 60 in the table. Bimson states no airflow.

Pressure, cut-out, and 250 bar litres

Listed maxima run from 100 psi on the Hyundai 8 litre table to 8 bar on the larger machines. That ceiling is not the pressure the regulator holds while a tool fires. Metro Sales lists 100 psi discharge and 118 psi maximum for the HY7524X. Schedule 1 of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 sets aside some examination duties when bar times vessel litres is less than 250. Eight bar times 24 litres is 192. The ORAZIO tank-volume cell says 45 litres, and 8 bar times 45 is 360, so read the plate. Draining is on the how to use a silent compressor page.
Hyundai Hyundai HY7524X 24 litre

Testsieger

Hyundai Hyundai HY7524X 24 litre
8.4/10about £149.95
View offer

What the decibel line is missing

Sound pressure (LpA) is the level at a stated place. Sound power (LwA or LWA) describes the whole machine and is usually higher. SIP’s product 05478 prints 62 dB(A) LpA and 84 dB(A) LwA on a 24 litre model that is not in this set. ABAC prints 49 dB and 49 dBA. Both Hyundais print 60 decibels, with no distance on amazon. Metro Sales places the HY7524X figure at 7 metres. Bimson prints no number. A Belgian reviewer says the ABAC machine is marked 67 dB Lwa. You cannot rank 49 against 65 until the quantity and the distance match. Workplace limits are on the silent compressor noise and neighbours page.

Plug, voltage, and the box

UK mains are nominally 230 V. A plug for a BS 1363 socket has to be a correct UK plug, or a non-UK plug with a conversion plug and a BS 1362 fuse. The Hyundai 8 litre bullets state a 13 A UK plug. The ABAC box list is a Type G UK adaptor and a manual, not a moulded 13 A plug. The ORAZIO voltage cell says 220 volts. A UK review of the Hyundai 8 litre says there is no hose and no tyre attachments. Oil-free means you do not add oil.

Common questions

What should I read before the tank size?
Read the airflow word first. Free air delivery is what a tool can use. On the Hyundai 24 litre page the bullets print 5.2 CFM and the table prints 2.65 CFM, and a UK dealer sheet treats them as displacement and free air. Litres tell you how much air is stored between motor starts.
Why do the Hyundai listings print two airflow figures?
The HY7524X bullets say 5.2 CFM and 150 litres a minute. The table says 2.65 CFM. Metro Sales labels the larger figure as displacement and 2.65 CFM as free air delivery. The HY5508X bullets say 4 CFM and 120 litres a minute, while the table says 2 cubic centimetres a minute. That second cell is not a usable flow.
Is 8 bar times 24 litres under 250 bar litres?
Yes. Eight times 24 is 192, which is less than 250. Schedule 1 of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 uses less than 250 bar litres as the line under which some written-scheme duties do not apply. HSE still expects a receiver to be operated safely. The exception is aimed at work equipment in Great Britain. A householder inflating a tyre is not automatically that duty holder.
Does the ORAZIO 45 litre cell change that sum?
It changes the sum if it is the true receiver. The title says 9 litres, which at 8 bar is 72 bar litres. The tank-volume cell says 45 litres, which at 8 bar is 360 bar litres and over the 250 line. The listing does not resolve the conflict. Read the plate on the tank before you treat the machine as exempt.
What plug should a domestic compressor have?
For a BS 1363 socket, a correct UK plug, or a non-UK plug used with a conversion plug that has a BS 1362 fuse. The Hyundai 8 litre bullets claim a 13 A UK plug. The ABAC listing includes a Type G adaptor and a manual. The ORAZIO voltage cell says 220 V and does not name the plug. If the lead will not go into a UK socket safely, that is a return or an electrician.
Can I compare 49 dB with 65 dB?
Not while the pages fail to say whether each figure is sound pressure or sound power, and at what distance. The ABAC listing prints 49 dB and 49 dBA. The A non-UK reviewer says the ABAC machine is marked 67 dB Lwa. Rank two listings only when they share the same quantity and the same test condition.

Related pages

Best silent compressor

Silent compressor

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How to use a silent compressor: first start and drain

Silent compressor noise and neighbours: dB and law

Sources

Public UK sources and the SIP product page below. amazon.co.uk listings checked on 19 October 2026.

  1. Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, Schedule 1 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE INDG178: written schemes of examination (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HSE: noise advice for manufacturers (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: noise nuisances and how councils deal with complaints (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. SIP: 24 litre low-noise compressor (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. BS EN 1012-1:2010: compressor safety requirements (retrieved 19 October 2026)