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Compressor for an air sander

Updated: 21 October 2026

The pad starts quickly, cuts for a minute, and then drags a swirl across the primer while the tank gauge falls. The sander has not become a different tool. The compressor has run out of continuous air. This page is the compressor for an air sander decision that sits beside the [air orbital sander comparison](/hub/sanders/air-orbital-sander): match free air delivery at about 90 psi to a consumption figure you can actually cite, and treat a blank CFM line as unknown. Pad size and orbit stay on the [buying guide](/hub/sanders/air-orbital-sander/sub/air-orbital-sander-buying-guide). The Products Compared editorial team checked the amazon.co.uk listings on 19 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The pad starts quickly, cuts for a minute, and then drags a swirl across the primer while the tank gauge falls. The sander has not become a different tool. The compressor has run out of continuous air.

Our top picks

Draper Draper Storm Force 150 mm air sander

Best overall

Draper Draper Storm Force 150 mm air sander
9.0/10about £51.35
View offer
Anesty Anesty 150 mm air orbital sander

Best value

Anesty Anesty 150 mm air orbital sander
8.8/10about £27.90
View offer
Ingersoll-Rand Ingersoll Rand 4152-HL

Rank 3

Ingersoll-Rand Ingersoll Rand 4152-HL
8.4/10about £158.17
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Free air delivery, not the tank
  2. 2.The consumption figures you can actually cite
  3. 3.Pressure and hose
  4. 4.Thread and water

Free air delivery, not the tank

The number that matters is free air delivery, the air that leaves the outlet at a stated pressure. Displacement, the larger CFM figure on a compressor badge, is the air the pump sucks in. Thorite’s UK chart puts a quality dual-action sander around 10 CFM at 70–90 psi. Compel’s calculator puts continuous duty at about 10–13 CFM. Tank litres are storage. Once the stored air is gone, you get whatever the pump can deliver, and a 24, 50 or 100 litre receiver only changes how long you last before the fade. If you have no compressor yet, the prior question is whether to buy air at all. That is air sander vs electric sander.

The consumption figures you can actually cite

Draper’s manufacturer page for the 65084 states about 3 cfm average at 90 psi. The amazon table leaves air use blank. A UK reviewer who bought against a 3 cfm claim says a compressor they rate at 5 cfm at 90 psi only ran the tool briefly. Do not average those two into a new number. Ingersoll Rand’s UK table for the 4151-HL and 4152-HL states about 8 cfm average. The amazon listings do not print that CFM. Average CFM is not the air at free speed, which is why one trade sheet can print several CFM lines for one model. The Anesty, the LithiCraft, the Proster and both SPTA listings do not state CFM. Reviewer lines of about 4 CFM or 6 CFM are buyer reports, not plates.
Draper Draper Storm Force 150 mm air sander

Testsieger

Draper Draper Storm Force 150 mm air sander
9.0/10about £51.35
View offer

Pressure and hose

Set about 90 psi, 6.2 bar, at the tool while it is running, unless the sheet in your hand says a narrower band. The Proster bullet’s 0.6–0.8 MPa is 87–116 psi, so 90 psi sits at the bottom of that printed range. Static pressure with the trigger closed only tells you the tank is full. Turning the regulator up to chase a fade overspeeds the next start and still sags when the pump cannot keep up. Draper’s 65084 page asks for a 3/8 inch hose. Thorite’s chart does the same for sanders. A short 3/8 inch hose from the wall to a 1/4 inch whip is the arrangement those sheets describe. A long coiled 6 mm hose is how 90 psi at the tank becomes a slow pad at the bumper.

Thread and water

UK compressor couplings are commonly 1/4 inch BSP. Ingersoll Rand specifies 1/4 inch NPT on this family. The threads will start and will not seal. A UK review of the SPTA mini says you need a male 1/4 inch BSP fitting and that the tail in the box may not match. Buy the adaptor that matches both sides. Compressing air drops out condensate, and that water washes lubrication out of a vane motor that needs oil. A separator at the regulator is the minimum. The Proster bullet names one. A lube-free title, which the 4152-HL carries, is a reason not to add oil, not a reason to skip the water trap. The stroke that avoids swirls when the gauge has fallen is on how to use an air orbital sander.

Common questions

What number on the compressor matters?
Free air delivery at about 90 psi, or 6.2 bar, with some headroom over the tool’s stated consumption. Displacement CFM and tank litres do not tell you the air the pad receives once the tank has emptied. If the sander’s own page has no consumption figure, you do not yet know whether that compressor is enough.
Is a bigger tank enough?
No. A bigger tank delays the moment the pump’s continuous output is all you have. A dual-action sander uses air the whole time the trigger is down, unlike a nailer. Fifty litres on a pump that delivers less than the tool needs at 90 psi still fades. It fades later in the first pass, and then it fades the same way.
What is the difference between average CFM and air at free speed?
Average consumption is a mean while the tool is working. Air at free speed, with the pad unloaded, is higher. Draper’s 3 cfm and Ingersoll Rand’s 8 cfm are averages on their pages. Neither is a promise the pad holds its stated rpm on a compressor rated at the same number.
What hose bore should I start with?
Start with 3/8 inch, about 10 mm, for the run from the compressor, which is what Draper’s 65084 page and Thorite’s sander chart specify. Keep the run short, and use a 1/4 inch whip only at the tool. Ingersoll Rand’s minimum of 8 mm is for that family, not a reason to feed every palm through a long narrow coil.
Will the Draper 65084 and an Ingersoll Rand palm want the same compressor?
Not on the published averages. Draper states about 3 cfm average at 90 psi for the 65084. Ingersoll Rand states about 8 cfm average for the 4151-HL and 4152-HL. A UK Draper reviewer still reported short runs on a unit they rate at 5 cfm at 90 psi, so the 3 cfm line is not a small-compressor guarantee.
What pressure should I set?
About 90 psi at the tool while it is running, unless your sheet prints a tighter band. The Proster bullet says 0.6–0.8 MPa. Measure under load. A full tank with the trigger closed is not the pressure the pad sees a minute later.

Related pages

Best air orbital sander

Air orbital sander

Air orbital sander: buying guide for pad and orbit

How to use an air orbital sander: oil, disc, stroke

Air sander vs electric sander: compressor or socket

Sources

Sources taken from the research digest. Prices, stars and review counts are the stored amazon.co.uk listing figures.

  1. HSE — vibration regulations (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  2. HSE — vibration tool table (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  3. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  4. HSE — cutting and sanding wood (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  5. HSE WD7 — wood dust extraction (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  6. Ingersoll Rand UK — 4151-HL and 4152-HL (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  7. Draper — composite dual-action air sander 65084 (retrieved 21.10.2026)
  8. Thorite — air compressor selection guide (retrieved 21.10.2026)