Pneumatic Cylinder Air Consumption Calculator

Inputs

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Inside diameter of the cylinder barrel (the piston diameter).
mm
Length of one stroke.
mm
Supply pressure at the cylinder, gauge (above atmospheric).
bar
Full extend+retract cycles per minute.

Results

Default result
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Free air per cycle
2,719cm³

≈ 2.72 free litres per cycle

extend + retract, at atmospheric

Also computed

Free air consumption81.56Nl/min

Compression ratioPass6.92

6.9:1 — multiply the swept volume by this for free air.

Method notes 3 notes
  • Free-air consumption (FAD) — the volume drawn at atmospheric pressure, which is what a compressor must supply.
  • Uses the full bore area on both strokes (ignores rod displacement and dead volume in ports and lines), so it is a conservative, slightly high estimate.
  • Size the compressor from the summed free-air rate of all cylinders plus a margin (typically 25–30%) for leakage and other consumers.

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