50 litre air compressors
A fifty-litre tank is the happy medium for a workshop: the machine still fits through a door and under a workbench, yet it stores enough air for blowing off, inflating and short jobs with air tools. You can choose between single- and twin-cylinder machines, for a 230 V socket or for 400 V, with or without oil.
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What to expect from 50 litres
A tank does not raise a compressor’s performance — how much air the machine supplies is set by its air output. Fifty litres is the reserve your tools draw on before the compressor cuts in again. With a typical pressure switch setting, cutting out at 10 bar and cutting in at around 6.5 bar, that is roughly 175 litres of air. An air ratchet using about 110 l/min draws on it for around a minute and a half. How the reserve is calculated is explained in our article on air tanks and pressure vessels.
For intermittent work — inflating, blowing off, stapling, changing wheels — a fifty-litre machine is just right. An angle grinder using about 250 l/min or a spray gun, however, draws air continuously, so the air output decides and you will be more comfortable with a larger machine, starting with a 90 litre air compressor.
How to choose between fifty-litre machines
Single-cylinder or twin-cylinder 50 litre compressor
Six machines have a single cylinder, mostly with a motor running at 2,850 rpm — they are light but noisy and need breaks. Most have two cylinders: each compresses a smaller charge, runs slower and heats up less, so the machine can keep working for longer. Twin-cylinder machines of all sizes are listed under twin-cylinder air compressors.
Direct drive or V-belt
Half of the machines have the motor mounted directly on the crankshaft and run at 1,400 to 2,850 rpm. The other half have a belt that slows the pump down to 750 to 1,300 rpm. A belt-driven machine is heavier but usually gives more air for the same motor power. A belt is used on the cast-iron WALTER WK430, which gives 340 l/min — the most of any fifty-litre machine — and on twin-cylinder machines with 125 to 255 l/min from the ABAC Pro Line.
Oil-lubricated or oil-free 50 litre compressor
Thirteen machines are oil-free. They include Clean Air CLR dental compressors for surgeries and laboratories, three of them with a dryer, and the belt-driven workshop range ABAC Expert Zero. Oil-lubricated machines give more air for the same motor power.
230 V socket or 400 V
Twenty-five machines with up to 2.2 kW run from a standard socket, and eight need a three-phase supply. Their performance differs less than you might expect — what matters more is the supply you have in the workshop. Three Engine Air machines have a petrol engine and need no electricity at all.
When 50 litres is not enough
You can add a second tank to the compressor to enlarge the reserve, connected by a hose — for example a separate air tank up to 50 l. That does not change the air output, though. When your tools use more air than the machine supplies, only a more powerful compressor will help. Other sizes are in our overview of air compressors.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between a 50 l and a 24 l compressor?
- A fifty-litre machine has twice the reserve and usually a stronger motor too — more often two cylinders and a belt. The lighter and more compact option is a 24 litre air compressor, but it runs out of air sooner on longer jobs.
- Is a 50 l compressor enough for spray painting?
- For smaller parts and short coats, yes. For painting a whole car, the gun’s air consumption and the machine’s output decide; the fifty-litre tank then merely evens out the pressure.
- What does 10 bar mean on a 50 l compressor?
- It is the maximum pressure in the tank. Air tools mostly work at 6 to 6.3 bar; the difference is the reserve they draw on before the compressor cuts in.
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Black Wind piston compressors
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ATMOS piston compressors
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Walter reciprocating compressors
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Piston compressors ABAC
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Piston compressors ABAC
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Expert Zero compressors
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ABAC reciprocating compressors
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Quiet compressors Super Silent OS
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INDUSTRIAL TECH compressors
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CLR reciprocating compressors
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Combustion compressors
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Screw compressors
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Pressure vessels
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Compressor accessories
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Product sorting
List of products
The only machine in the range for a 230 V socket: A29B pump with 2.2 kW, 320 l/min at 1,300 rpm, 10 bar, 50 l tank on castors, 58 kg. Regulator, two gauges, DN 7.2 quick...
The most powerful single cylinder in the range: 1.8 kW, 233 l/min, 50 l tank on wheels, 32 kg. A sixth more air than the basic fifty at the same noise.
The biggest reserve in the quiet range: horizontal 50 l tank on wheels, 32 kg. Oil-free twin-piston pump 1.5 kW at 1,420 rpm, 230 l/min, 9 bar, 85 dB Lwa and 65 dB at 4 m;...
The highest-output direct drive in the range: V-twin, 2.2 kW, 356 l/min, 50 l tank, 40 kg. For a spray gun, a grinder and longer work from a standard socket.
Belt-driven compressor with cast-iron pump: 2.2 kW, 320 l/min, 10 bar, 50 l, aftercooler, 71 dB at 4 m. The only machine in the range for regular work, 54 kg.
The biggest reserve in the L20N range: horizontal 50 l tank on two wheels, 33 kg. Oil-lubricated 1.5 kW L20 pump from an ordinary socket, 220 l/min, 10 bar; regulator, two...
50 l oil-lubricated compressor with the L30P pump: 2.2 kW from an ordinary socket, 310 l/min, 10 bar, horizontal 50 l tank, 37 kg on wheels. Regulator, two gauges, DN 7.2 quick...
50 l oil-lubricated compressor for the garage and smaller workshop: 1.8 kW L25P pump from an ordinary socket, 270 l/min, 10 bar, horizontal 50 l tank, 36 kg on wheels....
Twin-cylinder direct-drive mobile compressor ABAC V36: 2.2 kW from an ordinary socket, 355 l/min air delivery, 277 l/min FAD, 10 bar, 50 l tank, 42 kg on wheels. Regulator, two...
The fifty with the A39B pump: 2.2 kW (3 hp) on 230 V, 355 l/min at 950 rpm, 10 bar, 67 kg on castors. Belt guard that guides the cooling air, aftercooler, DN 7.2 quick coupling;...
The smallest cast-iron WALTER with a tank: for short jobs, as a second compressor alongside a larger machine, or for workstations you wheel it to. Its 340 l/min air delivery...
The cheapest fifty in the range: oil-lubricated compressor 1.5 kW, 200 l/min, 50 l tank on wheels, 29 kg. For a nail gun and a spray gun that draw air in pulses.
The lightest machine in the range, 55 kg: A29B pump with 1.5 kW on 230 V, 178 l/min at 750 rpm, 10 bar, 50 l tank on castors. Aftercooler, regulator, two gauges, DN 7.2 quick...
A cast-iron compressor for a garage or a smaller workshop without a three-phase socket. The twin-cylinder unit at 1,276 rpm delivers 340 l/min for a blow gun, a tyre inflator...
Two-piston 50 l compressor with the low-speed V30 pump: 1,450 rpm, 2.2 kW from an ordinary socket, 330 l/min displacement, 10 bar, 60 kg on wheels with a swivel castor....
Vertical compressor with the low-speed V30 pump: vertical 50 l tank on a 52 × 41 cm footprint, 2.2 kW from an ordinary socket, 1,450 rpm, 330 l/min displacement, 10 bar, 62 kg,...
A fifty-litre tank with the smallest engine in the range. The lightest fifty-litre machine on offer.
The middle class on the fifty-litre receiver. 155 l/min for two to three chairs, 40 kilos, no dryer.
A fifty-litre receiver on the smallest pump. Fewer motor starts under intermittent draw, 36 kilos.
A fifty-litre receiver and an adsorption dryer in one. For one to two chairs, 47 kilos.
The middle class with the fifty-litre receiver and a dryer. Dry air for two to three chairs, 54 kilos.
The strongest machine of the range. 240 l/min for four to five chairs, a fifty-litre receiver, 52 kilos.
The strongest machine of the range with a dryer. 240 l/min and a −40 °C dew point for four to five chairs, 60 kilos.
The largest tank a two-kilowatt pump gets in this range. Fifty litres, 44 kg, still on wheels and with a handle.
A fifty-litre tank and a Honda GX270 engine. The highest output you can still push around a site.
The only fifty-litre machine at fourteen bar. The same machine as the 50CP, but with a higher working pressure.