What it measures: Air pressure
PSI is the unit of measurement for air pressure in airbrush systems. It tells you how hard the air is pushing, how much force per square inch of surface area.
Typical PSI ranges for airbrushing:
- 8–12 PSI: Very fine detail work, thin paint, close distances (1–2cm from surface).
- 15–20 PSI: General painting, illustration, miniature basecoats.
- 20–30 PSI: Broader coverage, thicker paints, priming, larger scale work.
- 30+ PSI: Rarely needed for airbrush. More common for automotive spray guns.
Finding your PSI: Start at 15 PSI and test spray on paper. If paint is spitting or orange-peeling, increase pressure slightly. If the spray pattern is too wide or blowing paint around, reduce pressure. Every paint/nozzle/distance combination has an optimal PSI, learn to dial it in by feel.
Related: Regulator · CFM · Compressor · Atomization
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