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Put three spray tips on a bench: one stamped 04, one stamped 517, one stamped 1.5 mm. Each is a complete specification in its own family, and none means anything in the other two. A spray tip size chart is only useful once you know which numbering system you are reading, because the digits encode different quantities at different reference pressures.
A chart printed by one maker is a lookup table for that catalogue. Read it against a competitor’s spray nozzle tips, or convert an airless number into an agricultural size, and the answer is wrong before the arithmetic starts.
The Five Numbering Systems Behind Any Tip Size Chart
Almost every production tip carries a code from one of five families. They are separate languages that happen to share a decimal point.
| System | Example code | What the digits mean | Reference condition | Transfers to another brand? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural flat fan (ISO) | XR11004, LU 120-04 | Fan angle in degrees, then a capacity size number | Flow in US gpm at 40 psi (2.76 bar) | Yes: size number and angle are portable |
| Airless coating tip | 517, 625, 415 | Fan width (first digit x 2) plus orifice in thousandths of an inch | Water at 2,000 psi (138 bar), fan measured at 12 in (305 mm) | Partly: the three digits mean the same, the guard and family do not |
| Spray gun fluid tip | 1.3 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm | Fluid orifice diameter in millimetres | Gun specific; needle and air cap are matched parts | Partly: the millimetre is portable, the seat and thread are not |
| Pressure washer orifice | 2504, 4003 | Spray angle in degrees, then orifice number | Flow in US gpm at 4,000 psi (276 bar) | Partly: the US convention holds, the colour does not |
| Oil burner nozzle | 0.60 80 A | Fuel flow in GPH, angle in degrees, pattern letter | 100 psi (6.9 bar) | Yes within one thread standard, no across thread standards |
Two patterns are worth remembering. In the agricultural system the angle is written literally in degrees, so an XR11004 and an LU 120-04 are both flat fans, one at 110 degrees and one at 120 degrees, at the same capacity. In the airless system the first digit is half the fan width in inches, so a 517 throws a 10 in fan at a nominal angle near 50 degrees.
The reference pressure is the third variable: an agricultural 04 is 0.4 gpm at 40 psi, an airless 517 is 0.31 gpm at 2,000 psi, an oil burner 0.60 is 0.6 gallons per hour at 100 psi. Never compare two numbers until you know the pressure each was rated at. For the full brand-by-brand decode, our guide on how to read a TeeJet nozzle chart walks each block in detail.
System One: Agricultural Flat Fan Sizes and the ISO Number
The agricultural world runs on a shared size number. Lechler states the rule in its own catalogue: a size -03 stands for 0.3 US gallons per minute at 40 psi, with colours per ISO 10625. TeeJet, Hypro (Pentair) and most crop protection suppliers publish the same ladder, which makes this the one system where a competitor’s chart is readable.
| Size code | Flow at 40 psi (gpm) | Flow at 40 psi (L/min) | Nominal metric label (L/min at 3 bar) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 0.10 | 0.38 | 0.4 |
| 015 | 0.15 | 0.57 | 0.6 |
| 02 | 0.20 | 0.76 | 0.8 |
| 025 | 0.25 | 0.95 | 1.0 |
| 03 | 0.30 | 1.14 | 1.2 |
| 04 | 0.40 | 1.51 | 1.6 |
| 05 | 0.50 | 1.89 | 2.0 |
| 06 | 0.60 | 2.27 | 2.4 |
| 08 | 0.80 | 3.03 | 3.2 |
| 10 | 1.00 | 3.79 | 4.0 |
Both columns are nominal designations, not a unit conversion: 0.8 gpm converts to 3.03 L/min at 40 psi, or 3.16 L/min at 3 bar against a catalogue label of 3.2. Quote the code, and treat the second column as a sanity check.
The angle digits are literal degrees, which is where the prefixes start to matter:
| Capacity | TeeJet flat fan | Lechler flat fan | Hypro flat fan | Flow at 40 psi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | XR11002 | LU 120-02 | FC-GA110-02 | 0.20 gpm (0.8 L/min at 3 bar) |
| 03 | XR11003 | LU 120-03 | FC-GA110-03 | 0.30 gpm (1.2 L/min) |
| 04 | XR11004 | LU 120-04 | FC-GA110-04 | 0.40 gpm (1.6 L/min) |
| 05 | XR11005 | LU 120-05 | FC-GA110-05 | 0.50 gpm (2.0 L/min) |
| 06 | XR11006 | LU 120-06 | GAT110-06 | 0.60 gpm (2.4 L/min) |
| 08 | XR11008 | LU 120-08 | GAT110-08 | 0.80 gpm (3.2 L/min) |
These are representative catalogue entries, not a complete cross-reference: the leading letters name the family and do not travel, the angle and capacity do. The same flow class exists at 110 and 120 degrees, and the angle is a geometry choice for boom height, not a flow choice, as the nozzle spray angle guide explains. Published colour tables also disagree with each other, so treat the stamped number as the specification and the colour as a convenience.
System Two: The Airless Spray Tip Size Chart and the 517 Rule
The airless spray tip size chart is the most widely shared system outside agriculture. Graco’s guidance states it plainly: multiply the first digit by 2 for the fan width in inches at a 12 in standoff, or by 5 for centimetres at 30 cm. The last two digits are the orifice in thousandths of an inch, so a 517 is a 10 in (25 cm) fan through a 0.017 in (0.43 mm) orifice. Titan, Wagner and most coating brands use the same three digits, and this is the part that transfers.
| Tip code | Fan width at 12 in (305 mm) | Orifice (in) | Orifice (mm) | Flow at 2,000 psi (gpm) | Flow at 2,000 psi (L/min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 311 | 6 in (15 cm) | 0.011 | 0.28 | 0.12 | 0.5 |
| 413 | 8 in (20 cm) | 0.013 | 0.33 | 0.18 | 0.7 |
| 415 | 8 in (20 cm) | 0.015 | 0.38 | 0.24 | 0.9 |
| 517 | 10 in (25 cm) | 0.017 | 0.43 | 0.31 | 1.2 |
| 519 | 10 in (25 cm) | 0.019 | 0.48 | 0.38 | 1.5 |
| 521 | 10 in (25 cm) | 0.021 | 0.53 | 0.47 | 1.8 |
| 525 | 10 in (25 cm) | 0.025 | 0.64 | 0.67 | 2.5 |
| 619 | 12 in (30 cm) | 0.019 | 0.48 | 0.38 | 1.5 |
The airless colour means something different again: it identifies the application family, not the flow. Green is fine finish with thin material, blue and neon general wall painting, brown heavy duty and plaster, grey protective coatings at high pressure, yellow line marking. Two tips of the same colour can carry different orifices, and tip families own the guard, so the same digits in a different family may not fit your gun. Our paint sprayer tip size chart guide maps the families; for replacement tip sizing, order the fan width and orifice you need, then confirm the family and guard your gun accepts.
System Three: The Spray Gun Tips Sizes Chart in Millimetres
Move to a compressed air gun and the numbering changes again. Spray gun tips sizes chart entries are a single millimetre figure, 1.3 or 1.5 or 2.0, and the number is the fluid orifice diameter, not a flow and not a width. Air cap and needle are matched to that seat, so a fluid tip is a three-part set. Published gun-maker guidance runs in a narrow band:
| Fluid tip (mm) | Typical material | Gun filter mesh | Rough airless equivalent orifice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0-1.3 | Clear coats, lacquers, stains, thin varnish | 100-200 | 0.009-0.013 in |
| 1.3-1.5 | Enamels, urethanes, trim and cabinet paints | 100 | 0.013-0.015 in |
| 1.8-2.0 | Latex, primers, wall and ceiling work | 60 | 0.017-0.021 in |
| 2.2-2.5 | Heavy latex, block fillers | 30 | 0.023-0.035 in |
The filter mesh column is the part most often missed in cross-brand work: step up a tip size and the filter that passed a thin material may starve the larger orifice, and step down and a coarse filter passes particles a fine tip cannot clear. Change the tip and the filter together. The last column is approximate only, because an airless tip and a compressed air gun atomise by different mechanisms, so treat the conversion as a starting point for a test.
System Four: Flow Numbered Tips, From Pressure Washers to Oil Burners
Two more families sidestep the orifice and print flow on the tip. Both are useful cross-brand because the arithmetic is identical; only the reference pressure changes.
| System | Number on the tip | What it equals | Convert to your pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure washer | Orifice number, e.g. #4 in a 2504 tip | US gpm at 4,000 psi | Flow = number x square root of (psi / 4,000) |
| Oil burner | GPH figure, e.g. 0.60 | US gallons per hour at 100 psi | Flow = GPH x square root of (psi / 100) |
| Airless coating | Last two digits, e.g. 17 | Orifice in thousandths of an inch | Read flow at 2,000 psi, then scale by square root |
| Agricultural ISO | Size code, e.g. 04 | US gpm at 40 psi | Flow = 0.01 x code x square root of (psi / 40) |
A #4 pressure washer tip rated at 4,000 psi flows 4 gpm there, 3.46 gpm at 3,000 psi and 2.83 gpm at 2,000 psi. An oil burner nozzle stamped 1.0 GPH at 100 psi delivers about 0.89 GPH at 80 psi. Only the supply pressure changed. Our pressure washer nozzle chart and oil burner nozzle matching guides carry the full tables.
Oil burner codes add one more layer: a trailing letter marks the pattern, A for hollow cone and B for solid cone on the most common domestic series, with other letters varying between makers. Quote all three blocks, because the two patterns are not interchangeable.
Tip Orifice Size vs Flow: The One Ratio That Makes Charts Comparable
Tip orifice size vs flow is the relationship that lets you sanity check any chart in any system. Flow scales with orifice area, and area scales with the square of diameter, so a small change in the hole is a larger change in output.
| Change in orifice diameter | Change in area and flow | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|
| +5% | +10% | Early wear, invisible in the pattern |
| +10% | +21% | The replacement trigger, roughly one sixth of a size |
| +13% | +29% | One airless step, 0.015 to 0.017 in |
| +25% | +56% | Two airless steps, or a badly worn tip |
| One ISO size step (03 to 04) | +33% | One step up the agricultural ladder |
| One ISO size step (04 to 05) | +25% | The upper half of the ladder flattens out |
Two conclusions follow. Orifice steps are not linear: 02 to 03 is a 50% jump in flow, while 04 to 05 is 25%. And when a tip wears, the flow error is always larger than the diameter error, which is why flow measurement catches wear the eye cannot see.
It also works in reverse: 20% more flow at the same pressure needs a tip about 10% larger in orifice, which in most catalogues is one step.
Every rating here is tied to a pressure, and flow follows Q2 = Q1 x square root of (P2 / P1). A 04 rated 0.40 gpm at 40 psi flows 0.49 gpm at 60 psi. An airless 517 rated 0.31 gpm at 2,000 psi flows about 0.44 gpm at 4,000 psi. A pressure washer #4 rated 4 gpm at 4,000 psi flows 2.83 gpm at 2,000 psi. Doubling pressure adds 41% flow, not 100%, and cutting it by 25% removes about 13%.
A tip from brand A rated at one pressure and one from brand B rated at another cannot be swapped on the number alone, so convert both to your operating pressure first. Our sprayer nozzle selection guide covers the coverage effects of chasing flow with pressure, and the flow rate calculation guide carries the conversion method.
Replacement Tip Sizing: Converting One Brand to Another in Four Steps
Replacement tip sizing across brands takes one measured number, not a catalogue:
- Write down the flow you need, in gpm or L/min, at the pressure you actually run.
- Convert it to the reference pressure of the system you are buying into, using the square root rule.
- Pick the nearest size step, accepting that catalogue ladders are not continuous. Prefer the smaller step if the duty is dose critical.
- Confirm the geometry and mechanics: angle or fan width, pattern type, filter and guard, thread or seat.
A worked example. A line needs 1.2 L/min from a flat fan at 3 bar: that is 0.32 gpm, close to 0.30 gpm at 40 psi, the size 03 code. TeeJet, Lechler and Hypro all build it (XR11003, LU 120-03, FC-GA110-03). Choose the angle by header geometry, then confirm the thread and body from our thread size guide.
The same duty on an airless line, where the reference is 2,000 psi rather than 40: 1.2 L/min at 2,000 psi is 0.32 gpm, between a 515 at 0.24 gpm and a 517 at 0.31 gpm. The 517 is the closest standard step, and the fan you want sets the first digit: 417 for trim, 517 for walls, 619 for wide exteriors. Same flow, two codes, because the two systems rate at different pressures.
The Worn Tip Flow Rise and the 10 Percent Replacement Rule
A tip does not fail, it opens up. The orifice erodes, flow rises at the same pressure, and the pattern narrows as the outlet edge loses its shape. Both changes pull the dose per unit area up while the machine looks and sounds normal. Graco publishes a textbook example for a 619 airless tip:
| Condition | Fan width | Material output | Change against a new tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| New | 30 cm (12 in) | 0.91 L/min | Baseline |
| Used | 28 cm | 1.17 L/min | +29% flow, fan down 7% |
| Heavily used | 21 cm | 1.47 L/min | +62% flow, fan down 30% |
| Worn | 14 cm | 1.79 L/min | +97% flow, fan down 53% |
The fan gets smaller while the output nearly doubles, so the material lands in a narrower band at a higher rate. Graco’s field rule is to replace when the fan width is about 25% narrower than new, or when the pattern has gone from a rounded rectangle to an oval diamond.
For flow controlled systems, the worn tip flow rise 10% replacement rule is the standard trigger. European sprayer inspection guidance is explicit about the thresholds:
| Measurement | Threshold | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Average flow across the boom or header | More than +10% of a new nozzle | Replace the whole set |
| Single nozzle, quick check | More than +15% | Investigate; swap the tip if the average is in spec |
| Spread between nozzles | More than plus or minus 5% of the average | Replace the set |
| Airless fan width | About 25% narrower than new | Replace the tip |
| Pattern shape | Oval or diamond instead of a rectangle | Replace the tip |
The 10% rule lands the same way in every system: one physical failure wearing five labels:
- An agricultural 04 rated 0.40 gpm that measures 0.44 gpm is done.
- An airless 517 rated 0.31 gpm that measures 0.34 gpm is done.
- A pressure washer #4 rated 4 gpm that now passes 4.4 gpm is done.
- An oil burner 0.60 GPH nozzle now firing 0.66 GPH is done, and it is also over-firing the chamber.
The 10% figure is not arbitrary: it implies roughly 5% growth in orifice diameter, enough to distort the pattern and break uniformity across a boom. Our guide to worn nozzles and silent over-application traces what that costs over a season.
Tip Material and Service Life: Brass, Stainless, Ceramic
Wear rate decides how fast you return to the parts counter, mostly a material choice. Published vendor data gives multipliers against brass:
| Material | Life vs brass | Duty it suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brass | 1x (baseline) | Clean water, light duty, short runs | Erodes quickly on anything abrasive |
| Hardened stainless | About 3-5x | General industrial and agricultural duty | Costs more, still wears on slurries |
| Polymer (PP, POM, PVDF) | Varies by grade | Chemical resistance, low pressure work | Poor abrasion resistance, can swell or crack |
| Ceramic insert | About 20-50x | Abrasive slurries, high pressure, long campaigns | Brittle; damaged by impact, not by flow |
Ceramic and tungsten carbide are cited in vendor data at up to fifty times the life of brass in abrasive service, which is worth more than the price difference whenever the liquid carries solids. For the metals only comparison, see stainless versus brass nozzles.
Material also changes the number you measure: a brass tip can drift 10% in a season of abrasive work, while a ceramic tip in the same duty may hold its flow for years. Set the inspection interval by material and duty, not by calendar.
Two chart families trip buyers on the naming alone. A spray gun tip size chart, for compressed guns and bleeder cups, is not the same table as an airless spray tip chart, where the three-digit code carries fan width and orifice inches; read the header of the page before the numbers. A third table, the hvlp spray gun tip size chart, is keyed on fluid needle size and air cap orifices rather than any code at all. Same word “chart”, three different physics. Match the chart to the atomisation route first, then match the number.
Common Mistakes When You Read a Tip Size Chart Across Brands
Most cross-brand errors are assumptions carried from one system into another:
- Comparing numbers rated at different pressures. 0.4 gpm at 40 psi and 0.38 gpm at 2,000 psi are not comparable outputs; the second tip passes several times more liquid at line pressure.
- Trusting colour as a specification. Agricultural colour maps to flow, airless colour to application family, and published colour tables disagree.
- Assuming the number implies fitment. Guards, air caps, needles, seats and threads are matched parts. The size number says nothing about whether the tip screws into your gun.
- Replacing one tip in a set. One new tip beside eleven worn ones is a header running twelve different rates. Replace sets.
- Stepping up a tip to fix a pressure problem. If a pump cannot hold pressure, a larger tip makes it worse. Size the tip to the pump’s rated flow.
- Measuring flow at the pump gauge. Friction and elevation eat pressure before the liquid reaches the tip. Measure at the nozzle, or you are rating a tip you are not running.
What to Send for a Replacement Tip Quote
A supplier with your duty conditions returns an interchangeable part; a supplier with only a part number returns a part number. Send:
- The stamped code, plus the brand and series if known
- The flow you need in gpm or L/min at your actual operating pressure, and the spray angle or fan width behind it
- The pattern type: flat fan, hollow cone, full cone, solid stream or mist
- Material preference, or the liquid’s abrasiveness, temperature and chemistry
- The mechanical interface: thread, body style, guard, air cap or seat
- The duty cycle and the current replacement interval
If you have the flow and the interface, the rest is engineering. With only a number, we can only return a number.
For flat fan bodies across the ISO size ladder, our flat fan nozzles range covers the sizes and angles used above, and the same method applies to misting nozzles.
FAQ: Cross-Brand Tip Sizing Questions
Is a TeeJet 04 the same as a Lechler 04? In flow terms, yes: both flow about 0.40 gpm at 40 psi, because the size number is the flow at that reference pressure under the shared agricultural convention. They are not the same tip, since angle, pattern, body and thread may all differ. Match the flow with the size, and the rest with the full code.
How do I convert a 517 airless tip into an agricultural size? Convert the flows, not the digits. A 517 passes about 0.31 gpm at 2,000 psi, roughly 0.28 gpm at 40 psi, so the equivalent agricultural size sits between 025 and 03. The two tips also produce different droplet spectra, so the conversion is a starting point for a test, not a drop-in replacement.
Why does my measured flow not match the chart? Four causes cover almost every case: the tip is worn, pressure is measured at the pump rather than the tip, the gauge is inaccurate, or the liquid is not the one the chart was written for. Measure at the nozzle, with the process liquid, at the reference pressure.
When exactly should a tip be replaced? When measured flow is about 10% above a new tip of the same code, when the spread between tips exceeds about 5% of the average, or when the pattern has lost its shape. Airless tips also have the 25% fan width rule, and any one of those signals is enough.
Can I mix brands on one boom or header? You can, if you verify each tip at the same pressure and the same liquid and they land within a few percent of each other. That verification is more work than buying a matched set, and a mismatched set produces a uniformity problem that shows up in the work, not the paperwork.
How should I read two charts side by side? A spray nozzle chart is only as good as the pressure it was written at. A spray tip chart from another maker usually carries a different reference. Read any spray nozzle chart as three numbers: flow, pressure, geometry. Convert each entry to your operating pressure. Cross-check a spray nozzle chart against a spray tip chart only after both flows sit at one pressure.
One Method, Any Brand
A spray tip size chart is a lookup table for one catalogue, and cross-brand work needs more than a lookup. What travels between brands is the flow, the angle and the mechanical interface; what does not travel is the notation, the reference pressure and the colour convention.
Read every tip code as three answers: the flow at a stated pressure, the geometry, the fitment. Convert the flow to your own pressure, match the geometry to the job, check the interface before you order, then verify the set with a flow test at the start of the campaign and replace at the 10% line. A chart is only as true as the tip it describes.
Send the stamped code, the flow you need and the interface through the contact form and our engineers will return a cross-referenced specification with the equivalent code in the family you want to standardise on.
Next Step
Send the Duty. Get Sized Nozzles Back.
Send your flow, pressure, fluid and target coverage. We come back with nozzle options and figures, not a catalogue number.
Written by
Ray ChanIndustrial spray nozzle specialist. I size tank cleaning, atomizing, flat-fan and spiral nozzles against real duty conditions, flow, pressure, fluid and target, rather than catalogue numbers. Every guide here comes from actual sizing work.