How to Read a TeeJet Nozzle Chart: Decoding the Numbering System

Why a Mistyped Digit Can Cost a Season

Misreading a TeeJet nozzle code is one of the fastest ways to lose money in the field. Take TP8002E. The last two digits state the capacity: 0.2 GPM at 40 psi. Read those digits as 0.02 GPM and you under-apply a herbicide by 90 percent. A 10 GPA program quietly becomes 1 GPA.

Weeds survive the pass, and the rescue operation doubles your chemical spend. The same slip works in reverse. Over-read the flow digits and you over-apply, pushing crops into phytotoxicity and burning yield. Neither error shows up until the damage is visible, and by then the season is compromised.

The cost compounds across the whole boom. A 60 foot rig with 36 tips makes the same mistake 36 times per pass. Small flow errors multiply into big rate errors. That is why every commercial spray program starts with a verified nozzle chart and a measured tip check.

The good news is that every TeeJet code is a compact spec sheet. Decode it and you can verify a tip, size a replacement, and calculate application rate in minutes. This article teaches you to read a teejet nozzle chart exactly. It covers every block of the numbering system and how to size sprayer nozzles for real field conditions.

You get the flow math, the spacing tables, the droplet logic, and the worked examples that catalog pages assume you already know. For the family-by-family overview first, see our agricultural nozzle types guide.

The TeeJet Numbering System at a Glance

Every standard TeeJet code packs four blocks of information into one string. The leading letters name the tip family. The next two digits give the spray angle in degrees. The following digits give capacity in GPM at 40 psi. Trailing letters mark pattern style, body construction, or color coding.

Read left to right: type, angle, flow, style.

Work through TP8002E. TP marks a turbo flat spray family. 80 is the fan angle in degrees. 02 is the capacity: 0.2 GPM at 40 psi. E means an even flat spray pattern.

Change any block and the whole spec changes. An 80 replaced by 110 gives a wider fan. An 02 replaced by 04 doubles the flow. Drop the E and you get a standard tapered pattern instead of an even band.

The same four-block logic appears across the catalog. XR11004-VS reads as a TeeJet extended range flat spray tip: 110 degree angle, 0.4 GPM at 40 psi, on a VisiFlo color coded body. A DG8002 is a drift guard pre-orifice tip at 80 degrees, 0.2 GPM at 40 psi. An AIXR11004-VP is an air induction extended range tip at 110 degrees, 0.4 GPM, on a VisiFlo Plus body. A TX-4 hollow cone flows 0.4 GPM at 40 psi with a round pattern.

The rating system is consistent across TeeJet nozzles, so the decoding skill transfers from one spray tip to the next.

TT and TP codes sit in the flat spray world along with XR, DG, AI, and AIXR. TX is different: a hollow cone with a round, finely atomized pattern used where coverage inside the canopy matters more than a uniform band. The prefix table below summarizes the common families.

Two letters at the end of the code carry construction details. VS means VisiFlo, the molded color system used across TeeJet spray tips. VP marks a VisiFlo Plus TeeJet nozzle body used on TeeJet AI nozzles. The suffix does not change the flow math; it tells you what the body looks like and how to identify it in the field.

Reading the Flow Digits

The capacity digits are the heart of the code. They state flow in gallons per minute at 40 psi, the reference pressure for every TeeJet tip. 02 means 0.2 GPM. 04 means 0.4 GPM. 08 means 0.8 GPM.

Insert the decimal point before the final digit, so 02 becomes 0.2 and 06 becomes 0.6. For the 10, 15, and 20 codes, read them directly: 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 GPM. Three-digit codes such as 015 mean 0.15 GPM.

The full capacity ladder runs from fine low-volume tips to high-flow broadcast bodies:

| Code digits | Flow at 40 psi (GPM) | | 01 | 0.10 | | 015 | 0.15 | | 02 | 0.20 | | 025 | 0.25 | | 03 | 0.30 | | 04 | 0.40 | | 05 | 0.50 | | 06 | 0.60 | | 08 | 0.80 | | 10 | 1.00 | | 15 | 1.50 | | 20 | 2.00 |

Why 40 psi? A single reference pressure lets one number describe a tip at every field pressure. Compare two tips at 40 psi and the ratio between them holds at every pressure, because both scale by the same square root rule. That makes capacity the most useful single number on any chart.

Because the rating is fixed, you can compare nozzle flow rate across tip families at a glance. A 04 code flows 0.4 GPM at 40 psi whether it is an XR flat fan or an AI air induction body. The digits never describe output at your operating pressure; they only describe the 40 psi reference. Convert to your real pressure with the square root rule covered below.

Never trust a worn stamp. Molded polymer bodies keep their digits, but brass tips lose stamps quickly in abrasive service. When in doubt, catch the output at 40 psi with a gauge and a stopwatch, and compare it with the chart value.

Spray Angle Digits and What They Mean

The angle digits describe the included fan angle in degrees. The common catalog values are 65, 80, 95, and 110. The angle is measured across the fan, along the boom, at rated height. XR11004 spreads wider than XR8004 at the same height, and that difference drives the whole setup.

Wider fans sit closer to the crop. At 20 inch spacing, a 110 degree fan runs at roughly 17 to 19 inches above the target. An 80 degree fan needs about 24 to 26 inches at the same spacing. Lower boom height means less exposure to wind, which is why 110 degree tips dominate broadcast herbicide work.

Narrow fans need more height to achieve the same overlap. That pushes the spray higher into the wind layer and widens the drift envelope. 65 degree fans appear in narrow-row and high-boom setups where clearance or row geometry forces the height.

The angle is not the pattern width. Width comes from the angle combined with the height, so charts list a height range for each angle and spacing pair. Read the pair together, never the angle alone.

Even Versus Standard Patterns: The E Suffix

The E suffix marks an even flat spray pattern. Standard flat fans deliver more liquid toward the center of the fan and taper at the edges. Even tips deliver uniform distribution edge to edge with a hard cutoff. TP8002E is an even tip: 0.2 GPM at 40 psi spread evenly across a band.

Even patterns suit banding, row-middle application, and border strips, where you want a sharp edge and no overlap. Standard fans overlap to build uniform broadcast coverage. Even fans do not need overlap and should not get it.

Mix even and standard tips on the same boom and you get striped coverage. The even tips leave a hard edge where the standard fans expect overlap. Keep the two pattern families on separate booms or separate sections, and label them clearly.

Check the suffix before you buy. An E changes the job of the tip completely, and the price difference is not the point. The pattern is the point.

VisiFlo Color Coding: Identifying Tips at a Glance

VS in a code means VisiFlo, TeeJet’s molded color system. VP marks VisiFlo Plus bodies on some air induction lines. Each capacity maps to one fixed color across all tip families. The color lives in the body itself, so it survives when stamps wear off brass.

Yellow always means 02. Red always means 04. Blue always means 03. The full map:

| Capacity | Flow at 40 psi (GPM) | VisiFlo color | | 01 | 0.10 | Orange | | 015 | 0.15 | Green | | 02 | 0.20 | Yellow | | 025 | 0.25 | Lilac | | 03 | 0.30 | Blue | | 04 | 0.40 | Red | | 05 | 0.50 | Brown | | 06 | 0.60 | Grey | | 08 | 0.80 | White | | 10 | 1.00 | Light blue |

The color only encodes capacity. It does not encode angle, family, or pattern. Two yellow tips can be completely different nozzles, so read the full code before installing anything.

Operators use the colors to sort tips during changeovers. A rack sorted by color cuts setup time and stops mis-installs. The color is a fast check, not a substitute for the stamp.

Air Induction (AI) Nozzles: The Low-Drift Line

Air Induction (AI) tips use the same four-block code and add one more behavior: they pull air into the spray. Inside the body, a pre-orifice meters the liquid first. The metered jet enters a mixing chamber, and the venturi effect draws air in through an intake port on the side of the body. Liquid and air mix into larger, air-filled droplets. Those droplets fall faster and stay closer to the target, which is why the Air Induction line is the drift answer in the TeeJet catalog.

The pre-orifice changes two things at once. First, the capacity digits still read the same way: an AI11004 flows 0.4 GPM at 40 psi, exactly like an XR11004. Second, the droplet class holds across a wider pressure window, because the metering happens before the fan forms. Published drift comparisons show Air Induction tips cutting driftable fines by 50 to 90 percent against a standard flat fan at the same pressure.

Capacity	VisiFlo color	How to tell an Air Induction tip apart
01	Orange	Larger body, visible air intake port, VP stamp
02	Yellow	Same yellow, plus intake port and VP stamp
03	Blue	Same blue, plus intake port and VP stamp
04	Red	Same red, plus intake port and VP stamp
08	White	Same white, plus intake port and VP stamp

The color still encodes capacity only. What separates an Air Induction tip on the rack is the body: the air intake port and the VP (VisiFlo Plus) construction. A yellow AI tip and a yellow XR tip are different nozzles with the same capacity color, so check for the port before you install. The color scheme on AI and AIXR tips follows the same VisiFlo ladder as the standard line, so the capacity tables above apply to both.

Family	Code example	Published operating range	Droplet class at 40 psi	Best role
XR TeeJet flat fan	XR11004-VS	15-60 psi	Fine to Medium	General broadcast, widest flexibility
DG TeeJet (drift guard)	DG8002	30-60 psi	Medium to Coarse	Pre-orifice drift control on a standard body
AI (Air Induction)	AI11004-VP	15-60 psi	Coarse to Very Coarse	Maximum drift reduction
AIXR (Air Induction Extended Range)	AIXR11004-VP	15-90 psi	Coarse to Very Coarse	Drift control across the widest band

The XR line is the reference point: a wide 15-60 psi window, Fine to Medium droplets, and maximum flexibility. DG adds a pre-orifice and trades range for drift control. AI keeps the standard pressure window but jumps the droplet class to Coarse and above. AIXR extends the range to 90 psi for booms that run at high pressure. The code rules are unchanged across all four families: type, angle, flow, style. Only the drift behavior differs, and the label tells you which row you need.

Flow at Different Pressures: The Square Root Rule

Rated capacity means 40 psi, but no field runs exactly 40 psi all day. Boom pressure changes with pump speed, tank level, line losses, and tip wear. The square root rule converts flow across pressures.

Q2 = Q1 × sqrt(P2 / P1). Q1 is the rated flow at P1. P1 is normally 40 psi. Q2 is the new flow at P2. Double the pressure and flow rises by about 41 percent, because sqrt(2) is 1.414. Cut pressure by 25 percent and flow drops to about 87 percent of rated.

The published values for an XR11004 follow the rule exactly:

| Pressure (psi) | Flow (GPM) | | 15 | 0.24 | | 20 | 0.28 | | 30 | 0.35 | | 40 | 0.40 | | 50 | 0.45 | | 60 | 0.49 |

Check the 30 psi row: 0.4 × sqrt(30 ÷ 40) = 0.4 × 0.866 = 0.35 GPM. The 60 psi row: 0.4 × sqrt(60 ÷ 40) = 0.4 × 1.225 = 0.49 GPM. These match the catalog values for the XR11004.

Pressure control is flow control. A 25 percent pressure loss under-applies by about 13 percent. On the GPA math, an 11.9 GPA program becomes 10.4 GPA. The label rate is gone before the first streak shows.

Always measure pressure at the boom end, not at the pump outlet. Long runs and small plumbing drop several psi before the liquid reaches the tips. Recalculate nozzle flow rate with the square root rule every time you change pressure. Adjust the tip size when the math falls outside the label window.

Converting Nozzle Flow to Application Rate

Tip flow only matters once it becomes gallons per acre on the ground. The standard conversion used across the industry:

GPA = 5940 × GPM ÷ (mph × inches). GPA is gallons per acre. GPM is flow per nozzle at operating pressure. mph is true ground speed. inches is nozzle spacing on the boom. The 5940 constant is the published conversion factor that makes the units work.

Worked example: XR11004 at 40 psi, 0.4 GPM, 20 inch spacing, 10 mph. 5940 × 0.4 = 2376. 10 × 20 = 200. 2376 ÷ 200 = 11.9 GPA. The same tip at different speeds:

| Speed (mph) | Application rate (GPA) | | 5 | 23.8 | | 6 | 19.8 | | 7.5 | 15.8 | | 10 | 11.9 | | 12 | 9.9 | | 15 | 7.9 |

Speed is the biggest lever. The same tip covers 11.9 GPA at 10 mph and 7.9 GPA at 15 mph. Check the monitor speed against a measured pass, because wheel slip inflates the number on many rigs.

Reverse the formula to size tips from a target rate. GPM per nozzle = GPA × mph × inches ÷ 5940. Target 12 GPA at 10 mph with 20 inch spacing: 12 × 10 × 20 = 2400, then 2400 ÷ 5940 = 0.40 GPM. That lands on an 04 code at 40 psi. This reverse math is how you pick a size from a teejet nozzle chart before you buy. For the full calculation walkthrough, see our spray nozzle flow rate calculation guide.

Banding changes the math. When a 10 inch band is treated out of a 20 inch spacing, use the band width in the formula instead of the spacing. The same tip then delivers roughly twice the rate on the band, which is exactly how banding saves product.

Nozzle Spacing and Boom Height: Getting Overlap Right

Flat fans only deliver uniform coverage when adjacent fans overlap correctly at the target. The working rule for broadcast work: position the boom so each fan overlaps the next by about 50 percent at the crop. Height sets the overlap. Too low streaks; too high widens the pattern into drift territory.

The published height ranges for flat fan nozzles, at the standard spacings:

These ranges assume a level boom over level ground. Undulations change the effective height by inches, which is why boom suspension and section control matter on modern rigs. Recheck height after any boom adjustment.

Angle and spacing interact. A 110 degree fan handles 20 inch spacing at low height. An 80 degree fan needs more height at the same spacing. Narrow spacing lets you drop the boom, which helps in wind, and it is the reason many drift-conscious programs run tighter spacing.

Whatever the setup, keep the boom parallel to the ground and inside the chart window. Verify overlap with a pattern test before the season, and recheck after any change to height, spacing, or tip family.

Understanding Droplet Size Categories

Droplet size decides two competing outcomes: coverage and drift. Small droplets cover better and drift further. Large droplets drift less and cover less. ASABE S572 is the standard that names the categories, and TeeJet charts reference it directly.

The categories run from Very Fine to Ultra Coarse, with published volume median diameter ranges:

VMD is the volume median diameter. Half of the spray volume sits in droplets smaller than the VMD, and half sits larger. The fine categories carry most of their volume in the droplets most likely to drift, which is why they draw the drift warnings.

Tip type and pressure set the category. XR flat fans at 40 psi typically land in Fine to Medium. Turbo flat sprays land in Coarse to Very Coarse. Air induction tips land in Coarse and above, often Very Coarse to Extremely Coarse. Hollow cones land in Very Fine to Fine.

Pressure moves a tip across categories. An XR tip at 20 psi may land in Medium; the same tip at 60 psi may land in Fine. Charts publish the category at each pressure, and labels often specify a minimum category, such as Coarse or coarser for a given herbicide. Match the category to the label, not to habit.

Wind is the second half of the drift story. Spray drift risk climbs fast above 10 mph, and many operators shut down above 15 mph regardless of tip choice. The tip category is your first defense; the weather window is your second.

Choosing a Nozzle for the Job

Worked examples tie the chart to real programs. Every case starts with the label: rate, droplet category, and pressure window. Then the math picks the size and the family picks the drift behavior.

Systemic post-emerge herbicide on a herbicide sprayer: target Coarse, 15 GPA, 10 mph, 20 inch spacing. Needed flow: 15 × 10 × 20 ÷ 5940 = 0.5 GPM. Pick a 05 code at 40 psi. An AIXR11005 keeps pesticide drift down and coverage adequate. If the label allows Coarse, a TT11005 is a proven alternative with the same drift story.

Pre-emerge residual herbicide: higher volume and coarser droplets. Run 15 to 20 GPA with a TT or AI tip at 30 to 40 psi. The residual chemistry needs to reach the soil, so coarse droplets that fall fast are an advantage, not a compromise.

Contact insecticide on field crops: coverage wins. Target Fine to Medium at 10 to 20 GPA. An XR11002 or XR11003 at 40 to 60 psi covers leaves well. Higher pressure shrinks droplets and improves coverage. Check the category at your chosen pressure, because 60 psi can push an XR 04 into Fine territory.

Fungicide in dense canopy: Medium droplets, moderate volume, good penetration. An XR11003 at 40 psi is a workhorse. Where drift pressure is real, a Turbo TeeJet Induction tip holds Medium to Coarse while keeping penetration. Run the GPA math against the label rate before locking the size.

For the full decision process, see our sprayer nozzle selection guide and the herbicide drift nozzle selection guide. Both walk through the same chart logic with more field detail.

Drift Control, Wear, and Tip Life

Pesticide drift is a liability, not just a performance problem. Air induction tips pull air into the spray, forming larger air-filled droplets that fall fast and stay close to the target. Published test data shows AI and AIXR tips can cut driftable fines by 50 to 90 percent. The comparison is against a standard flat fan nozzle at the same pressure.

The trade-off is coverage. Air induction belongs in drift-sensitive herbicide work more than in contact sprays. When the label demands Fine or Medium droplets, an air induction tip may not be able to deliver them at practical pressures.

Wear changes everything. Brass tips erode quickly in abrasive tank mixes. The orifice opens, flow rises, and the pattern distorts. The published service rule: replace a tip when its output is 10 percent above the new-tip flow at the same pressure. A worn 04 flowing 0.44 GPM has already blown past the service window.

Material choice sets the clock. Hardened stainless steel outlasts brass by roughly three to five times in abrasive service. Ceramic and tungsten carbide go much further, with vendor test data commonly citing up to fifty times the life of brass. Ceramic tips cost more up front and hold flow and pattern for hundreds of hours, which is why commercial operators run them in heavy duty.

Check flow in the field with a measuring jar. Catch the output of one nozzle for one minute at a regulated 40 psi and compare it with the chart value. A 04 code should deliver about 1.5 liters per minute. If the catch runs 10 percent high, replace the tip before the next pass.

Common Mistakes to Avoid on a TeeJet Nozzle Chart

Most chart failures are not reading failures; they are assumption failures. These are the mistakes that show up in the field:

Assuming rated flow at operating pressure. The code says 40 psi, not boom pressure. Recalculate with the square root rule.
Mixing even and standard tips on one boom. Even fans do not overlap; standard fans do. The stripes will show in the crop.
Mixing tip families on one boom. XR, TT, DG, and AI tips have different patterns and droplet sizes. Keep one family per boom.
Choosing the angle by habit. An 80 degree fan and a 110 degree fan need different boom heights. Wrong height produces streaks or drift.
Reading the pump gauge instead of the boom gauge. Line losses of several psi shift the flow you actually deliver.
Forgetting wear. Brass tips creep past the 10 percent flow rule faster than operators expect. Flow check every season, and mid-season in abrasive work.
Ignoring the droplet category. A tip that fits the flow math can still fail the label drift and coverage requirements.
Buying capacity without checking angle. The same 04 code exists in 65, 80, and 110 degree versions. Order the full code, not just the capacity.

Work the chart before you buy, not after the first pass. The chart answers the same questions every season: what flows, at what angle, in what droplet size, at your pressure. Answer them once, and the rig runs the whole season on the same verified setup.

Send Us Your Duty Conditions

Reading a teejet nozzle chart is a skill you can take to any boom. The decoding logic never changes: type, angle, flow, style, then the math that turns flow into GPA. Your application, however, is unique. Chemical, crop, water volume, speed, spacing, and terrain all shift the answer.

Tell us your duty conditions. Send the crop, the product, the target GPA, the ground speed, and the boom spacing. Our engineers will recommend a tip family, size, and operating window for your rig. Browse our agricultural spray nozzles for the families covered here, or send us your duty conditions and get a written selection. We answer with a spec, not a guess, and we ship from stock when the season will not wait.