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Home / Airless Spray Tips Buying Guide

Industrial Coatings Airless Spray Tips Buying Guide

The right airless spray tip is an important tool decision dependent on the coating or paint you’ll be spraying.  We offer top selections of Graco and Tritech spray tips, in a variety of orifice sizes sure to fit your project specifications.

Should you have any questions, reach out to our dedicated customer service team who are happy to help.

Name PSI Range Best Scenarios Benefits Disadvantages
graco xhd rac spray tip painting contractor industrial GRACO XHD HEAVY DUTY RAC SPRAY TIP 7,250 psi rated
  • Use with industrial high solids and heavy duty coatings
  • Includes value-add technology to remove or change the tip without removing tip guard or housing
  • Includes one seal one-piece gasket and seal
  • Incorporates locking tab which ensures tip stays securely in guard
  • Pressure rated to suit correct atomization of industrial coatings
  • Inferior finish quality compared to Graco RAC V and X series airless spray tips
Tritech MAXX 7500 psi Airless Spray Tip TRITECH MAXX 7500 PSI AIRLESS SPRAY TIP 7,500 psi rated
  • Suits Airless Spray Units up to 7500 psi
  • Designed for heavy industrial coatings
  • High quality copy of older Graco technology
  • Low cost
  • Older technology
  • Inferior finish quality compared to Tritech T93R airless spray tips
Graco RAC X airless spray tip GRACO RAC X AIRLESS SPRAY TIP 4,050 psi rated
  • Direct replacement for RAC 5 and RAC V tips
  • Architectural and light industrial coatings
  • Reversible Tip to allow easy clearing of blockages
  • The newest generation of Graco RAC tips
  • Quality of finish
  • 50% longer fan life than previous generations of RAC tip
  • Pressure limited to 4050 psi, unable to spray heavy industrial coatings
Graco RAC 5 Airless Spray Tip GRACO RAC 5 AIRLESS SPRAY TIP 4,050 psi rated
  • Architectural and light industrial coatings
  • Reversible Tip to allow easy clearing of blockages
  • Original Graco RAC Airless tip design
  • Good fan pattern life
  • High quality finish
  • Pressure limited to 4050 psi, unable to spray heavy industrial coatings
Tritech T93R 4500 psi Airless Spray Tip TRITECH T93R 4500 PSI AIRLESS SPRAY TIP 4,500 psi rated
  • Suits Airless Spray Units up to 4500
    psi
  • High quality copy of older Graco technology
  • Architectural and light industrial coatings
  • Low cost
  • Older technology
  • Pressure limited to 4500 psi, unable to spray heavy industrial coatings

  graco xhd rac spray tip painting contractor industrial Tritech MAXX 7500 psi Airless Spray Tip Graco RAC X airless spray tip Graco RAC 5 Airless Spray Tip Tritech T93R 4500 psi Airless Spray Tip
GRACO XHD HEAVY DUTY RAC SPRAY TIP TRITECH MAXX 7500 PSI AIRLESS SPRAY TIP GRACO RAC X AIRLESS SPRAY TIP GRACO RAC 5 AIRLESS SPRAY TIP TRITECH T93R 4500 PSI AIRLESS SPRAY TIP
PSI Range 7,250 psi rated

7,500 psi rated

4,050 psi rated 4,050 psi rated 4,500 psi rated
Best Scenarios
  • Use with industrial high solids and heavy duty coatings
  • Suits Airless Spray Units up to 7500 psi
  • Designed for heavy industrial coatings
  • High quality copy of older Graco technology
  • Direct replacement for RAC 5 and RAC V tips
  • Architectural and light industrial coatings
  • Architectural and light industrial coatings
  • Suits Airless Spray
    Units up to 4500
    psi
  • High quality copy of older Graco technology
  • Architectural and light industrial coatings

Benefits
  • Includes value-add technology to remove or change the tip without removing tip guard or housing
  • Includes one seal one-piece gasket and seal
  • Incorporates locking tab which ensures tip stays securely in guard
  • Pressure rated to suit correct atomization of industrial coatings
  • Low cost
  • Reversible Tip to allow easy clearing of blockages
  • The newest generation of Graco RAC tips
  • Quality of finish
  • 50% longer fan life than previous generations of RAC tip
  • Reversible Tip to allow easy clearing of blockages
  • Original Graco RAC Airless tip design
  • Good fan pattern life
  • High quality finish
  • Low cost
Disadvantages
  • Inferior finish quality compared to Graco RAC V and X series airless spray tips
  • Older technology
  • Inferior finish quality compared to Tritech T93R airless spray tips
  • Pressure limited to 4050 psi, unable to spray heavy industrial coatings
  • Pressure limited to 4050 psi, unable to spray heavy industrial coatings
  • Older technology
  • Pressure limited to 4500 psi, unable to spray heavy industrial coatings

Graco XHD Tip Chart

ORIFICE SIZE

FAN WIDTH

IN MM .007 .009 .011 .013 .015 .017 .019 .021 .023 .025 .027 .029 .031 .033 .035 .037 .039 .041 .043 .045 .047 .049
2-4(51-102) 107 109 111 113 115 117 119 121
4-6(102-152) 209 211 213 215 217 219 221 225 227 229 231 235 239
6-8 (152-203) 307 309 311 313 315 317 319 321 323 325 327 329 331 333 335 337 339 341 343 345 347
8-10 (203-254) 409 411 413 415 417 419 421 423 425 427 429 431 433 435 437 439 441 443 445 447 449
10-12 (254-305) 509 511 513 515 517 519 521 523 525 527 529 531 533 535 537 539 541 543 545 547 549
12-14 (305-356) 609 611 613 615 617 619 621 623 625 627 629 631 633 635 637 639 641 643 645 647 649
14-16 (356-406) 711 713 715 717 719 721 723 725 727 729 731 733 735 737 739 741 743 745 747 749
16-18 (406-457) 813 815 817 819 821 823 825 827 829 831 833 835 837 839 841 843 847
18-20 (457-508) 923 927 931 933 935 937 939
FLOW RATE (GPM) .05 .09 .12 .18 .24 .31 .38 .47 .57 .67 .77 .90 1.03 1.17 1.31 1.47 1.63 1.8 1.98 2.17 2.37 2.58
FLOW RATE (LPM) .20 .33 .49 .69 .91 1.17 1.47 1.79 2.15 2.54 2.96 3.42 3.90 4.42 4.98 5.56 6.18 6.83 7.51 8.23 8.98 9.76
ORIFICE SIZE

FAN WIDTH

IN MM .051 .053 .055 .057 .059 .061 .063 .065 .067 .069 .071 .075 .081
2-4(51-102)
4-6(102-152)
6-8 (152-203) 351 355
8-10 (203-254) 451 455 459 461 463 465 467 471 475 481
10-12 (254-305) 551 553 555 557 561 567 571 575
12-14 (305-356) 651 655 657 659 661 663 665 667 669 671 675
14-16 (356-406) 751 753 755 761 767 771
16-18 (406-457) 851 855 861 863 867
18-20 (457-508)
FLOW RATE (GPM) 2.79 3.05 3.25 3.49 3.74 4.0 4.26 4.53 4.82 5.11 5.41 6.04 7.04
FLOW RATE (LPM) 10.57 11.41 12.29 13.20 14.14 15.12 16.13 17.17 18.24 19.34 20.48 22.85 26.66

Knowledge & Learning

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Spray Tip Videos

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Reassembly of Graco XTR airless spray gun needle

Common issues with airless spray tips

The biggest problem with airless spray tips is that they wear out! When you combine high pressure, high flow and abrasive materials something has to give.

When the fan has lost 25% of its original size, it is time to replace the tip. In this instance as the orifice of the tip wears, the spray pattern changes, deteriorating in finish quality. It starts as a stripe with parallel sides and rounded ends, changes to oval, becoming shorter and wider. Finally it turns into a round shape.

On average a worn tip will spray 25% more paint and require 20% more labor. Worn tips cost time and money…

    • A worn tip uses more paint
    • Produces uneven coverage and inconsistent mil build
    • Reduces production — requires more passes
    • Results in a poor quality finish

Generally, airless spray tips are problem free, provided that they are replaced before becoming too worn. Very little negative feedback is reported by contractors using them.

Important considerations when choosing the right airless spray tips

The most important consideration when choosing an airless tip is matching tip to paint specification. The paint manufacturer will make a recommendation for orifice size and usually fan size as well. Generally speaking architectural coatings can be applied with a 4050 psi rated tip and heavy industrial coatings applied with a 7500 psi tip.

Another important consideration is ensuring that 4050 psi rated tip isn’t used on a 7500 psi rated pump. Maximum pressure specification have a safety factor built in to protect the operator against an injection injury. While it may be tempting to use a 4050 psi rated tip on a 7500 psi rated pump for cost or finish reasons, there is a substantial injury risk in doing so.

  • How thick is the material?

    It’s easy to determine which tip size to use when you know the type of material you’ll be spraying. Lower viscosity (thinner) materials, such as stain or lacquer, require a spray tip with a smaller orifice or hole size. Heavier materials, like latex, require a tip with a larger orifice. Extremely heavy materials like elastomerics and blockfiller might require spray tips larger than .035.
  • What is the sprayer’s maximum flow rate?

    For optimum performance, the sprayer must have a maximum flow rate higher than the flow rate of the tip, so be sure the flow rate of the tip is less than the maximum flow rate of your sprayer. Why use a tip with a lower flow rate? Because as the tip wears, the orifice becomes larger, and the flow rate increases.

    Tip flow rates and size charts can be found here.

  • What is the best fan size for the job?

    Fan size — the width of the spray pattern determines the area covered with each pass.

    For a given tip orifice, a wider fan delivers a thinner coat, less defined spray pattern, more overspray and faster coverage on broad, open surfaces. A narrower fan delivers a thicker coat, more defined spray pattern, less overspray and better control when spraying small or confined surfaces.

    To maximize productivity and lower labor costs, choose a tip with the right fan size. In general, a spray tip with a larger fan size increases production with less control, and a smaller fan size decreases production with more control.

Recommended Tip Sizes for Common Coatings

Make sure your spray tip and sprayer are rated for each other

Suppose your sprayer has a flow rate of 0.38 gpm (1.4 Lpm), and you want to spray latex paint with a 0.017 in. (0.43 mm) tip.

The Tip Charts show that the 0.017 tip has a flow rate of 0.31 gpm (1.17 Lpm).

The Verdict? You can use the 0.017 tip, because it has a flow rate lower than the maximum flow rate of your sprayer.

Filter Screen
Typical Products
Typical Tip Sizes (Thou)
#30
Hibuild epoxy high solid coatings
25+
#60
General industrial coatings
17-23
#100
Decorative industrial topcoats
11-15
#200
Superfine finish topcoats
7-12

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What does the 3 digit number on the side of the tip mean? Mine says 517

    The three digits represent tip size (fan and orifice) and indicate the amount of paint that flows through the tip. The first digit is half of the fan width (#5 x 2 = 10 inch fan width). The last two digits are the size of the tip orifice in thousandths of an inch. Your actual flow rate will depend on your spraying pressure and the material you are using (high pressure equals more flow; heavier paints equals less flow).

  • I understand the RAC X range has some task specific tips. What are they?

    • RAC X Low Pressure – Allows spraying at lower pressure for less over-spray and longest tip life. Produces softer edges for perfect airless finish.
    • RAC X Fine Finish – Dual orifice for fine finish applications with thin materials.
    • RAC X Wide RAC – Produces a 24 in (610 mm) fan pattern to finish the job in half the time.
    • RAC X Linelazer – Creates a laser-sharp line with no fuzzy edges for line striping.

  • Are replacement seal kits available?

  • What sizes of airless tips are available?

    Graco RAC X series tips range from No.2 (4″) to No.18 (36″) fan and .007″ to .071″ orifice. Graco RAC XHD series tips range from .007″ to .049″ orifice and No.2 (4″) to No.20 (40″) fan. Keep in mind that, within these ranges, not every size and fan combination is available.

  • What sort of life can I expect to get out of my airless tip?

    It very difficult to give an exact life on an airless tip due to the vast variety of different coatings that could be flowing through it. What can be said about airless tip life is, that if the coating is known to have abrasive components in it, a RAC XHD will have a longer life than a RAC X.
  • What is the biggest factor on flow rate of a spray tip?

    Tips 286415 and 286515 both have a 0.24 gpm (0.9 Lpm) flow rate but different fan sizes. Tip 286415 sprays an 8 in. (203 mm) fan with a thicker coat (more film build), and tip 286515 sprays a 10 in. (254 mm) fan with a thinner coat (less film build).

    Do not try to increase the area covered with each pass by backing the gun away from the surface. From farther away, less paint will reach the surface and go to waste as overspray.

    The Solution? Use a tip with a larger fan and orifice. Remember, if you use a tip with a larger fan but not a larger orifice, the film build will be less, and you’ll have to move the gun slower.

  • How can I extend the life of my spray tip?

    1. Spray at the lowest pressure that atomizes the material
    2. Strain the material before you spray it
    3. Use the correct size filters
    4. Clean the filters after every use
    5. Clean the tip with a soft-bristled brush

  • What do the colors of the Graco Spray Tips mean?

    • General use tips are blue or black
    • Fine finish tips are green
    • Low pressure tips are neon
    • Tips for pavement striping or field marking are yellow
    • High pressure, heavy duty tips for heavy coatings and texture are gray

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