A King pump's ratio is a pressure multiplier. A 45:1 pump turns 100 PSI of air into roughly 4,500 PSI of fluid. Higher ratio means more pressure from the same air, generally with less volume per cycle. Choose the ratio from your coating and your hose run, not from the price. Xtreme is the fluid section, King is the complete sprayer built around an XL air motor, which is why lowers and packings interchange between them but motors do not.
King sprayers push fireproofing, tank linings, high build epoxies and corrosion control coatings at pressures no contractor electric can reach. They also cost between roughly $8,500 and $22,000 depending on configuration, which makes specifying the wrong one an expensive mistake to live with for a decade.
This guide covers the one concept that determines everything else, how to read the model numbers, and how to match a machine to the work rather than to a brochure.
1. What Ratio Actually Means
Every pneumatic King is described by a ratio: 30:1, 45:1, 60:1, 70:1, 90:1. That number is the pressure multiplication between the air side and the fluid side.
The air motor has a large piston area. The fluid pump has a small one. Air pushes on the large piston, that force transfers to the small piston, and pressure multiplies by the difference in area. A 45:1 pump fed 100 PSI of shop air delivers roughly 4,500 PSI of fluid pressure.
| Ratio | Fluid pressure at 100 PSI air | Typical flow | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30:1 | ~3,000 PSI | Higher volume | Good flow, limited on heavy high solids |
| 45:1 | ~4,500 PSI | 1.5 GPM | The general purpose industrial choice |
| 60:1 | ~6,000 PSI | Between 45:1 and 70:1 | Heavier coatings, moderate volume |
| 70:1 | ~7,000 PSI capability | 2.2 GPM | High solids, long hose runs |
| 90:1 | Highest in the range | 2.5 GPM | Maximum pressure for extreme runs |
A higher ratio does not make a machine more capable across the board. It trades volume for pressure. Specifying a 90:1 for work that needed volume leaves you with a machine that reaches enormous pressure and cannot keep a large tip fed. Match the ratio to the coating's pressure demand and the hose run, then check the flow figure covers your required output.
Why long hose runs need higher ratios
Pressure drops along a hose. On a long run, the pressure at the gun is meaningfully lower than at the pump, and the drop grows with distance, with smaller hose diameter and with thicker material. On a shipyard, a tank farm or a bridge deck where the pump sits a long way from the work, a higher ratio exists to cover that loss rather than to spray at extreme pressure at the tip.
2. Decoding a King Model Number
King model numbers are systematic once you know the pattern, which saves a lot of time when comparing configurations.
30, 40, 45, 60, 70 or 90 to 1. The pressure multiplier.
F integrated filter · N non-filter · M MaxLife filter
H heavy duty cart · L lightweight cart · W wall mount
The final digit identifies the package variant, which changes what is included rather than the pump itself. So K45FH0 is a 45:1 with integrated filter on a heavy duty cart, and K45NH1 is the same ratio and cart without the filter in a different package.
A wall mount configuration costs less than a cart in several cases, and if the pump lives permanently in a fab shop feeding fixed hose runs, the cart is money spent on mobility you will never use. Conversely, buying a wall mount for work that moves between sites means building a frame for it later. Decide where the machine actually lives before comparing prices.
3. King, Xtreme and E-Series
These names get used interchangeably and they are not the same thing.
| Name | What it refers to | Practical consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Xtreme | The fluid section, or lower | Available as a bare pump, and used inside King packages |
| King | The complete sprayer built on an XL air motor | What you buy as a working machine |
| King E-Series | Electric drive instead of an air motor | No compressor needed, much quieter |
Because many King sprayers use Xtreme lowers, pump lowers, foot valves and packings interchange between them. Motors do not. That distinction matters when you are sourcing parts: a packing kit that fits an Xtreme lower fits the same lower inside a King, but nothing about the air motor crosses to an electric drive.
The P21DC1 Xtreme pump at $8,900.00 is an example of the bare fluid section route, which suits anyone integrating a pump into an existing system rather than buying a complete package.
When the E-Series makes sense
Electric King E50 and E60 units remove the compressed air dependency entirely. That matters in three situations: plant shutdowns where compressor noise is a problem, indoor fabrication where you do not want an air line running across the floor, and any site where the compressor you would need is a bigger capital item than the pump.
4. Choosing Your Ratio
| Your work | Suggested ratio | Why |
|---|---|---|
| General industrial, structural steel, moderate build | 30:1 to 45:1 | Good volume, adequate pressure, lower air demand |
| High build zinc primers, ship decks, tank linings | 45:1 | The workhorse balance of pressure and flow |
| Heavy epoxies, mastics, fireproofing | 60:1 to 70:1 | Pressure to atomize high solids material |
| Long hose runs, bridge steel, offshore platforms | 70:1 to 90:1 | Covers pressure loss along the line |
| Indoor fab shops, plant shutdowns | King E-Series | No compressor, far less noise |
| Integrating into an existing system | Bare Xtreme lower | Pump only, no motor or cart |
Every protective coating has a manufacturer's recommended application pressure and tip size. That document, not a machine brochure, determines what your pump needs to deliver. Specify from the coatings you actually apply. If your work spans a wide range, size for the heaviest material you spray regularly rather than the average.
5. The Current Range and What It Costs
Representative configurations across the King line. Prices at time of writing, several currently discounted.
| Model | Ratio | Configuration | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| K30FH0 | 30:1 | Integrated filter, heavy duty cart | $8,458.80 |
| K45FL0 | 45:1 | Integrated filter, lightweight cart | $8,724.73 |
| K45FW0 | 45:1 | Integrated filter, wall mount | $8,873.76 |
| P21DC1 | Xtreme lower | Bare pump, non-filter | $8,900.00 |
| K40FH0 | 40:1 | Integrated filter, heavy duty cart | $8,929.62 |
| K60FL0 | 60:1 | Integrated filter, lightweight cart | $9,341.71 |
| K45FH0 | 45:1 | Integrated filter, heavy duty cart | $9,520.14 |
| K70FL0 | 70:1 | Integrated filter, lightweight cart | $9,745.12 |
| K60NH0 | 60:1 | Non-filter, heavy duty cart | $10,078.74 |
| K70FH0 | 70:1 | Integrated filter, heavy duty cart | $10,645.32 |
| 273253 | E50 electric | Filter, bare | $10,844.82 |
| 273251 | E60 electric | Integrated filter, bare | $11,283.72 |
| 273250 | E60 electric | Filter, gun, hose, whip, tip | $11,842.32 |
| K90FH0 | 90:1 | Integrated filter, heavy duty cart | $13,320.00 |
| K45MH2 | 45:1 | MaxLife filter, heavy duty cart | $13,550.00 |
| 26C891 | 70:1 | Heavy fluid sprayer | $14,420.00 |
| 24X593 | 70:1 | Heavy fluid sprayer | $18,585.42 |
| 26C892 | 71:1 | Heavy fluid sprayer | $21,360.00 |
| 24X594 | 80:1 | Heavy fluid sprayer | $22,390.00 |
Full current listings, including configurations not shown here, are on the King sprayers page and the e-Xtreme page.
King and Xtreme Range
−20%
Graco
Graco K30FH0 King 30:1 Sprayer, Integrated Filter, Heavy Duty Cart, Air Controls, Siphon Kit
Part #: K30FH0
$8,458.80
$10,600.00
Save $2,141.20
−20%
Graco
Graco K40FH0 King 40:1 Sprayer, Integrated Filter, Heavy Duty Cart, Air Controls, Siphon Kit
Part #: K40FH0
$8,929.62
$11,190.00
Save $2,260.38
−20%
Graco
Graco 273251 King E60 Integrated Filter BARE
Part #: 273251
$11,283.72
$14,140.00
Save $2,856.28
−20%
Graco
Graco 273250 King E60 integrated filter gun hose whip tip
Part #: 273250
$11,842.32
$14,840.00
Save $2,997.68
−20%
Graco
Graco 24X593 King 70:1 Heavy-Fluid Sprayer
Part #: 24X593
$18,585.42
$23,290.00
Save $4,704.58
6. The Compressor Question Nobody Budgets For
This is where King purchases go wrong most often, and it rarely appears in the quote.
A pneumatic King converts compressed air into fluid pressure continuously while spraying. It needs an air supply that can feed it without the compressor cycling or the pressure sagging. An undersized compressor produces a machine that never reaches its rated pressure, sprays inconsistently, and gets blamed for problems that belong to the air supply.
- Higher ratios draw more air to reach their higher output pressure. Moving up a ratio without checking your compressor is a common mistake.
- Air line diameter and length matter as much as compressor output. A long, narrow air line starves the motor no matter what the compressor is rated at.
- Moisture in the air supply causes icing in the motor and carries water toward your coating. Air drying and the de-icing controls on the machine both exist for this reason.
- Compressor cost can exceed pump cost for the larger ratios, which is frequently the argument that makes an electric E-Series the cheaper total purchase.
Compare the total of pump plus compressor plus air treatment against an electric E-Series before deciding that pneumatic is cheaper. On a fixed indoor installation the electric route often wins outright once the compressor is in the calculation. On a mobile crew with an existing compressor on the truck, pneumatic usually stays ahead. We will run that comparison with you rather than just quote the pump.
7. What Wears, and What Rebuilds Cost
Machines at this level are built to be rebuilt indefinitely. Wear items are a maintenance line, not an end of life event.
- Throat packings wear from the displacement rod moving through them under pressure. The primary scheduled service item.
- Piston packings and seats follow, and abrasive high build coatings accelerate both considerably compared to conventional paint.
- Foot valve and ball seats take the impact of every stroke, and high solids material with fillers is hard on them.
- Air motor service items on pneumatic units: O-rings, poppets and springs, generally on a longer interval than the fluid section.
- Filters and siphon assemblies clog faster with filled coatings than with paint, and a restricted siphon starves the pump.
- High pressure hose and swivels must match the machine's rated pressure. At King pressures this is a safety item, not a consumable choice.
| Repair item | Part | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Piston repair kit | NXT601 | $610.68 |
| Pump repair kit | 239874 | $876.00 |
King machines operate far above contractor sprayer pressures. Every hose, fitting, swivel, gun and filter housing in the system must be rated at or above the machine's working pressure. Fitting a component rated for a 3,300 PSI contractor machine to a King is genuinely dangerous, and fluid at these pressures can inject through skin, which is a surgical emergency. Verify the rating on every component in the fluid path, every time.
8. Specifying a Machine Without Getting It Wrong
Work through these in order before requesting a quote. Answering them first turns a vague enquiry into a specification.
- What coatings, specifically. Manufacturer and product name, so the recommended application pressure and tip size can be checked against the data sheet.
- What output do you need. Square footage per shift, or gallons per hour, drives the flow figure rather than the ratio.
- How far from pump to gun. Hose length and diameter, since pressure loss along the run is what pushes you up a ratio.
- How many guns. Two operators off one pump roughly doubles the demand.
- Where does the machine live. Fixed installation, shop floor, or moving between sites. This decides cart against wall mount.
- What air do you actually have. Compressor output and air line run, or confirmation that electric is the better route.
- What are you already running. Existing hoses, guns and tips may or may not be rated for the new machine.
Specifying a King or Xtreme?
Send us the coating, the output you need and the hose run. We will size the machine properly rather than quoting the one with the biggest number.
Request a Specification Call +1 713-931-41029. Frequently Asked Questions
What does the ratio on a Graco King pump mean?
The ratio is a pressure multiplier. A 45:1 pump multiplies incoming air pressure by 45, so 100 PSI of air produces roughly 4,500 PSI of fluid pressure. A higher ratio produces more pressure from the same air supply, which is what heavy high solids coatings need, but it generally delivers less volume per cycle.
How do you read a Graco King model number?
A King model number follows the pattern K, ratio, filter type, mounting, then a configuration digit. In K45FH0 the 45 is the ratio, F means integrated filter, H means heavy duty cart, and the final digit identifies the package. N means non-filter, M means MaxLife filter, W means wall mount and L means lightweight cart.
What is the difference between a Graco King and an Xtreme pump?
Xtreme refers to the fluid section, or lower, while King refers to the complete sprayer package built around an XL air motor. Many King sprayers use Xtreme lowers. That is why pump lowers, foot valves and packings interchange between them, while the motors do not.
Which King ratio should I choose?
Match the ratio to your coating and hose run, not to your budget. Lower ratios around 30:1 to 45:1 suit general industrial and high build primers with good flow. Higher ratios from 60:1 to 90:1 suit high solids epoxies, mastics and long hose runs where pressure loss along the line matters more than volume.
Is an electric King E-Series worth it over a pneumatic King?
It depends on whether you have reliable compressed air. Pneumatic Kings need a compressor sized to feed them continuously, and that compressor is a real cost and a real noise source. Electric E-Series units remove that dependency and run considerably quieter, which matters for plant shutdowns and indoor fabrication work.
Buying for a Fleet or a Facility?
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