Reading Airless Spray-Tip Numbers: Fan Width Is Not Orifice Size

A three-digit airless tip size can look like a single specification. It actually combines two different pieces of information. Reading those separately helps prevent an ordering mistake, especially when a catalog offers many variants under one product title.

This guide explains product labels for conventional airless paint-spray tips using Graco examples. It is not a universal code for plural-component gun mix chambers, and it is not an operating, unclogging or replacement procedure. Use the current documentation for the exact equipment and coating.

Separate the fan number from the opening

In Graco's spray-tip guide, the first digit of the common three-digit code, multiplied by two, gives an approximate fan width in inches at a 12-inch distance. The final two digits describe the orifice diameter in thousandths of an inch.

For the example 515, that shorthand gives an approximately 10-inch fan and a 0.015-inch opening. The 15 is not a pressure setting, a coating thickness or a quantity of paint. The 5 is not a five-inch fan.

Read the named product's chart alongside that shorthand. Graco's RAC 5 515 product description gives a 10–12-inch fan range and a 0.015-inch orifice. The rule helps decode the size, while the current model-specific listing supplies the published specification.

Compare one dimension at a time

Consider three RAC 5 sizes in the current shop catalog: 415, 515 and 517. The first two share the 15 ending, while their fan codes differ. The latter two share the 5 fan code, while their openings differ.

Our RAC 5 SwitchTip listing identifies 286415 as 0.015 inch with an 8–10-inch fan, 286515 as 0.015 inch with a 10–12-inch fan and 286517 as 0.017 inch with a 10–12-inch fan. These are catalog comparisons, not recommendations for a particular material or job.

Write the two dimensions in separate columns when comparing candidates. This prevents “larger tip” from becoming an ambiguous request. Do you mean a wider fan, a larger opening or a different tip family? A supplier needs that distinction before confirming an item.

Keep the full part number

The three-digit size is only part of the ordering identity. Record the manufacturer, tip family and complete manufacturer part number. For the RAC 5 example above, the full number is 286515.

A catalog page may use a representative size in its title while offering many variants. Before submitting an order, check the selected variant, its dimensions and its SKU. Do not assume that the first image or page heading identifies the specific option in the cart.

If you save a purchasing worksheet, include the full part number there rather than only a photograph of the handle. A clear photo can support identification, but worn markings and similar-looking components can leave the exact item uncertain.

Confirm the family and guard separately

A matching size code does not establish that the tip belongs in the installed guard. Graco's 286515 product specifications identify a RAC 5 HandTite tip guard. Keep that compatibility check separate from the fan and orifice comparison.

Record the gun and guard model from existing documents or safely accessible identification. If the installed parts are uncertain, ask a qualified supplier or service provider to identify them. Do not take pressurized equipment apart merely to obtain an ordering photograph.

A useful question is specific: “Does this exact manufacturer part number match this documented gun and guard configuration?” A question such as “Will a 515 fit?” leaves the product family unresolved.

Check the coating and sprayer requirements

Graco's selection guidance calls for matching the opening to the coating manufacturer's recommendation and checking that the sprayer supports the intended tip size. Keep the current coating document and equipment specification with the proposed order.

For a multiple-gun setup, use the applicable multiple-gun rating rather than assuming a single-gun specification covers the arrangement. If the documents disagree or do not cover the planned configuration, resolve that question before treating a size as approved.

Do not translate an orifice measurement into a promised finished film thickness. The opening is an equipment dimension. The specified coating thickness belongs to the coating system and application requirements; our wet-film and dry-film guide explains that separate distinction.

Make the final request unambiguous

Send the supplier the manufacturer and full tip number, published fan range and opening, gun and guard identification, sprayer configuration and exact coating reference. Identify any unresolved detail instead of filling it from memory.

Keep the confirmed answer with the order. When the item arrives, compare the package identification with that record before it enters usable stock. Installation and use still require the manufacturer's complete instructions and trained personnel.

The practical payoff is a clearer purchase: the correct family, the intended variant and two dimensions that no longer get mistaken for one number.

Cover: original conceptual illustration, not a dimensional drawing or a verified product photograph.