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Calcimator

Pneumatic Cylinder Force Calculator

Calculate push and pull force, air consumption, and buckling safety for pneumatic cylinders from bore, rod, stroke, and pressure.

Inputs

%

Results

Push force — extend (lbs)

226.2

Pull force — retract (lbs)204.1
Theoretical push force (lbs)251.3
Bore area (in²)3.14
Air consumption (SCFM)1.34
Air consumption (SCFH)80.2
Force safety factor0
Buckling safety factor272.3
Pull Safety Factor0
Max Cycles Per (min)120
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Bore diameter (in), Rod diameter (in), and Stroke length (in).
  2. Set Air pressure (PSI), Cycles per minute, and Friction / seal loss.
  3. Adjust Applied load (lbs, 0=skip) as needed.
  4. Review the Push force — extend (lbs) result.
  5. Use Pull force — retract (lbs) and Theoretical push force (lbs) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Bore diameter (in)

Bore diameter (in)Push force — extend (lbs)
2.63391.1
8.564,143.5
1614,476.5
2227,369.6

What each input means

Bore diameter (in)
Cylinder bore (piston) diameter in inches.
Rod diameter (in)
Piston rod diameter in inches.
Stroke length (in)
Full stroke length in inches.
Air pressure (PSI)
Supply air pressure at the cylinder port.
Cycles per minute
Number of full extend-retract cycles per minute.
Friction / seal loss
Force loss from seals and friction (5-15% typical).
Applied load (lbs, 0=skip)
External load to compare against cylinder force (0 to skip safety factor).

What each result means

Push force — extend (lbs)
Net extending force after friction losses.
Pull force — retract (lbs)
Net retracting force (reduced by rod area).
Theoretical push force (lbs)
Force without friction losses (bore area × pressure).
Bore area (in²)
Piston face area.
Air consumption (SCFM)
Standard cubic feet per minute of free air consumed.
Air consumption (SCFH)
Standard cubic feet per hour of free air consumed.
Force safety factor
Push force divided by applied load (should be ≥1.5).
Buckling safety factor
Rod critical buckling load / push force (should be ≥3.5).

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Bore diameter (in) = 2, Rod diameter (in) = 0.625, Stroke length (in) = 6, Air pressure (PSI) = 80 = 7 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Push force — extend
    Push force — extend = theoreticalPushForce * friction
    226.2 = 226.2
  3. Calculate Pull force — retract
    Pull force — retract = theoreticalPullForce * friction
    204.1 = 204.1
  4. Calculate Theoretical push force
    Theoretical push force = boreArea * pressurePsi
    251.3 = 251.3

Engine last updated . Checked against 4 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

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