Why a screw compressor price list misleads
People search for a “screw compressor price list” or “15 kW / 22 kW / 37 kW screw compressor price” because they want a quick number.
- kW is the motor, not the output. What you buy is free air delivery (FAD) in m³/min or cfm at your working pressure. Two 37 kW machines can deliver noticeably different FAD.
- The same model comes in pressure variants. A 7.5 bar version delivers more air than the 10 bar version of the same frame.
- Scope varies. One quote includes a dryer, receiver, filters, cabling and commissioning; another is the bare package ex-works.
- The running cost is the real price. A cheaper machine that uses 3 kW more costs you every working hour for ten years.
So the useful question is not “what is the price of a 37 kW screw compressor” but “what does each quote cost me per m³ of air delivered, over the life of the machine, for the scope I need”.
What decides the price: the main drivers
The table lists the factors that move a quotation up or down, and what each one means for the buyer. Use it to check that the offers in front of you are for the same thing.
| Price driver | Why it changes the price | What to check in the quote |
|---|---|---|
| kW and FAD | Larger airend and motor; FAD per kW differs between designs | FAD in m³/min at your pressure, stated to ISO 1217 |
| Pressure variant (7.5 / 8.5 / 10 / 13 bar) | Same frame, different FAD; higher pressure means less air per kW | Variant matches your real need plus pressure-drop margin, not “highest available” |
| Fixed speed or VSD | Drive, filter and controls add cost; saves energy only on variable demand | Turndown range, minimum speed, harmonic mitigation, drive ambient rating |
| Oil-injected or oil-free | Oil-free screw machines are a different, costlier design | Whether your process genuinely needs ISO 8573-1 Class 0 or can use filtered oil-injected air |
| Integrated dryer and receiver | Dryer, filters and tank on one skid add cost but save space and site piping | Dryer dew point, rated ambient (45 °C?), receiver volume and certification |
| Enclosure and cooling | Canopy, noise level, cooling fan sizing for high ambient | Maximum ambient rating, dB(A), duct connection for hot air |
| Controller | Basic relay control versus microprocessor with sequencing and remote monitoring | Pressure band adjustment, multi-machine sequencing, fault history |
| Motor efficiency class | IE4 motors cost more than IE3; at 37 kW they are only about 1 percentage point more efficient | Motor class, total package input power at full load |
| Warranty and service terms | Longer or wider warranty is priced in | Period, what is covered (airend, motor, consumables), who services it |
| Installation scope | Unloading, foundation, cabling, piping, ventilation, commissioning | Who does each item and whether it is in the price or extra |
| New, refurbished or used | Condition, remaining airend life and warranty | Running hours, airend history, load test result, warranty terms |
For a deeper explanation of fixed speed versus variable speed, see the fixed speed vs VSD compressor guide; for screw machine types generally, see rotary screw compressors.
Worked example: 10-year total cost of ownership for a 37 kW machine
This example shows why energy, not purchase price, decides what a screw compressor really costs. Every figure below is illustrative. The purchase price in particular is an assumption chosen only to make the arithmetic visible; it is not a market price and not our price. Replace it with the figure on your own quotation.
Assumptions (illustrative)
- 37 kW fixed-speed, oil-injected, air-cooled screw compressor; FAD 6.2 m³/min (219 cfm) at 7 bar(g) (101.5 psig).
- Total package input power at full load: 41.0 kW (motor plus fan and losses). Specific power = 41.0 ÷ 6.2 = 6.61 kW per m³/min.
- 6,000 running hours a year (about 19–20 hours a day, six days a week): 4,800 hours loaded and 1,200 hours unloaded at 25% of full-load power.
- Electricity at ₹8.5/kWh, an assumed tariff (use the rate on your own bill); ₹8 and ₹9 are shown for comparison.
- Assumed purchase price ₹20,00,000 and installation ₹2,00,000 (illustrative figures; use your own quotation).
- Maintenance: ₹1,50,000 a year for oil, filters, separator and labour, plus one ₹4,00,000 airend overhaul in the ten years (illustrative; use your own figures).
Arithmetic
- Loaded energy: 41.0 kW × 4,800 h = 1,96,800 kWh.
- Unloaded energy: 41.0 kW × 0.25 × 1,200 h = 12,300 kWh.
- Yearly energy: 1,96,800 + 12,300 = 2,09,100 kWh × ₹8.5 = ₹17,77,350 a year (₹16,72,800 at ₹8; ₹18,81,900 at ₹9).
- Ten-year energy: ₹17,77,350 × 10 = ₹1,77,73,500.
- Ten-year maintenance: ₹1,50,000 × 10 + ₹4,00,000 = ₹19,00,000.
| Cost element (10 years) | Amount (illustrative) | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase (assumed) | ₹20,00,000 | 9.1% |
| Installation (assumed) | ₹2,00,000 | 0.9% |
| Maintenance and overhaul | ₹19,00,000 | 8.7% |
| Electricity | ₹1,77,73,500 | 81.3% |
| Total | ₹2,18,73,500 | 100% |
Even if you double the assumed purchase price to ₹40,00,000, electricity is still about 74% of the ten-year total. That is why a quote that is cheaper to buy but less efficient is often the more expensive machine. Run your own numbers with the lifecycle cost comparison calculator or the air compressor running cost calculator, and read the method in lifecycle cost and TCO.
Worked example: two quotes with different specific power
Specific power is package input power divided by FAD, in kW per m³/min, at the same pressure. Lower is better. It is the single most useful number for comparing screw compressor quotations. Details are in specific power.
Illustrative case: two offers for the same duty, both 6.2 m³/min at 7 bar(g), both stated to ISO 1217.
- Quote A: specific power 6.6 kW per m³/min, so input power = 6.6 × 6.2 = 40.92 kW.
- Quote B: specific power 6.1 kW per m³/min, so input power = 6.1 × 6.2 = 37.82 kW.
- Difference: 40.92 − 37.82 = 3.10 kW while loaded.
- Yearly: 3.10 kW × 4,800 loaded hours = 14,880 kWh. At ₹8.5/kWh that is ₹1,26,480 a year (₹1,19,040 at ₹8; ₹1,33,920 at ₹9).
- Over ten years: ₹12,64,800, before counting any difference in unloaded power.
If Quote B costs, say, ₹3,00,000 more to buy (illustrative), it recovers that in about 2.4 years (₹3,00,000 ÷ ₹1,26,480). Put the real difference between your two quotes in place of that figure. The specific power comparison calculator does this arithmetic for any pair of offers.
One caution: specific power only compares fairly when both figures are at the same pressure and to the same test standard. A machine quoted at 7 bar(g) will always look better than one quoted at 8 bar(g). As a rule of thumb each extra 1 bar of generation pressure costs about 6–7% more energy.
Fixed speed or VSD: price premium versus payback
A VSD (variable speed drive) screw compressor costs more than the fixed-speed version of the same size. Whether the premium pays back depends entirely on your demand profile, not on the brochure. The same 37 kW machine as above (41.0 kW full load, 25% unloaded power) is modelled below on an illustrative plant running 6,000 hours a year with varying demand.
Method (illustrative): fixed speed power = 41.0 × (d + (1 − d) × 0.25), where d is the fraction of full flow demanded. VSD power = 1.03 × 41.0 × d × (1 + 0.10 × (1 − d)), which adds 3% for drive losses and a part-load efficiency penalty.
| Demand band | Hours a year | Fixed speed kW | VSD kW | Saving (kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90% of full flow | 1,500 | 37.93 | 38.39 | −693 (VSD uses more) |
| 60% of full flow | 3,000 | 28.70 | 26.35 | 7,045 |
| 35% of full flow | 1,500 | 21.01 | 15.74 | 7,907 |
| Year | 6,000 | 1,74,506 kWh | 1,60,247 kWh | 14,259 kWh (8.2%) |
- Yearly saving: 14,259 kWh × ₹8.5 = ₹1,21,204.
- Simple payback = VSD premium on your quotation ÷ ₹1,21,204. With an assumed premium of ₹4,00,000 (illustrative, not a market figure), payback is 4,00,000 ÷ 1,21,204 = 3.3 years.
- Same machine on a steady 90% demand for 6,000 hours: the VSD uses about 2,772 kWh more a year (₹23,566 more), so fixed speed with a good receiver is the better buy.
The lesson for buyers: ask for a VSD only after logging demand for a couple of weeks. In Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, also check that the drive is rated for compressor-room temperatures of 45 °C or more in April–May, and that harmonic mitigation is included if the plant runs on a diesel generator.
How to normalise quotations before comparing price
Most buyers compare the bottom line of three quotes. Do this first instead, and the cheapest quote often stops being the cheapest. The supplier bid normalisation worksheet takes you through it; the principles are below.
- Freeze the duty. Net flow needed, minimum pressure at the point of use, air quality class to ISO 8573-1, site ambient (45 °C summer), dust, and running hours. Send the same duty to every supplier.
- FAD at the same pressure, to ISO 1217. Convert all flows to one unit (1 m³/min = 35.315 cfm) and check each figure is at your working pressure, not the lowest pressure variant.
- Total package input power. Compare package kW at full load, including fan and any integrated dryer, not the motor nameplate.
- Deduct internal air use. A heatless desiccant dryer can use 15–20% of the compressor’s air as purge; subtract it to get net flow.
- Build a scope ledger. Receiver, dryer, filters, drains, cabling, piping, foundation, ventilation ducting, transport, unloading, commissioning, operator training. Price every missing item.
- Compare warranty and service terms on the same basis: period, what is covered, and the cost of the first two years’ consumables.
- Then compare ten-year cost, purchase plus installation plus energy plus maintenance.
For procurement specifications and bid evaluation in detail, see procurement and bid evaluation.
Used and refurbished screw compressor price: what to check
A used or refurbished screw compressor costs less to buy, which makes sense for a second shift, a standby duty, a short project or a plant that is not yet sure of its long-term demand. But the purchase saving is only real if the airend and motor are sound and the specific power has not drifted far from new.
| Check | Why it matters | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Running hours and airend history | Airend bearings have a finite life; an overhaul is a significant cost | Hours stated; bearing replacement or overhaul records if high hours |
| Load test | Proves FAD, temperature and pressure under load | Machine run loaded at rated pressure, discharge temperature and current recorded |
| Discharge temperature at load | High temperature points to cooler fouling, oil or thermostatic valve problems | Stable within the maker’s range at your ambient |
| Motor insulation and current | Rewind cost and downtime | Insulation resistance measured; current balanced across phases |
| Controller and fault log | Repeated trips indicate underlying faults | Controller working; fault history read and explained |
| Warranty | Your protection against hidden faults | Written terms, period and exclusions |
Our used and refurbished compressors carry a 6-month warranty from the delivery or invoice date, covering the whole compressor. It excludes consumables, misuse or wrong oil, service by others, and accident or site damage. See used compressors for sale and used air compressors in Hyderabad.
How Reddy Compressors helps
- Independent multi-brand compressor suppliers in Secunderabad since 2002, with tie-ups with all major and reputed brands (not an authorised dealer of any brand, and not a manufacturer).
- New, used and refurbished screw compressors, fixed speed and VSD, oil-injected and oil-free; makes covered include ELGi, Atlas Copco, Ingersoll Rand, KAESER, Chicago Pneumatic, Gardner Denver, Sullair, Doosan and Kirloskar.
- Rental fleet of 50–2,000 cfm at 2–30 bar for interim air while you decide or install.
- Service, AMC and spare parts with 20+ service engineers and technicians, across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and districts within about 300 km of Hyderabad; supply across India.
What to send us
- Air needed (m³/min or cfm) and the minimum pressure at the farthest user, or details of the machines it will run.
- Running hours per day and days per week, and whether demand is steady or varies by shift.
- Existing compressor nameplate photos and electricity bill or tariff, if replacing a machine.
- Air quality needed (dry air, oil-free, food or pharma contact) and whether a dryer and receiver are wanted.
- Site details: compressor room size, ventilation, power supply and whether a diesel generator is used.
- New, used or refurbished preference, and any other quotations you want us to help normalise.
Frequently asked questions
What is the screw compressor price in India?
It varies widely with FAD, pressure, fixed speed or VSD, oil-injected or oil-free, whether a dryer and receiver are included, motor class, warranty and installation scope. Brand and supply terms also matter. Rather than rely on a single figure, compare quotes on FAD at your pressure to ISO 1217, package input power and scope, then on ten-year cost. Energy is usually around three-quarters or more of that cost on two-shift duty, so the most efficient machine is often the cheapest one to own. Send us your duty for a quotation.
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Short explainers on this topic
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What is the price of a 15 kW, 22 kW or 37 kW screw compressor?
The kW rating alone does not fix the price. The same 37 kW frame is offered at several pressure variants with different FAD, as fixed speed or VSD, with or without an integrated dryer, and with different scopes. Two 22 kW quotes can therefore be correctly priced and still be far apart. Ask each supplier for FAD in m³/min at your working pressure and the total package input power, so you can calculate specific power and compare the yearly electricity cost alongside the purchase price.
Is a VSD compressor price worth paying?
Only if your demand varies. In our illustrative 37 kW example with demand between 35% and 90%, a VSD saved about 14,259 kWh a year, worth ₹1,21,204 at ₹8.5/kWh, so the payback is the VSD premium divided by that saving. On a steady 90% load the same VSD used about 2,772 kWh more a year. Log your plant’s power and pressure for about two weeks before deciding, and check the drive’s ambient rating for summer.
What is the used screw compressor price compared with new?
Used and refurbished machines cost less to buy, but the value depends on airend condition, running hours, motor health and how close specific power is to new. A worn airend that delivers less air for the same kW raises your electricity cost every hour. Ask for running hours, a load test record and written warranty terms. Our used and refurbished compressors carry a 6-month warranty on the whole compressor from the delivery or invoice date, with stated exclusions.
Why don’t you publish a screw compressor price list?
Because a list price per kW would mislead you. The figure that matters is the cost of compressed air delivered to your duty, which depends on FAD at your pressure, efficiency, scope and running hours. A list cannot show whether a dryer, receiver, cabling or commissioning is included, or what the machine will cost to run. We prefer to quote against your actual requirement, with the data you need to compare our offer with anyone else’s.
How do I compare two screw compressor quotations?
Put both on the same basis: FAD at the same working pressure to ISO 1217, total package input power, net flow after any dryer purge, and the same scope list with every missing item priced. Calculate specific power for each, then yearly energy for your running hours and tariff. A difference of 0.5 kW per m³/min on a 6.2 m³/min machine running 4,800 loaded hours is about 14,880 kWh a year. Our supplier bid normalisation worksheet sets this out step by step.
Does a higher pressure variant cost more to run?
Yes. A higher pressure variant delivers less air for the same motor, and each extra 1 bar of generation pressure costs roughly 6–7% more energy. Many plants buy a 10 bar machine when the farthest user needs 6 bar and the pipework loses less than 1 bar. Measure the pressure your critical users actually need and add a sensible margin for pressure drop through the dryer, filters and pipes before choosing the variant.
Related pages
Technical content reviewed by D. Srinivas Reddy, Managing Partner and service engineer, Reddy Compressors. Last updated 7 November 2026. How our engineering content is reviewed.