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HVAC

HVAC CFM Calculator

Work out the air flow a system or a room needs, in cubic feet per minute.

Your numbers

tons
400 is typical. Humid climates run lower, dry climates higher.
ft
ft
ft

Result

Air flow needed 1,200 CFM
From room volume 179 CFM
From tonnage 1,200 CFM
Room volume 1,792 Cubic feet
A 3 ton system moves 1,200 CFM at 400 CFM per ton.

400 CFM per ton is the common design figure, but it is a starting point. Humid climates often run 350 to remove more moisture, and heat pumps in heating mode want more. Measured static pressure, not a rule of thumb, tells you what a duct system is actually delivering.

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Questions

About this calculator

Why 400 CFM per ton?

It balances sensible cooling against moisture removal for a typical system. Running lower takes out more humidity at the cost of capacity; running higher does the reverse.

My system does not move its rated air.

Very common, and usually the ducts rather than the equipment. Undersized returns and long flexible runs both choke air flow, and the only way to know is to measure static pressure.

The formula

room CFM = volume x air changes / 60; system CFM = tons x CFM per ton

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