What is an industrial-grade fan?

A variety of factors should be considered when deciding between the purchase of a commercial fan or an industrial-grade fan. Before comparing the two options, it is important to have the specifics of your application in mind, a few of which may include:

• The environment in which the fan will be used
• CFM and static pressure requirements
• Electrical needs
• Noise level concerns
• Equipment budget

Understanding and considering these and any other relevant application details will equip you to make the decision between a commercial fan and industrial-grade fan. At this point, it will be beneficial to compare the construction of these two types of fans:

Commercial Fan Characteristics:

• Engineered for general exhaust and lighter duty applications
• Lighter gauge construction
• Bolt-together construction
• Less expensive, economical design
• Typical lifecycle is 2- 4 years
• Often use less durable resilient-mount base motors

Industrial-Grade Fan Characteristics:

• Engineered for continuous use and heavy duty applications
• Heavy gauge construction
• Welded construction
• More expensive and designed for durability
• Typical lifecycle is 10+ years
• Often use more durable rigid-mount base motors

Evaluating the differences between the commercial fan construction and the industrial-grade fan construction in light of your application needs will help you to determine whether or not you can justify an industrial-grade fan purchase.

After considering how the fan characteristics line up with your application needs, think about other factors that may be influencing your purchase decision. These might include quality, lead time, or responsiveness in an emergency with a quick fix.

Ultimately, the primary difference between the two grades is durability. Industrial-grade fans are built to last with little or no maintenance necessary. While the upfront investment is more, over the long run you could end up spending the money you save on the replacement cost of a commercial duty fan.

Air Solutions has extensive knowledge and experience in industrial-grade fan applications. Our team is ready and available to assist you with your fan application. Contact us today!

There are many items to consider before purchasing a fan and the selection should be driven by an understanding of the environment in which the fan will operate, CFM and static pressure requirements, electrical needs, noise levels, just to name a few. Once the fan requirements are determined, the next decision could be whether or not to purchase “industrial” grade or “commercial” grade fans. To justify the purchase of an industrial or commercial grade fan, it’s beneficial to understand the construction differences and how they are designed to perform depending upon the application.
Below is a table illustrating some of the differences between an industrial and commercial grade fan as well as two photos that will help visualize the differences. Consider the factors that are influencing your purchase decision. Whether or not it’s driven by quality, lead time, emergency quick fix or price, the information below will help you understand some of the key differences between the two construction types so that you can make a confident, fact-based decision on which fan is better suited for your environment.
To sum it up, the big differentiator between the two grades is durability. The industrial grade fans are built to last with little or no maintenance required. Therefore, saving money over the long term that would have been spent on the replacement cost of the commercial duty fans.