How many CFM do I need for a 6 inch duct?

“For example, most techs will tell you that a 6” duct will provide about 100 CFM.”

How do I know what size duct to use?





The size of your duct work depends not just on the size of your entire house but also on the size of each individual room. Thus, one needs to gauge the square footage of the entire house as well as that of all the different rooms in order to decide duct work sizing.

How much air can a 6 duct handle?

A rectangular 6×6-inch duct has an airflow of 110 CFM. Bigger 6×12-inch ducts can handle 270 CFM airflow. The bigger the crosssection of ducts, the bigger CFM; that’s pretty obvious. The smallest 6×4 ducts can handle 60 CFM airflow.

What size duct work do I need for a 3 ton unit?

If the actual airflow is unknown, use 400 CFM for each ton of cooling. A 3-ton heat pump has approximately 1200 CFM of air flow.

How far can you run 6 round duct?

When you go from 6″ round to 6″ oval, you get 110′ of equivalent length. Wow! That means that a fitting that is somewhere around 1′ in actual length reduces the air flow as much as 110′ of straight 6″ duct.

What size duct do I need for 2000 CFM?





Rectangular equivalent diameter for air flows between 100 – 50000 cfm.

Air flow – q – (Cubic Feet per Minute, cfm) (m3/s) Rectangular Duct Sizes (inches) (mm) x (mm)
1700 (0.77) 10 x 22 14 x 15
1900 (0.86) 12 x 19 14 x 16
2000 (0.9) 10 x 25 12 x 20 15 x 16
2500 (1.13) 14 x 20 15 x 18

What are standard duct sizes?

The size of ductwork affects the amount of airflow and its velocity and is very important in how well the HVAC system operates. Rectangular ducting can come in various sizes from 3” x 7” up to 35” x 40”; and round ducting can be anywhere from 4” to 41” in diameter.

What size ductwork do I need for a 5 ton unit?

A common 5 ton system would be 2000 CFM (400 CFM per ton) so a 24×30 register or grill (-. 02″ sp) with (10) feet of 24×12 duct (-.

How do you calculate duct size from CFM?

Cubic feet per minute is calculated by multiplying the size of the HVAC unit (in tons) by 400. Divide the answer by your home’s square footage to find out total CFM. A duct sizing calculator uses CFM and other factors to determine what you need.

What is the good rule of thumb in sizing Ductworks?



When you hire a professional to install your ductwork, they’ll often size your HVAC ducts using a rule of thumb that states an air conditioner with one-ton capacity should be installed for every 500 square feet of air-conditioned floor area. They’ll also take into consideration the size of each room of your home.

Can ductwork be too big?

Too big – Oversized ducts will give the heated or cooled air they carry more time to come to room temperature before they get through the vents and into the room, so you’ll end up with less heating or cooling where you want it, and the system being overworked to meet demand.

What size should the return air grill be for a 5 ton AC unit?

x 25-in.



x 25-in. Return grilles are the best choice for a five-ton system in order to deliver 2,000 cfm back to the blower without causing the return to hemorrhage.

Should return duct be larger than supply?

Yes, return ducts are usually larger than supply ducts to ensure that air within the home is balanced. There are generally more supply vents in the system creating the need for return vents to be larger. Ensuring that there is sufficient air supplied and returned is critical to maintaining an ambient environment.

How big should my return air grill be?

A return air grill should be sized for an air speed of 300-500 FPM(feet per minute). 400 FPM is the median air speed for this calculation. We are after the ability to move 980CFM so you now divide this number by 400 FPM yielding 2.45 or 2.5.

What size return do you need for a 4 ton unit?

You can never have to much return air, as a HVAC contractor you want no less than 144 square inches per ton. Regarding the 3.5 TON VS 4 TON The average square foot per Ton is 400 so say the house is 1600 SQFT a 4 TON unit should work great.

How do I know what size flex ducts I need?



One simply needs a ruler or measuring tape along with the end of the hose or outlet. Keep in mind that you have to begin the measurements from the interior wall of the circle. The distance to the opposing point of the circle is the measure of the flex duct sizing for the inner diameter.

What happens if there is not enough return air?

If there is not enough return air available, your HVAC system will not heat or cool properly. They must be properly sized — Return air ducts must be large enough to carry a sufficient amount of expended air back to your furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump.

How many CFM do I need for a 4 ton unit?

Commerical systems go much larger. 1 ton of cooling is equal to 400 cubic feet of air per minute. 2 ton of cooling is 800 cfm and so on. So a 4 ton unit will have 1600 cubic feet of air passing through the system every minute.

What size should the return air grill be for a 4 ton AC unit?

(Example: 4 (ton unit) x 144 square inches = 576 squared. The square root of 576 is 24. Therefore, your return air duct and grill size will be 24 by 24 inches.)