Electric compact
Orifice 2.0
About 1.2–1.8 GPM at 1,600–2,000 PSI. A 3.0 “gas” tip on this machine loses pressure.
Angle + job
Pressure washer tip size chart
The first two digits on a tip are the fan. 0° red, 15° yellow, 25° green, 40° white, and a black soap tip. Pick the fan for the surface and the PSI, then size the hole to the pump.
Bleach and solvents never go through the pump.
House-wash sodium hypochlorite, toilet cleaner, and “just a little Clorox” eat seals. Soap, degreaser,
and any oxidizer stay downstream — foam cannon, soap tank, or a separate pump sprayer. The inlet sees
water.
Fan by job and PSI band
Higher PSI means more standoff, not a narrower fan. On a phone, scroll sideways; the job column stays put.
| Job | Electric compact 1,600–2,000 PSI | Homeowner gas 2,600–3,200 PSI | Prosumer gas 3,500–4,000 PSI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete / driveway | 25° green on the pad. 40° white to rinse. 15° yellow only on spots, and keep it moving. 0° red stays in the drawer. | 25° green is the workhorse. 15° yellow for gum and tire marks — keep moving. 40° white rinses toward the street. Leave 0° red off broom-finished concrete. | Same fans, more standoff. A stalled 0° at this PSI scars the pad. A surface cleaner belongs here only when GPM can spin the bar. |
| House siding | 40° white for soap and rinse. Skip 25°. Never 0° or 15° on vinyl, wood, brick, or stucco. | 40° white for soap and rinse. 25° green only with standoff on stubborn spots. Never 0° or 15° — they stripe paint and chew caulk. | 40° white only. 25° at this PSI etches paint and lifts caulk. Never 0° or 15° on a wall, a window, or a garage door. |
| Cars / clearcoat | 40° white to rinse. 25° green only with distance. Soap tip or a cannon for the pre-soak — under about 2 GPM the foam will be thin. Never 0° or 15° on paint. | 40° white rinse. 25° green only with distance, and stay off edges and badges. Never 0° or 15°. A turbo nozzle is the same mistake. | 40° white only. 25° is too much on clearcoat at this PSI. Never 0° or 15°. |
| Wood decks | 40° white with about a foot of standoff, along the boards. Skip 25°. A spinning surface cleaner stays on the concrete. | 40° white with standoff. 25° green only with more distance on stubborn gray, wand moving with the grain. No surface cleaner. | 40° white with extra standoff. Skip 25°. A spinning deck or a 0° tip will gouge boards. |
| Soap (black) | Applies pump-safe soap. It is not a cleaning fan. Bleach and solvents never go in the bottle or the inlet. Under about 2 GPM, a cannon mostly spits — use the soap tank. | Same rule. This is the band where a 1/4″ foam cannon makes real foam. The pump still sees water. | Same rule. Heavy flow makes thick foam — follow the bottle so concentrate does not just run off. |
How to use the chart
- Read the PSI stamped on the pump. Ignore the box art.
- Pick the row for the surface. The fan gets wider and the standoff gets longer as the surface gets softer.
- Size the hole before you buy a pack. The orifice chart starts from PSI and GPM. The GPM chart starts from a tip you already own.
- Soap stays after the pump. The black tip and a foam cannon apply pump-safe mix. They are not a path for bleach or solvent. Detail is on the foam and soap guide.
Most homeowners, one pack. A 2,800–3,200 PSI gas washer with a 3.0 orifice uses green
25° on concrete, white 40° on siding, cars, and wood, and yellow 15° only for spots on the pad. Red 0°
stays in the drawer.
The hole is a separate choice
The color codes stay the same at every PSI. What changes is standoff, and whether a narrower fan is still safe on that surface. The orifice is its own number. These are the same bands the other charts use — confirm yours before you click a 5-pack.
Most homeowners
Orifice 3.0
About 2.3–2.8 GPM at 2,600–3,200 PSI. 25030 green, 15030 yellow, 40030 white.
Prosumer gas
Orifice 4.0
About 3.5–4.0 GPM at 3,500–4,000 PSI. A 3.0 tip chatters the unloader.
Color still means the same thing
0° · Red
Pinpoint blast. Paint stripping, rust, never for siding or cars.
15° · Yellow
Heavy concrete, gum, oil spots. Keep it moving.
25° · Green
Everyday workhorse. Driveways, patios, most hardscape.
40° · White
Rinse, soap, and softer surfaces. Wide and forgiving.
The black soap tip is the fifth color in a matched 5-pack. It lays on pump-safe soap. It is not a stripping fan, and it is not a bleach injector.
Job pages that use this chart
- How to pressure wash a driveway — 25° edges, 15° spots, 40° rinse, plus the driveway kit.
- How to pressure wash a house — 40° and a careful 25°, plus the house-wash kit.
- How to pressure wash a wood deck and the fence how-to — 40° and standoff. No spinning deck.
- Cars stay on 40° (25° only with distance). That half of the job is the car & driveway kit.
Picks that match these fans
Live Amazon links with tag nozzlekit-20. No invented ASINs or prices.
Concrete and siding tips
Simpson Cleaning 80145 3600 PSI Universal Pressure Washer Nozzles, 1/4-Inch Quick Connect, Set of 5Orifice 3.0 pack in the driveway and house kits. Green for concrete, white for siding rinse, yellow for spots. On siding and cars, leave the 0° red in the drawer.
View on Amazon (affiliate) Associates link
Paint-safe tips
Tool Daily pressure washer nozzle tipsThe car kit’s 5-pack. White 40° and green 25° only on clearcoat — and even 25° wants distance. Do not put a 0° or 15° on paint.
View on Amazon (affiliate) Associates link
Foam cannon
Tool Daily Foam Cannon with 1/4 Inch Quick Connector, 1 LiterDownstream dwell for degreaser or pump-safe soap. The black soap tip does the same job with less foam. Bleach never goes in the bottle or the inlet.
View on Amazon (affiliate) Associates link