What PSI Should You Run a Roofing or Siding Nailer At?

The short answer: start a roofing nailer at 90 PSI and a siding nailer at 80–85 PSI, then fine-tune on scrap until the nail head sits flush. Almost every pneumatic coil nailer is rated for 70–120 PSI, and the right setting is whatever drives your nail flush in your material — not a magic number.

Starting points by tool and job

Dial it in the right way

1. Set the regulator to the starting PSI above.
2. Fire into scrap — a spare shingle on sheathing, or an offcut of your siding.
3. Read the head. Proud head: add ~5 PSI. Head cutting into the material (overdriven): drop ~5 PSI.
4. Use the depth-of-drive dial for the last little bit, not the regulator. Big changes = air pressure; fine changes = depth adjustment. That combination is what keeps every nail flush as you move around the roof or wall.

Overdriving is the expensive mistake: on shingles the head tears the mat (blow-offs later, and it voids warranties), and on Hardie or LP an overdriven nail loses most of its holding power. Our guides on using a roofing nailer and nailing Hardie board cover placement in detail.

The compressor side: CFM matters more than tank size

A coil nailer sips air per shot but you fire fast, so what matters is CFM at 90 PSI. One nailer runs fine on ~2.5 CFM @ 90 PSI — any 6-gallon pancake compressor delivers that. Two guns on one compressor want 4–5+ CFM. If your nailer loses power on fast runs, the compressor can't keep up — not a nailer problem. Full picks in our compressor guide.

Frequently asked questions

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