Spray booths are sized differently to meet the unique demands of the use. Whether an auto body shop, industrial plant, or woodworking manufacturer, you need to have the right sized spray paint booth to effectively use it in production.
Spray paint booth applications
Commercial applications
Paint spray booths are used across commercial applications as part of the finishing process for manufactured products like vehicles and equipment. Commercial use of paint spray booths are used in industries including:
- Automotive — paint finishes for newly manufactured cars or vehicle parts, as well as refinishing work.
- Aerospace — paint finishes for airplane parts and other types of aircraft.
- Industrial equipment —protective coating for heavy-duty industrial equipment and vehicles.
Hobby/home applications
Spray paint booths are also used at a small-scale level in home garages and workshops. Hobbyists who do DIY spray painting will require a spray paint booth to isolate the hazardous fumes from the rest of the home, ensuring the health and safety of themselves and other residents.
Standard spray point booth dimensions
Spray paint booth sizing can vary based on the type of item that needs to be finished. Booths can be as small as 1960mm (width) by 980mm (depth) by 2050mm (height). Paint booths of this size usually have an open face configuration for spraying work on a handheld part or a DIY home project.
Larger spraying applications will require the spray paint booth to be completely enclosed to prevent external contamination of the air — these spray paint booths are large enough for a motor vehicle.
Standard booth dimensions for auto body shop
Standard automotive spray paint booth size for sedan, coupe, and hatchback model cars.
| Dimensions | Length (mm) | Width (mm) | Height (mm) |
| Interior size | 7,200 | 4,000 | 2,700 |
| Exterior size | 7,350 | 4,150 | 3,500 |
Automotive spray paint booth size for large SUVs, utes, pickup trucks, and commercial vans.
| Dimensions | Length (mm) | Width (mm) | Height (mm) |
| Interior size | 8,250 | 4,300 | 3,600 |
| Exterior size | 8,500 | 4,450 | 4,300 |
Standard spray paint booth size for trucks and trailers.
| Dimensions | Length (mm) | Width (mm) | Height (mm) |
| Interior size | 9,250 | 4,550 | 4,300 |
| Exterior size | 9,500 | 4,700 | 4,450 |
Tips for choosing the right paint booth size
Consider your largest typical spray job
The ideal spray paint booth size should comfortably accommodate the biggest item that requires spray painting. If your auto body shop accepts vehicles up to commercial van sizes for refinishing, your spray paint booth must be large enough to fit the largest-sized commercial van on the market. To ensure that paint spray booth operators can easily and safely access all parts of the item, there should be a minimum 0.9m distance between the item and the internal wall of the paint booth.
Work with the size of your warehouse
The size of your workspace will also affect what size of spray paint booth can be installed. Best practice guidelines recommend that spray paint booths should have sufficient area clearance of 1.0 to 1.5m horizontally and 1.0 m vertically around it to provide easier access for operators and other staff.
The spraying area is also considered a Zone 1 Class 1 Hazardous Zone — this zone extends from the booth to 2.0m around any openings. For safety reasons, no electrical switches, outlets or equipment must be within this zone.
Rent until you can buy the size you need – don’t buy twice
Spray paint booths are a considerable investment — if your current workspace cannot support your ideal spray paint booth size, it may be worth renting one out in the meantime instead of pulling the trigger on a smaller spray paint booth. This approach provides overall cost savings for when you do move operations to a larger workspace that can support a sufficiently-sized spray paint booth.
Consider the airflow and ventilation benefits of a larger booth
Larger paint booth sizes will be capable of achieving better airflow and ventilation as they come equipped with larger exhaust fans. Having the proper amount of contaminated air removal is important for your paint booth to meet safety standards. However, large paint spray booths may also require an add-on Air Makeup Unit (AMU) to balance out the level of pressure within the spray paint booth and keep the booth running smoothly with minimal overspray.
Consider positioning for lighting
Larger paint booths have greater options for different lighting, which can help greatly in ensuring the right colour tones are applied to the item. This is especially important for achieving high-quality custom paint jobs that are in-line with client expectations.
Invest in quality
Spray paint booths are highly regulated equipment that must be carefully installed and maintained to ensure the safety of all personnel in the workplace. Choosing to invest in a custom spray paint booth provider that can deliver the right quality in terms of design, build materials, and filter components will pay off in the long run.