Design Pressure vs Control Pressure — What’s the Difference?
08 September 2025 When it comes to pressure regulators, two numbers often come up when we’re talking to customers: design pressure and control pressure. They sound similar — but they mean very different things.
Design Pressure — this is the maximum pressure the regulator is built to handle safely on the inlet side, typically designed to ASME B31.3.
Control Pressure — this is the pressure the regulator actively works to maintain on the outlet side.
At Pressure Tech, we make sure both are clearly defined — so you get the right regulator for the job, every time.
There are other pressure specification terms you might see on our datasheets, or quotes. Let’s also take a look at those:
Inlet Pressure — the pressure entering the regulator or the actual pressure coming into the regulator from your gas or fluid source.
Working Pressure — the normal operating pressure range seen by the regulator.
Set Pressure — the outlet pressure value you manually select on the regulator via the adjusting knob, screw, or actuator, typically during initial system set-up
Outlet Pressure — the pressure leaving the regulator or the pressure being delivered downstream from the regulator
Let's take a look at an example scenario and see how they all might apply:
Application: A hydraulic pump feeding a system
Regulator Type: High-pressure hydraulic regulator
Application Requirement: 450 bar (6,525 psi) inlet pressure from a pump with a steady 300 bar (4,350 psi) outlet pressure delivered to a test bench.
Which might equate to:
A 690 bar (10,000 psi) design pressure and 550 (7,975 psi) bar working pressure means the regulator is more than capable of handling the 450 bar (6,525 psi) inlet pressure from the pump. The regulator would be set to 300 bar (4,350 psi) for the test bench, and its control pressure mechanism constantly adjusts to keep the outlet pressure around that 300 bar (4,350 psi) target.
So as you can see, design pressure and control pressure might sound similar — but they play very different roles in keeping your system safe and performing as expected. Knowing the difference helps you choose the right regulator, avoid costly mistakes, and maintain confidence in your process.< Back to Knowledge Hub |
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