The three types of axial fans are propeller fans, tube axial fans and vane axial fans. All three move air parallel to the shaft. What separates them is the housing and the vanes: a propeller fan has no cylindrical housing, a tube axial fan puts the impeller inside a cylinder, and a vane axial fan adds guide vanes to that cylinder. Each step lets the fan push against more resistance, so the type you need depends mostly on where the fan sits and how much pressure the system asks of it.
Oregon State University’s Energy Efficiency Center puts it this way in its fan primer: the main types are distinguished by the applications the fans are designed for rather than by blade profile. Blade shape and pitch still affect performance; our impeller design guide covers how axial fan blades are shaped. A propeller fan moves large volumes of air at low pressure through a wall. Tube and vane axial fans are built to work inside ductwork.
If you are looking at the square or round fans that cool cabinets and electronics, those are compact fans; how they relate to these three types is covered in the last section, Where Compact Cooling Fans Fit. If you need the basic definition first, start with what an axial fan is.
The Three Types at a Glance
The table compares the main characteristics of each type: the housing, the guide vanes, where it is usually installed, the static pressure it is built for, where it runs out and its typical uses.
| Propeller fan | Tube axial fan | Vane axial fan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | None. The impeller sits in a panel, orifice plate or ring | Cylindrical housing (the “tube”) | Cylindrical housing |
| Guide vanes | No | No | Yes, behind or in front of the impeller |
| Usually installed | Through a wall, ceiling or partition, blowing into open space | In ductwork | In ductwork |
| Static pressure, OSU (design range) | Seldom applied above 0.75 in. w.g. (about 187 Pa) | Built for 2.5–3 in. w.g. (about 623–747 Pa) | No figure given; check the fan curve |
| Static pressure, UNL (typical range, agricultural fans) | 0–0.5 in. w.g. (about 0–125 Pa) | 0–3.5 in. w.g. (about 0–872 Pa) | “Somewhat greater” than tube axial |
| Where it runs out | When the system adds ductwork, filters or dampers | Higher resistance, or where noise matters | Beyond the axial range, where centrifugal or mixed flow fans take over |
| Typical uses | Wall ventilation and exhaust, general ventilation of large spaces such as livestock buildings | Industrial ventilation and industrial cooling: heat and fume removal from industrial processes, process cooling, grain aeration | Tunnel ventilation, parking-garage exhaust, HVAC systems with variable air volume |
| US federal fan category | Axial panel fan | Axial inline fan | Axial inline fan (“with or without turning vanes”) |
The two pressure rows come from different sources given on different bases, so they are listed separately rather than merged into one “standard” figure. Oregon State University (OSU) gives the pressure each type is designed for. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) extension guide, written in 1995 for agricultural ventilation, gives the range typical fans cover. Pressures are in inches of water gauge (in. w.g.); 1 in. w.g. is about 249 Pa (NIST conversion). Static pressure is the resistance the fan has to push against; if the term is new, see our guide to fan static pressure.
Propeller Fans
Yes, a propeller fan is an axial fan, and it is the simplest axial fan type. Air passes through it parallel to the shaft like any other axial fan. The difference is that there is no cylindrical housing: a propeller-shaped blade assembly and its motor are mounted in a panel, orifice plate or ring that sits in a wall, ceiling or partition. US federal fan regulations call this an axial panel fan.
Without a housing the fan stays simple, and it builds little pressure. OSU describes propeller fans as low-pressure, high-capacity fans that are seldom applied above 0.75 in. of static pressure. UNL’s agricultural guide lists a typical range of 0 to 0.5 in. and notes they run most efficiently between about 0.05 and 0.25 in. (roughly 12 to 62 Pa). They suit jobs where air moves straight through an opening. Propeller fans are commonly mounted as exhaust fans in walls and used for general ventilation, livestock buildings being a common example.
Propeller fans also draw power differently from centrifugal fans. OSU notes that the fan power a propeller fan needs is lowest at maximum air volume, while a centrifugal fan needs the least power when it delivers no air at all.
Once the air has to travel through a duct, a filter or a damper, the added resistance can quickly exceed what a propeller fan handles well, and a tube axial, vane axial or centrifugal fan is usually the better fit.
Tube Axial Fans
A tube axial fan is a set of propeller-style blades inside a cylindrical housing, so it can be installed directly in ductwork. OSU calls them heavy-duty propeller fans built for pressures of 2.5 to 3 in. of water. UNL’s guide gives a typical range of 0 to 3.5 in. The tube guides the air and, as one fan engineer put it, reduces the vortices around the propeller. Tube axial fans are also rated for far higher pressures than open propeller fans.
The tradeoff is noise. OSU notes that they are generally limited to industrial settings where noise is not a concern; in other words, these are fans for industrial duty. Typical industrial applications include industrial ventilation, heat and fume removal, process cooling and, on farms, grain aeration. You will sometimes see them called duct fans, though some manufacturers list duct fans as a separate category.
For construction details and a selection checklist, see our guide to tube axial fans.
Vane Axial Fans
A vane axial fan is a tube axial fan with guide vanes. As the fan blades push air forward they also set it spinning. The vanes straighten that spiral flow. OSU notes this increases the fan’s static efficiency, and manufacturers describe it as recovering energy that would otherwise leave as swirl. UNL’s guide notes the vanes can sit either in front of or behind the blades, and describes the result as a slightly more efficient fan, capable of somewhat greater static pressures and airflow rates.
Some models also allow the blade angle to be adjusted, which lets the air volume be adjusted. They can be an alternative to centrifugal fans in many commercial and industrial applications; typical uses include tunnel ventilation, parking-garage exhaust and HVAC systems with variable air volume.
Neither of the neutral sources we used gives a pressure range for this type. Treat “higher than a comparable tube axial fan” as the rule, and take the number from the fan’s own curve.
Tube Axial vs Vane Axial: The Main Difference Is the Vanes
Both use the same cylindrical housing. The vane axial version adds guide vanes. Those vanes buy somewhat higher pressure and efficiency at the cost of more parts. US federal fan regulations even put both in one category, the axial inline fan, defined as an axial impeller in a cylindrical housing “with or without turning vanes.” In practice, a tube axial fan suits moderate duct resistance where noise is acceptable; a vane axial fan makes sense when resistance is higher or efficiency matters.
Which Axial Fan Type Fits Your System
Axial fans are used in three kinds of places, and each points to a different type. You can narrow the choice with three questions before you open a single catalog.
- Where does the fan go? Through a wall or panel into open space points to a propeller fan. Inside ductwork points to a tube axial or vane axial fan. Inside a piece of equipment, such as a cabinet, power supply or machine housing, means a compact fan; see the next section.
- How much resistance will it push against? In ventilation systems for industrial buildings or equipment, resistance comes from everything the air has to get through: duct length, bends, filters, dampers, grilles, coils. Compare the estimate with the pressure rows in the table above.
- Match the type. Very low resistance calls for a propeller fan, moderate duct resistance for a tube axial fan, and higher resistance, or a system where efficiency matters, for a vane axial fan. Past the axial range, look at centrifugal or mixed flow fans. As one reference point, UNL’s guide describes centrifugal fans as well suited to grain-drying systems, especially once static pressure exceeds about 4 in. of water (about 1,000 Pa).
Then check the fan performance curve. Axial fan curves have a stall region around the middle, where airflow becomes unstable and noise rises sharply. Pick a fan whose operating point sits on the stable part of the curve, not one that only meets the duty point on paper. This sequence narrows the type; it does not replace selecting an axial fan model against its curve. Our axial fan selection guide covers that step, and if your system lands beyond the axial range, compare centrifugal fans vs axial fans. For the wider family of industrial fans, including blowers, see our industrial fan selection guide.
Where Compact Cooling Fans Fit
The three names describe construction (housing and vanes), not size, so they apply to small fans too. AMETEK Rotron’s aerospace fan line, for example, includes propeller, tubeaxial and small vaneaxial fans. Its small vaneaxial fans are compact, high-speed fans with airfoil impellers and guide vanes.
Inside control cabinets, power supplies and machinery, where compact fans are used for cooling and ventilation, the usual square or round frame fan has a short housing around the blades. Electronics-cooling literature often just calls it a tube axial fan, and one thermal engineering firm describes tube axial fans as the most common fans used in electronics cooling. One Electronics Cooling overview instead classifies the type of fan by its impeller (axial, radial or mixed flow) rather than by the three ventilation types. Some manufacturers, ebm-papst among them, organize their compact fan ranges by mounting style instead: motor flange, guard grille, or housing and wall ring.
What does not carry over is the pressure data. The ranges in the table above come from ventilation fans that move air through buildings and ducts. A compact cooling fan has its own curve, and that curve is the guide to use. One more caution when reading datasheets: when a datasheet gives one static pressure figure, check whether it is the maximum at zero airflow. Ours is, and that figure is not a pressure the fan can hold while moving its rated airflow.
Proventofan doesn’t make industrial tube axial fans (the cylindrical, ducted kind) or vane axial fans. What we make are compact square- and round-frame axial fans in AC, DC and EC versions, plus larger ring- and guard-mounted axial fans with external-rotor motors. In electronics-cooling literature, frame fans like ours are sometimes called tube axial fans. None of our series uses guide vanes. As an axial fan manufacturer, we keep our AC, DC and EC axial fans on our axial fan page.
FAQ
Is a propeller fan an axial fan?
Yes. Air passes through a propeller fan parallel to the shaft, as it does through any axial fan, and it is the simplest of the three types. What sets it apart is that it has no cylindrical housing: the impeller sits in a panel, orifice plate or ring mounted in a wall, ceiling or partition, which is why US federal fan regulations call it an axial panel fan. Without a housing it builds little pressure, so it suits air moving straight through an opening rather than through ductwork.
Is a mixed flow fan a type of axial fan?
No. A mixed flow fan, also called a diagonal or semi-axial fan, sits between axial and centrifugal designs: air enters along the axis and leaves at an angle through a conical impeller. That gives it more pressure than an axial fan of the same size and speed, and more airflow than a radial (centrifugal) fan. US federal fan regulations group mixed-flow impellers with the centrifugal categories, not with axial flow fans. So it is not one of the three.
Are variable pitch axial fans and high-temperature axial fans separate types?
No. Variable pitch fans let you adjust the blade angle, a feature some axial fans offer, including some vane axial fans; high-temperature models are built to handle hot airstreams. Neither appears as a separate type in the standard lists from OSU, UNL or US federal fan regulations; both are variations within the different types of axial fans. For hot-air duty, see our page on high-temperature axial fans.
Send Us Your System Details
Not sure which type your ventilation and cooling job needs? Send us four things: the airflow you need, the static pressure (or a description of the ducts, filters and grilles the air passes through), how the fan will be mounted, and the supply voltage. We’ll tell you which type of axial fan fits and, if one of our fans can do the job, which model to look at. We reply within 1 business day.
Send your fan details or email andy@proventofan.com.
For high-resistance duct systems, our centrifugal fans are the place to start.
References
- Oregon State University Energy Efficiency Center. “Fans and Blowers” (Equipment: Axial Fans).
- Bodman, G. R., and Shelton, D. P. Ventilation Fans: Types and Sizes, G95-1243. University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension, 1995.
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 10 CFR 431.172, Definitions (fans and blowers).
- NIST. Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI), Special Publication 811, Appendix B.9.
- Angelis, W. “General Aspects on Fan Selection and Layout.” Electronics Cooling, May 2001.
- Perry, J. “Utilizing Fans in Thermal Management of Electronics Systems.” Advanced Thermal Solutions, March 2017.
- New York Blower Company. “Axial Fan Types.”
- Aerotek Equipment. “Types of Axial Fans & Their Characteristics.”
- AMETEK Rotron. “Small Vaneaxial Fans.”
- ebm-papst. Axial Fans – Basic Principles, 2017.
- ebm-papst Fan Wiki. “Compact fan” and “Diagonal fan.”
