BelAire 6312V4 Iron Series: the 460V build, for buildings already on industrial distribution
This is the high-voltage member of the Iron Series. The 6312V4 is a 10-HP two-stage cast iron compressor wired for 460V, 3-Phase service — the distribution voltage most factories, large workshops and industrial parks already have running through them. If your building is on 460V, this is the version that connects without a transformer, a converter or a compromise.
It is worth being blunt about the other direction too: if your service is not 460V, this is the wrong machine and no amount of wishing will change that. There is a lower-voltage build of the same compressor for those buildings.
What 460V actually buys you
Power is voltage multiplied by current. Feed a motor of a given rating at roughly twice the voltage and it draws roughly half the current — and current is what sizes conductors, breakers and disconnects, and what causes voltage drop over distance.
In a large building, that is where the money is. A compressor sited two hundred feet from the panel on a lower voltage may need noticeably heavier cable to keep the volt drop acceptable; the same machine on 460V does not. It is also why plant electricians tend to prefer the 460V version of anything that will be installed far from the switchgear. None of that makes the compressor better — the pump and tank are the same — but it can make the installation substantially cheaper.
Sizing from two numbers, not one
Compressor listings usually quote a single air-delivery figure and leave off the pressure it was measured at, which makes the number close to meaningless. This one publishes both operating points: 35 CFM at 100 PSI and 32 CFM at 175 PSI.
Use them like this. Add up the consumption of the tools you expect to run at the same time — most pneumatic tools are rated somewhere between 90 and 100 PSI, so compare that total against the 100 PSI figure, and leave headroom rather than matching exactly. The 175 PSI figure matters if you are running equipment that genuinely needs high pressure, or if you are storing air at the top of the range to reduce how often the motor starts. The gap between the two is small on this machine, which is a property of the two-stage design rather than an accident.
Inside the Iron Series pump
Two-stage compression means air passes through a large cylinder, gets cooled, and is compressed again in a smaller one. The intermediate cooling is what allows 175 PSI without the pump running hot, and it is the reason two-stage machines last in shops where single-stage units cook themselves.
The pump is solid cast iron. Iron holds its bore geometry through years of heat cycles; lighter cylinder materials distort, and a distorted bore consumes oil and loses pressure. Rod bearings and wrist pins are automotive-style — real bearing surfaces, engineered as the parts that wear, rather than rod-on-journal contact with the crankshaft taking the damage. Drive is by belt behind a fully enclosed, high-flow guard, which keeps hands out while still letting cooling air through.
The maintenance this machine expects from you
Two honest points, because they change how you should plan around it.
The tank drain is manual. Not a timer, not electronic — a valve somebody opens. Condensate collects in the bottom of any tank, and left there it rusts an ASME vessel from the inside out. Put draining on a written schedule and give it to a named person, or fit an automatic drain separately.
There is no low-oil shutdown on this model. The specification records it as not fitted. That means the oil sight glass is not a convenience, it is the safeguard: check the level as part of a routine rather than when something sounds wrong. A pump run low on oil on a machine with no shutdown does not usually give a second warning.
An air dryer is not included either. BelAire recommend the CPXHT50, purchased separately, and on a 460V installation feeding spray or instrument air it is worth budgeting from the start.
Will It Fit?
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Supply. 460V, 3-Phase. Verify it at the panel — not from a machine plate, and not from what the building was originally specified as.
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Circuit. BelAire publish neither an amp draw nor a breaker size for this model; their specification says to consult a certified electrician. For a 10-HP motor on industrial distribution, take that literally.
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Starter. A magnetic starter is specified as part of the machine.
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Space. 42" long, 30" wide and 74" high. Vertical, so it costs height rather than floor. Check the 74" against low ductwork or a mezzanine edge, and leave room above for pump service.
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Weight. 830 lbs. The route in and the uprighting are the hard parts, not the mass.
The site, ventilation, electrical installation and permits are the customer's responsibility. We will confirm any published figure against BelAire's documentation before you order if you ask.
Perfect For
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Plants and industrial units already on 460V distribution. The reason this build exists.
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Long cable runs from the switchgear. Lower current, less volt drop, lighter conductors.
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Fabrication, machining and production lines. Continuous demand, two-stage cast iron.
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Large fleet and municipal workshops. Where the electrical infrastructure is already commercial-grade.
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Multi-user shop air. Several outlets drawing at once at 100 PSI.
What's in the Box
- 10-HP 460V three-phase motor with magnetic starter
- Solid cast iron two-stage pump, belt driven, with automotive-style rod bearings and wrist pins
- Vertical ASME certified tank with ASME safety valve
- Start / stop pressure switch controls
- Fully enclosed high-flow belt guard
- Manual air tank drain
- Oil sight glass, pressure gauge
- 3/4" air outlet rated to 175 PSI
- 2 Year bumper-to-bumper factory warranty, no additional purchase needed
Not included: air dryer, automatic or electronic drain, low-oil shutdown.
Specifications
| Motor |
10-HP, 460V, 3-Phase, electric |
| Magnetic starter |
Yes |
| Amp draw / breaker |
Not published — consult a certified electrician |
| Pump |
Two-stage, solid cast iron, belt drive, splash lubrication |
| Air delivery |
35 CFM at 100 PSI; 32 CFM at 175 PSI |
| Maximum pressure |
175 PSI |
| Aftercooler |
Yes |
| Low oil shutdown |
Not fitted |
| Tank orientation |
Vertical, ASME certified |
| Tank outlet |
3/4" |
| Tank drain |
Manual |
| Dimensions |
42" long, 30" wide, 74" high |
| Weight |
830 lbs. |
| Warranty |
2 Year |
Two different tank sizes appear in this product's own data
| Tank volume |
The product title, the manufacturer's description and the tank-size specification field all state a 120-Gallon vertical tank. The feature list on this same page states that the ASME tank and safety valve provide an "80 gallon air reserve for big jobs or multiple users". One vessel cannot be both, and we will not silently publish whichever figure flatters the machine. Reserve volume is what determines how often the motor has to start, so if that governs your decision, ask us in writing and we will have BelAire confirm the vessel size before you place the order.
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Certification, stated honestly
The certification held in this product's data is ASME, covering the pressure vessel and the safety valve — the components that contain and release 175 PSI. In a commercial or industrial building that is usually the certification an inspector or an insurer asks to see first, and this machine has it.
What the data does not contain is any listing by an independent testing laboratory covering the electrical assembly as a whole. That approval comes from a different body and is not conferred by a tank rating. On 460V industrial equipment it is more likely to be asked about than on a small single-phase machine, so check what your insurer, your plant safety scheme and your local electrical inspector require before you commit to the purchase.
Shipping and delivery
Sent by freight within the lower 48 states, with the charge calculated live at checkout for the destination you enter. Arrange the unload ahead of the delivery — a forklift on site, a dock, or collecting it from the carrier's terminal yourself. A residential address attracts an additional delivery fee, shown to you at checkout before payment. Inspect the crate on arrival and record any damage on the bill of lading while the driver is still there; once a clean receipt has been signed, a freight claim is very hard to pursue.
Warranty
A 2 Year bumper-to-bumper factory warranty applies to this model and requires no additional purchase; BelAire's warranty document, linked on this page, is the version that governs. To keep a claim intact, resist the urge to investigate. Photograph the failure as found, leave the assembly together, and contact us before any part is removed — dismantling ahead of assessment is the single most common reason a legitimate claim is refused.
