Can I swap my airbrush nozzle for a larger (or smaller) diameter nozzle?

This is one of the questions I have been asked most frequently over many years of teaching airbrushing techniques. With this article, I will try to clarify this topic as clearly as possible and help you make a more informed choice when purchasing an airbrush, especially if you do not yet own one.

To put it simply, I must start by saying that airbrush nozzles are often very different from one another. Although, to be honest, this specific question is sometimes followed by another, asked far less frequently: Are all airbrush nozzles the same?

Let’s start from here.

Each airbrush brand is designed to use specific proprietary nozzles, and in most cases it is not possible to install nozzles from other brands. It would be like trying to mount off-road wheels on a city car—or vice versa. While some rare compatibility cases do exist, these are exceptions, not the rule.

The desire to interchange airbrush nozzles often comes from assumptions that apply to other fields, not to airbrushing itself. This question is also commonly asked by beginners who are new to airbrushing and assume the same logic applies as when buying a power screwdriver and swapping bits or accessories.

Airbrush nozzles size comparison

First, it is important to understand that airbrushes fall into two main categories:

1. Airbrushes with screw-in nozzles

2. Airbrushes with drop-in (press-fit) nozzles

In the first category, the nozzle is screwed directly into the airbrush body, using a threaded seat located at the front of the airbrush.

In the second category, the nozzle is not threaded into the body. Instead, it is inserted into the airbrush and held in place by the air cap, which secures it when tightened.

When your airbrush uses a drop-in nozzle system, it is generally possible to replace the original nozzle with another one of the same size, a smaller size, or a larger size. A classic example is Harder & Steenbeck airbrushes, which use cylindrical drop-in nozzles with a Teflon sealing ring. These nozzles rest against the front of the airbrush body and are secured by tightening the air cap.

Another example is Paasche airbrushes (especially older models with the red handle), which use a double-taper nozzle that fits into a conical seat inside the airbrush body and is locked in place by tightening the air cap with a small wrench.

The Harder & Steenbeck Colani, for instance, allows the use of up to six different nozzle diameters, ranging from 0.2 mm to 1.2 mm, and can be converted very easily.

Press-fit airbrush nozzles

This type of nozzle interchangeability can be seen as an advantage because it allows you to work with multiple nozzle sizes using a single airbrush body—effectively replacing the need for two or three separate airbrushes.

The main benefit is cost savings: purchasing one airbrush with interchangeable nozzles is generally cheaper than buying multiple airbrushes with fixed nozzle sizes. However, this can become a disadvantage during professional or time-sensitive work. Stopping to clean the airbrush, remove the nozzle, and install a different one can interrupt workflow, which is why many professionals ultimately prefer owning two or more dedicated airbrushes instead.

All other airbrushes—such as Iwata, Olympos, Efbe, Fengda, and many others—use screw-in nozzles.

In these airbrushes, the thread pitch and mechanical tolerances may differ even between nozzle sizes within the same brand. For this reason, leading manufacturers like Iwata have always chosen a clear mechanical philosophy:an airbrush is designed to work with one specific nozzle size only. An airbrush that is manufactured with a 0.3 mm nozzle will always remain a 0.3 mm airbrush. End of story.

Even if a nozzle from the same brand appears compatible, there is no guarantee that it will function correctly, that the threads are identical, or that damage will not occur. If your retailer or distributor tells you that a nozzle is not interchangeable, trust them—attempting otherwise can easily result in serious damage.

Modello di aerografo economico con ugelli avvitabili

In recent years, a small niche of mid-range or entry-level airbrushes, often of Chinese manufacture, has appeared on the market. These airbrushes typically feature a single threaded seat and are supplied with three screw-in nozzles of different sizes—usually 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, and 0.5 mm—along with three matching needles, all included in the same kit.

These airbrushes can be appealing because they offer something that top-tier manufacturers generally do not: multiple nozzle and needle sets for a single airbrush body.

However, the overall quality is often lower, mainly due to the use of more economical materials. Additionally, it is important to remember that the difference between a 0.2 mm and a 0.3 mm nozzle is extremely small, which often leads users to rely primarily on the 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm setups.

The relatively low cost makes experimentation acceptable, but you must be extremely careful not to mix needles and nozzles of different sizes. Using a larger needle in a smaller nozzle can break the nozzle; using a smaller needle in a larger nozzle can cause sputtering or complete malfunction. Since the differences between needles are nearly imperceptible to the naked eye without magnification, inattention can easily lead to costly mistakes.