How Many GPM Does My Hose Deliver?
Garden hose flow rate depends on three things together: diameter (5/8in standard vs. 3/4in wide-bore), length (longer hoses lose flow), and your home's water pressure (typically 40-80 psi). A 5/8in hose at typical residential pressure commonly delivers roughly 9-17 GPM depending on length and exact pressure; 3/4in delivers meaningfully more at the same pressure and length.
The one thing to know: A hose's real flow rate (GPM) depends on three things together: diameter (5/8in is standard; 3/4in flows meaningfully more at the same pressure), length (GPM drops as length increases at a fixed water pressure), and your home's actual water pressure (typically 40-80 psi). A longer or narrower hose doesn't just feel slower — it measurably delivers fewer gallons per minute at the nozzle, which matters for sprinklers and quick container-filling alike.
Diameter vs. length vs. pressure
Wider diameter moves more water at the same pressure; longer length loses more flow to friction at the same pressure and diameter. Your household pressure (40-80 psi is typical) is the multiplier on both. The full reference bands are in The Garden Gear Numbers.
GPM is not burst pressure
A hose's rated burst pressure is the pressure at which the hose wall is expected to fail, not your household water pressure — residential supply typically runs 40-80 psi, far below most quality hoses' burst rating of several hundred psi. Kink-resistance is a separate spec from burst pressure: a hose can have a high burst rating and still kink easily if its wall material is stiff or its diameter is narrow.
This page is general equipment-spec reference information, not a guarantee of any specific hose's exact flow at your address.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on three factors together: hose diameter (5/8in standard vs. 3/4in wide-bore), hose length (GPM drops as length increases at a fixed pressure), and your home's water pressure (typically 40-80 psi). A 5/8in hose at typical residential pressure commonly delivers roughly in the ballpark of 9-17 GPM depending on length and exact pressure; a 3/4in hose delivers meaningfully more at the same pressure and length.
Yes — flow rate drops as length increases at a given pressure due to friction loss inside the hose, so a 100ft run of the same diameter and pressure delivers noticeably less GPM at the nozzle than a 50ft run. If you need both reach and flow, stepping up to 3/4in diameter offsets some of that length-related loss.
For raw flow, yes — 3/4in moves more GPM at the same pressure. But 3/4in hose and fittings are heavier, often need adapters for standard 5/8in-threaded nozzles and quick-connects, and cost more. 5/8in remains the practical standard for most household attachments and moderate-flow needs.
GPM (gallons per minute) measures flow rate — how fast water moves through the hose. Burst pressure (psi) measures the pressure at which the hose wall is expected to fail structurally. They're unrelated specs: a hose can have a high burst-pressure rating for safety margin while still delivering modest GPM due to its diameter and length.
Not directly — kink-resistance describes the hose wall material's resistance to collapsing when bent, which is a durability/reliability spec. A hose that kinks easily can drop flow to near-zero at the kink point regardless of its rated GPM, so kink-resistance protects your effective flow rather than increasing your hose's maximum rated flow.