How many watts does a shop vac use? (1,200 W)

A shop vac uses about 1,200 W
Typical range 900–1,600 watts.

Power (watts)

Hours per day

Rate ($/kWh)

Per hour—

Per day—

Per month—

Per year—

Energy/mo—

A shop vacuum uses a powerful motor for strong suction, drawing more than a household vacuum but only in short bursts.

Shop vac power specs

A shop vac is rated around 1,200 W, but the real figure shifts with a few things:

Model and rating: A shop vac ranges from about 900 W on efficient units to 1,600 W on larger or older ones — a spread of ~700 W.
Usage: the real draw depends on the material and load you put it under.
Run time: because a shop vac only runs in short bursts (a few minutes at a time), hours of use matter as much as raw wattage on your bill.

Electricity rate	Per day	Per month	Per year
$0.10/kWh	$0.04	$1.08	$13.14
$0.15/kWh	$0.05	$1.62	$19.71
$0.20/kWh	$0.07	$2.16	$26.28
$0.25/kWh	$0.09	$2.70	$32.85
$0.30/kWh	$0.11	$3.24	$39.42
$0.40/kWh	$0.14	$4.32	$52.56