The pneumatic breaker is the compressed-air-driven impact tool for demolition and compaction work — unlike the hydraulic breaker, it uses compressed air from a separate compressor as the drive medium. Two designs: as hand-held device (jackhammer, classic road-construction tool) and as excavator attachment in the specialty segment (rare today because hydraulic breakers work more efficiently).
Hand-held jackhammers: standard tool in road and utility works for over 100 years — Atlas Copco/Epiroc with TEX series is market leader (TEX 12 PE 12 kg for light breakouts, TEX 21 PE 21 kg as standard, TEX 33 PS 33 kg for concrete and rock breakout). Other manufacturers: Chicago Pneumatic (now part of Atlas Copco), Cembre, Ingersoll Rand, Sullair, Kaeser Kompressoren (German brand with own product niche). Operation with 6-7 bar compressed air from mobile diesel compressor (typical Atlas Copco XAS series 5-15 m³/min delivery).
Excavator pneumatic breakers: for excavator applications today the hydraulic breaker dominates because it is supplied directly from the excavator hydraulic circuit — no separate compressor needed. Pneumatic breakers on excavators remain for special applications: ATEX zones (explosion-protected areas with high explosion risk where hydraulic oil leaks are undesirable), water sites (underwater operation where compressed air is easier to handle than hydraulic-oil contamination), coal mining (mine-water contamination).
Applications and economics: hand-held jackhammers: road breakouts in utility works (water connections, cable laying), foundation breakout in basement construction, concrete breakout in renovation, kerb removal in road maintenance, rock breakout for foundations in mountain regions. Compressor fuel consumption (Atlas Copco XAS 68 with 4.6 m³/min for 2 jackhammers): 5-8 l/h. New prices 2025: Atlas Copco TEX 21 PE (21 kg) EUR 1,900-2,400, Atlas Copco TEX 33 PS (33 kg) EUR 2,800-3,500, diesel compressor XAS 88 (7.2 m³/min) EUR 22,000-28,000.
Comparison with hydraulic breaker: pro-jackhammer: simple operation, less tool maintenance, no excavator investment needed. Con: separate compressor with fuel costs and additional operator effort, lower impact energy (typically 40-80 J on hand tool versus 200+ J on smallest hydraulic breakers), high noise emission (110-130 dB(A) at operator). For professional sites with excavator equipment, the hydraulic breaker is economically clearly superior.