Commercial Reverse Osmosis System Pricing & Sizing Guide
Buying a commercial reverse osmosis system is not like buying a filter cartridge. The right system size, the right pretreatment, and the right budget depend on your daily water use, your feed water quality, and your application. This page gives you the honest numbers — equipment-only starting prices, typical full-project budgets, and a sizing guide so you can walk into a quote conversation knowing what to expect.
How to Size a Commercial RO System
Start with your daily water demand in gallons per day (GPD). If you don't know it, use these rules of thumb:
| Application | Estimated daily demand |
|---|---|
| Restaurant / café (per 100 seats) | 500–1,500 GPD |
| Hotel / hospitality (per 50 rooms) | 1,500–3,000 GPD |
| Brewery (per 100 bbl/month output) | 3,000–7,000 GPD |
| Car wash (per 10 bays, touchless) | 1,000–3,000 GPD |
| Light manufacturing / process water | 2,500–15,000 GPD |
| Agriculture / greenhouse irrigation | 5,000–30,000 GPD |
| Food & beverage production | 7,500–50,000+ GPD |
| Municipal / industrial pretreatment | 15,000–100,000+ GPD |
Note on recovery rate: RO membranes typically recover 50–75% of feed water as purified product. A 2,500 GPD system requires approximately 3,300–5,000 GPD of feed water (at 50–75% recovery) to produce 2,500 GPD of output. Size up accordingly and account for reject water disposal.
Not sure about your GPD? Send us your application details and we will calculate a recommended system size for you at no charge.
Commercial RO System Price Ranges
All prices below are equipment-only starting prices for the RO unit itself. Your actual project cost will depend on feed water quality, pretreatment requirements, storage tanks, repressurization pumps, freight, installation, and controls. See the next section for what commonly adds to the budget.
| System size | Typical application | Equipment-only starting price | Typical full-project budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500–2,500 GPD | Restaurant, café, small office, light process | From $3,884 | $6,000–$15,000+ |
| 2,500–7,500 GPD | Hospitality, brewery, food service, car wash | From $7,409 | $12,000–$25,000+ |
| 7,500–15,000 GPD | Light industrial, agriculture, laundry | From $9,000 | $18,000–$40,000+ |
| 15,000–30,000 GPD | Industrial process water, food & beverage production | From $22,259 | $38,000–$75,000+ |
| 30,000–50,000+ GPD | Heavy industrial, municipal pretreatment | From $42,529 | Custom quote |
Prices reflect equipment only. Final project cost depends on feed water TDS, pressure, recovery rate, contaminant load, pretreatment needs, and site conditions. The ranges above assume standard municipal feed water. Well water, high-TDS, or high-hardness applications typically increase total project cost.
Why the RO System Is Only Part of the Budget
A commercial RO membrane rejects dissolved solids — but it cannot protect itself from sediment, chlorine, hardness, or iron without pretreatment. Skipping pretreatment shortens membrane life significantly and voids warranties. A complete commercial water treatment system typically includes:
- Sediment filtration — protects membranes from particles, silt, and suspended solids
- Carbon filtration / dechlorination — municipal chlorine and chloramines destroy RO membranes within months without this stage
- Water softening or antiscalant injection — hardness and scale foul membranes and reduce output; required for most well water and many municipal sources
- Iron and manganese pretreatment — iron above 0.1 ppm damages membranes; must be addressed upstream
- Storage tanks — RO systems produce purified water continuously at a controlled rate; tanks buffer against peak demand
- Repressurization pumps — storage tanks deliver water at low pressure; pumps restore working pressure for your application
- UV post-treatment — required for bacteria-free output in food service, medical, and laboratory applications
- Controls and monitoring — automatic flush cycles, TDS monitoring, low-pressure shutoff, and leak detection extend system life and reduce operating costs
- Membrane replacement budget — commercial membranes typically last 2–5 years; plan for replacement cycles
When you request a quote from PureWaterGuys, we ask about your feed water source, TDS, hardness, iron, and contaminants before recommending a system. A properly specified full system costs more upfront but costs significantly less to operate and lasts far longer than an undersized or under-treated installation.
Shop by GPD — Current Commercial RO Inventory
All systems are Crystal Quest commercial-grade RO units — US-manufactured, warranted, and shipped direct. Equipment-only prices shown. Request a quote for pretreatment packages, full-system pricing, or freight estimates.
Crystal Quest Commercial Mid-Flow RO (500–7,000 GPD)
| Flow rate | Equipment price | |
|---|---|---|
| 500 GPD | $3,884 | View system |
| 750 GPD | $3,984 | View system |
| 1,000 GPD | $4,734 | View system |
| 1,500 GPD | $5,162 | View system |
| 1,800 GPD | $5,312 | View system |
| 2,500 GPD | $5,590 | View system |
| 4,000 GPD | $7,409 | View system |
| 5,000 GPD | $8,051 | View system |
| 7,000 GPD | $8,693 | View system |
Crystal Quest Heavy Commercial RO (10,000–50,000 GPD)
| Flow rate | Equipment price | |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 GPD | $15,833 | View system |
| 15,000 GPD | $22,259 | View system |
| 20,000 GPD | $27,121 | View system |
| 30,000 GPD | $42,529 | View system |
| 50,000 GPD | $57,509 | View system |
Need a size not listed, or above 50,000 GPD? Contact us — we source custom configurations for industrial and municipal applications. Freight is quoted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a commercial RO system cost?
Equipment-only prices range from $3,884 for a 500 GPD commercial system to $57,509+ for a 50,000 GPD industrial system. Full project budgets — including pretreatment, tanks, pumps, and installation — typically run 1.5 to 3x the equipment cost depending on feed water conditions and site requirements. For a preliminary budget range based on your specific application, request a quote here.
Can I get a commercial RO system price list?
Yes — the tables above list current equipment prices for Crystal Quest commercial-grade RO systems from 500 to 50,000 GPD. Prices are equipment-only and do not include freight, pretreatment, tanks, pumps, or installation. For a full-system quote with line-item breakdown, use our commercial quote form.
What size commercial RO system do I need?
Size is determined by your peak daily water demand in GPD, your feed water source (municipal vs. well), TDS and contaminant load, and required recovery rate. Use the application table above as a starting point. Undersizing an RO system is the most common and expensive mistake in commercial water treatment — when in doubt, size up or request a sizing review.
What affects the price of a commercial RO system?
The four biggest cost drivers are: (1) system capacity in GPD, (2) feed water TDS — high-TDS water requires more membrane stages and higher-pressure pumps, (3) pretreatment requirements — iron, hardness, chlorine, and sediment all require upstream treatment that adds cost, and (4) automation and controls. A 2,500 GPD system on clean municipal water is a very different project from a 2,500 GPD system on a high-iron well.
Do I need pretreatment before a commercial RO system?
Almost always yes. At minimum, sediment filtration and carbon filtration (dechlorination) are required to protect the RO membrane from fouling and premature failure. Hard water requires softening or antiscalant injection. High-iron water requires iron removal upstream. Skipping pretreatment will damage membranes within months and void your warranty. We include pretreatment recommendations with every commercial quote at no additional charge.
How long does a commercial RO membrane last?
With proper pretreatment and regular maintenance, commercial RO membranes typically last 2–5 years. Feed water quality is the primary variable — clean municipal water with proper pretreatment extends membrane life significantly. Well water with high TDS, iron, or hardness shortens it. Annual performance testing is recommended to catch declining output before it becomes a problem.
Get a Preliminary RO Size and Budget Range
Send us your daily water use, source water type (municipal or well), and application. We will recommend a system size and provide a preliminary equipment and full-project budget range — no obligation, no sales pressure.
Request a Commercial Water Quote →
Prefer to talk? Call us directly: 866-560-9808 — Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm MST
Also available from PureWaterGuys: Commercial Carbon Filtration Systems | Ultrafiltration & Nanofiltration Systems | Full Commercial Catalog