These single-stage propeller machines are a sort of suspended shaft vertical pump. The liquid is pushed by the impeller in axial flow pumps in a direction parallel to the pump shaft. Because they function almost exactly like a boat's propeller, axial flow pumps are occasionally referred to as propeller pumps. An axial flow pump's principal benefit is a comparatively high discharge at a relatively low head.

Both packing and mechanical seals may be used to seal drive shafts that extend through the discharge head. Additionally, a variety of discharge head types, including above- or below-ground cast iron or fabricated steel construction, are available from Propeller Pumps.

Axial flow pumps are used to manage sewage from commercial, municipal irrigation, river input, and industrial sources. Extremely powerful axial flow pumps are used in fisheries and agriculture to elevate water for drainage and irrigation. Axial flow pumps are also employed as transfer pumps and for ballast in ships.

They are employed in power plants to pump water for cooling from a reservoir, river, lake, or ocean. They are utilised in the chemical sector for the circulation of huge volumes of liquid, such as in evaporators and crystallizers. Internal mixed liquor recirculation in sewage treatment frequently uses an axial flow pump.