1. The job and the oven
2. Labour, setup and the margin you want
3. Powders to compare
One powder per line: name, $ per lb, transfer efficiency %, reclaim % of overspray reused (optional), specific gravity (optional, 1.5). Names cannot contain commas.
Enter the job and your powders, or load the example, then click Price this job.
Result
Powders compared
| Powder | Powder used (lb) | Powder | Labour + overhead | Oven | Cost | Price | Per piece | Per sq ft |
|---|
Price per piece by order size (cheapest powder)
| Pieces | Price | Per piece | Note |
|---|
The first powder as its price per pound changes
| Price per lb | Powder cost | Per piece | Job price |
|---|
The arithmetic, and what it leaves out
- One pound covers 192.2 divided by (specific gravity times film thickness in mils) square feet. Powder applied is area times coats over that coverage.
- Powder sprayed is the applied weight divided by transfer efficiency. The overspray is lost except for the share you reclaim and reuse.
- Scrap means some pieces are run twice: every per-piece cost is scaled by one over (one minus scrap).
- Labour is prep, masking, hanging and spray minutes per piece plus a setup per coat, charged at your labour rate plus an overhead rate per labour hour.
- Oven cost is whole batches (rounded up) times coats times the cycle time times your oven cost per hour.
- Price is cost divided by one minus your margin, plus any rush surcharge, never below your minimum charge.
- Not modelled: sales tax, freight, outsourced blasting or pretreatment, rack stripping and burn-off, warranty claims beyond the scrap rate, and local rates. Check against your own costs.
Common questions
How do I price powder coating?
Add the powder you actually use (area, film thickness, transfer efficiency and reclaim), the prep, masking, spray and hanging labour, the oven batches, a colour setup, supplies and scrap, then divide by one minus your margin. This tool does that and shows the price per piece and per square foot.
How much powder does a part use?
One pound covers about 192 square feet at 1 mil for a powder of specific gravity 1, so divide 192 by the specific gravity and the film thickness in mils. At 2.5 mils and a gravity of 1.5 a pound covers about 51 square feet, before transfer efficiency.
What is transfer efficiency and why does it matter?
The share of sprayed powder that sticks to the part. The rest is overspray, which is lost unless you reclaim it. A candy or metallic powder at 55 percent efficiency with no reclaim costs far more per part than its price per pound suggests.
What should my minimum charge be?
Roughly the cost of an empty setup: the colour change, a booth clean, one oven cycle and the time to handle the job. The tool shows when your minimum, not the parts, is setting the price.
Why does the price per piece fall as the order grows?
Setup, the minimum and part-filled oven batches are spread over more pieces. The quantity table shows the price at 1 to 500 pieces and the order size that meets a customer's target price.
What does this leave out?
Sales tax, freight and delivery, outsourced blasting, special pretreatments, warranty or rework beyond the scrap rate, burn-off and rack stripping, and your local rates. It is a pricing aid, not a quote.
Is my data uploaded?
No. Everything runs in your browser tab and nothing is sent anywhere. There are no accounts. The share link keeps your numbers in the link itself, which you choose whether to send.