Abrasive Blasting, Shot Peening & Surface Prep calculator
Blast Media Consumption Calculator
Use this calculator before quoting or staging a blast job to estimate how many pounds of grit, shot, garnet, glass bead, or other media the work will consume. It converts square footage and observed media use into a practical order quantity after reclaim loss, blowdown, and carryout are considered.
What this calculator does
- Estimate abrasive required from blasted area, media use per square foot, and recovery or transfer efficiency.
- you need enough blast media on the floor for a coating removal, mill scale, or profile job without overbuying pallets of abrasive
- Returns the abrasive weight to stage for the job after expected reclaim and handling losses.
Formula used
- Theoretical abrasive = blast area × media use rate
- Required abrasive = theoretical abrasive ÷ reclaim/transfer efficiency
Inputs explained
- Blast area: Include only the surface being blasted, not masked or skipped areas.
- Media use rate: Use a shop history rate for the media, profile, and coating condition.
- Reclaim/transfer efficiency: Account for usable reclaimed media, spill, carryout, and fines.
How to use the result
- Use it for open blasting, blast rooms, or cabinets when media consumption materially affects job cost or material availability.
- It is an estimating tool; coating thickness, rust grade, nozzle distance, operator technique, and screen-out rules can move the real consumption rate.
Common questions
- What media use rate should I enter? Use pounds per square foot from a recent job with similar coating, profile target, nozzle pressure, and abrasive type. If you only know pounds per hour, divide by your actual square feet per hour first.
- How should I handle recyclable steel grit or shot? Enter the net efficiency after reclaim. A wheel or blast room system with good separation may be high; expendable media outdoors may be much lower.
- Does this include disposal weight? No. The result is abrasive needed for blasting. Spent media plus paint, rust, and debris should be estimated separately for disposal.
- How can I use the result in a quote? Multiply the abrasive required by delivered media cost, then compare it with labor and equipment cost in the cost per square foot calculator.
Last reviewed 2026-05-12.