Abrasive Blasting, Shot Peening & Surface Prep calculator

Media Reclaim Value Calculator

Reclaim systems only pay when usable abrasive returns to the process instead of becoming waste. This calculator puts a dollar value on recovered media so a shop can compare screen settings, separator maintenance, and reclaim equipment improvements.

What this calculator does

  • Estimate the dollar value of recoverable blast media from spent media weight, replacement cost, reclaim efficiency, and avoided disposal.
  • you want to show the savings from recovering steel grit, shot, aluminum oxide, or other reusable media
  • Returns the dollar value credited by usable media recovery plus fixed avoided handling cost.

Formula used

  • Recovered media value = spent media processed × replacement media cost × usable reclaim efficiency
  • Total reclaim value = recovered media value + avoided disposal/handling

Inputs explained

  • Spent media processed: undefined
  • Replacement media cost: undefined
  • Usable reclaim efficiency: undefined
  • Avoided disposal/handling: undefined

How to use the result

  • Use it to justify reclaim maintenance, separator tuning, or a new media recovery system.
  • The result assumes reclaimed media is reusable at the stated efficiency; contamination, size breakdown, and profile requirements can reduce usable recovery.

Common questions

  • Should fines count as recovered media? Only count media that passes your reuse criteria for cleanliness, size, and cutting performance.
  • Can I include labor savings? Include fixed handling savings in the final input if they are directly avoided by reclaiming media.
  • What if recovered media reduces profile? Lower the usable reclaim efficiency or keep a separate rate for critical profile work.
  • How does this help operations? It shows whether reclaim losses are big enough to justify separator repairs, leak fixes, or operator changes.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.