Abrasive Blasting, Shot Peening & Surface Prep worked example

Blast Media Consumption at 56% media reclaim and transfer efficiency: a worked example

Suppose media reclaim and transfer efficiency falls to 56%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate abrasive required from blasted area, media use per square foot, and recovery or transfer efficiency.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Total surface area to blast: 2,500 sq ft (held at the documented default)
  • Abrasive consumed per square foot: 0.35 lb / sq ft (held at the documented default)
  • Media reclaim/transfer efficiency: 56 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 78)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Theoretical abrasive = blast area × media use rate.
  • Abrasive required works out to 1,562 lb abrasive at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Theoretical media works out to 875 lb abrasive at these inputs.
  • Reclaim/transfer allowance works out to 687 lb abrasive at these inputs.
  • Reclaim/transfer efficiency works out to 56 % at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where media reclaim and transfer efficiency sits at 78% and the headline result is 1,122 lb abrasive, this scenario comes in 39.29% above the baseline at 1,562 lb abrasive.
  • It computes the total pounds of abrasive required to blast a given area, grossing up the theoretical media for reclaim and transfer losses. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Abrasive required: 1,562 lb abrasive (headline result)
  • Theoretical media: 875 lb abrasive
  • Reclaim/transfer allowance: 687 lb abrasive
  • Reclaim/transfer efficiency: 56 %

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Blast Media Consumption calculator, set media reclaim and transfer efficiency to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.