Abrasive Blasting, Shot Peening & Surface Prep worked example

Blast Operator Labor Cost at 99% hands-on nozzle time share: a worked example

Push hands-on nozzle time share up to 99% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. you need direct labor dollars for a blast quote, route step, or post-job variance review

The inputs for this scenario

  • Planned blast booth hours: 28 hr (unchanged)
  • Burdened blast operator rate: 62 $ / hr (unchanged)
  • Hands-on nozzle time share: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 90)
  • Setup and PPE allowance: 185 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Direct labor subtotal = planned labor hours × burdened labor rate × hands-on blast allocation) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,904 $ for blast labor cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 67.99 $ / hr for labor cost per hour.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,719 $ for direct labor subtotal.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 185 $ for setup/ppe allowance.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where hands-on nozzle time share sits at 90% and the headline result is 1,747 $, this scenario comes in 8.94% above the baseline at 1,904 $.
  • It computes total burdened blast labor cost by applying a hands-on nozzle-time factor to paid booth hours and adding a fixed setup/PPE allowance. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Blast labor cost: 1,904 $ (headline result)
  • Labor cost per hour: 67.99 $ / hr
  • Direct labor subtotal: 1,719 $
  • Setup/PPE allowance: 185 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Blast Operator Labor Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.