Why is paint booth load higher than the base time?

The allowance adds masking, color changes and rework to the spray time. At the defaults, base time is 4.948 booth hours and the 40% allowance adds 1.979 hours.

How do I use the available booth hours?

They are your shift limit. The last output is load minus available, so a positive value is the time the batch needs beyond the shift. At the defaults the load fits with 0.073 hours left.

What does the allowance cover?

Masking, color changes and rework, the work between sprays. It is a percent of base booth time, so a larger batch absorbs a larger allowance in hours.

Can I use this to size a new booth?

Yes, for the paint load alone. Compare the load with the hours a candidate booth offers each shift. Ventilation, fire protection and cure space are separate requirements.

Agricultural Equipment & Farm Machinery Manufacturing calculator

Paint Booth Load Calculator

Estimate the booth hours a paint batch needs from the part count, the booth's completion pace and the added time for masking, color changes and rework. Compare that load with the hours the finishing shift has.

What this calculator does

Booth hours for a paint batch from part count, booth pace and an allowance for masking, color change and rework.

Formula used

Base booth time = painted parts ÷ booth pace ÷ 60 minutes per hour
Allowance booth time = base booth time × allowance percent ÷ 100
Paint booth load = base booth time + allowance booth time
Booth load versus available = paint booth load − available booth hours

Inputs explained

Painted Machines or Components: Parts entering the booth this batch, from the paint schedule.
Booth Throughput Pace: Steady booth completion rate, from the finishing line study.
Masking, Color Change, and Rework Allowance: Added booth time for masking, color changes and rework, from history.
Available Booth Hours: Booth hours the finishing shift can schedule, from the shift plan.

How to use the result

Best suited to scheduling a batch through the paint booth, checking finishing capacity before a build run.
Cure, flash and cool time outside the booth are not counted; add them if the schedule needs them. Color changes between batches are not scheduled separately; the allowance carries that time.

Current U.S. benchmarks

Industrial natural gas averages $4.58 per Mcf (EIA, Jul 2026), down 1.3% from a year earlier, with industrial electricity at 9.77 cents per kWh. Process heating and refrigeration budgets track both.
Steel mill PPI stands at 381.162 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 23.4% from a year earlier. New factory orders are up 8.5% year over year (Census).
The U.S. has 21,668 machinery manufacturing establishments employing about 1,086,146 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

Why is paint booth load higher than the base time? The allowance adds masking, color changes and rework to the spray time. At the defaults, base time is 4.948 booth hours and the 40% allowance adds 1.979 hours.
How do I use the available booth hours? They are your shift limit. The last output is load minus available, so a positive value is the time the batch needs beyond the shift. At the defaults the load fits with 0.073 hours left.
What does the allowance cover? Masking, color changes and rework, the work between sprays. It is a percent of base booth time, so a larger batch absorbs a larger allowance in hours.
Can I use this to size a new booth? Yes, for the paint load alone. Compare the load with the hours a candidate booth offers each shift. Ventilation, fire protection and cure space are separate requirements.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.