Coatings, Inks & Specialty Chemical Production worked example

Color Match Workload at 40% drawdown, cure, and approval allowance: a worked example

What does the result look like when drawdown, cure, and approval allowance reaches 40%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. scheduling formulation lab time for color matches and customer samples

The inputs for this scenario

  • Color matches or revisions required: 18 matches (unchanged)
  • Color matches completed per minute: 0.12 matches / min (unchanged)
  • Drawdown, cure, and approval allowance: 40 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 35)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Base color match workload = color matches or revisions รท color matches completed per minute) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 210 hr for estimated color match workload, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 150 hr for base color match workload.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 40 % for drawdown, cure, and approval allowance.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.12 pieces / min for color matches completed per minute.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where drawdown, cure, and approval allowance sits at 35% and the headline result is 203 hr, this scenario comes in 3.7% above the baseline at 210 hr.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when drawdown, cure, and approval allowance is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes a steady average match rate; a single difficult metallic or high-chroma organic match can take many times the average and skew a small queue.

Results at a glance

  • estimated color match workload: 210 hr (headline result)
  • base color match workload: 150 hr
  • drawdown, cure, and approval allowance: 40 %
  • color matches completed per minute: 0.12 pieces / min

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Color Match Workload calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.