Is the rate resin only or the mixed system?

Enter the mixed catalyzed resin, so resin plus hardener or catalyst by weight. A resin-only rate understates consumption, because the hardener is part of what leaves the pot.

How do I measure the mixed resin rate?

Weigh the mixed batch, subtract what remains at the end, and divide by the lamination hours. A pump totalizer works the same way for infusion. Repeat across runs before you trust one figure.

Does pot life limit the batch size?

Yes. A mixed batch that gels in the pot is waste, so keep batch size inside the working time at your shop temperature. Resin Waste Cost prices that lost pot life.

Why show cost per runtime hour?

It converts a batch cost into a rate you can carry into quotes and compare across jobs. The figure also shows when a faster run saves money and when it only consumes more resin.

Composites, Fiberglass & Advanced Materials calculator

Fiberglass Resin Usage Calculator

Estimate how much mixed catalyzed resin a wet layup or infusion run consumes from the application rate and the runtime. The result is the resin weight and its cost, plus the cost per runtime hour.

What this calculator does

Mixed resin pounds consumed and their cost over a lamination run, with cost per runtime hour.

Formula used

Resin consumed = mixed resin rate × lamination runtime
Resin cost = resin consumed × mixed resin cost
Cost per runtime hour = resin cost ÷ lamination runtime

Inputs explained

Mixed Resin Rate: Mixed catalyzed resin placed per hour, from scales or a pump.
Lamination Runtime: Hours the gun or infusion pump actually ran on the job.
Mixed Resin Cost: Blended resin plus hardener or catalyst cost per pound.

How to use the result

Best suited to costing a wet layup shift, sizing resin for an infusion, tracking resin cost by hour.
Pot life can force batch splits, which adds mixing loss not counted here. Cost per hour is blank when runtime is zero, because there is no population.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for plastic resins and materials stands at 280.569 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 6.6% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
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).

Common questions

Is the rate resin only or the mixed system? Enter the mixed catalyzed resin, so resin plus hardener or catalyst by weight. A resin-only rate understates consumption, because the hardener is part of what leaves the pot.
How do I measure the mixed resin rate? Weigh the mixed batch, subtract what remains at the end, and divide by the lamination hours. A pump totalizer works the same way for infusion. Repeat across runs before you trust one figure.
Does pot life limit the batch size? Yes. A mixed batch that gels in the pot is waste, so keep batch size inside the working time at your shop temperature. Resin Waste Cost prices that lost pot life.
Why show cost per runtime hour? It converts a batch cost into a rate you can carry into quotes and compare across jobs. The figure also shows when a faster run saves money and when it only consumes more resin.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.