Foundry & Forging calculator

Core Making Capacity Calculator

Estimate cores available from complete coremaking cycles. Enter the cavities used, full measured cycle, separate machine stops and matched inspection counts.

What this calculator does

  • Plan complete cores batches and projected first-pass output from measured time and inspection counts.

Formula used

  • Available cycle time = planned production time − separate stop time
  • Complete cycles = floor(available cycle time ÷ complete cycle duration)
  • Processed units = complete cycles × units per cycle
  • First-pass yield = accepted sample units ÷ inspected sample units
  • Projected accepted units = floor(processed units × first-pass yield)

Inputs explained

  • Cores per Cycle: Qualified count loaded into each complete machine cycle.
  • Planned Production Time: Shift plan for this machine and production window.
  • Separate Stop Time: Recorded stops outside the measured complete cycle.
  • Complete Cycle Duration: Timed start-to-next-start cycle including routine handling.
  • Historical Inspected Cores: Matched inspection sample for the same tooling and process.
  • Historical First Pass Cores: Sample count accepted without repeat processing or repair.

How to use the result

  • Best suited to core supply planning, corebox capacity comparison.
  • Mixer capacity, core assembly and storage constraints need separate checks. Catalog dry-cycle times may exclude gassing, injection or venting.

Current U.S. benchmarks

  • The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 381.162 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 23.4% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
  • The U.S. has 3,569 primary metal manufacturing establishments employing about 354,911 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

  • Can I use the catalog cycle time? Only if it includes every production step. Some core-shooter specifications exclude gassing, injection and venting.
  • Should unused cavities count? No. Enter only cavities actually producing cores in each cycle.
  • Does the result include core assembly? No. Compare the resulting core supply with assembly capacity and cores required per casting.
  • How should broken cores be counted? Exclude cores needing repair or replacement from the first-pass accepted sample.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06.