Foundry & Forging worked example

Furnace Charge Calculator at 11% charge handling allowance: a worked example

This worked example runs the furnace charge calculator numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 11% charge handling allowance instead of the typical 15%. Estimate time needed to prepare and charge a furnace for a heat.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Charge buckets or batches required: 8 batches (held at the documented default)
  • Charge loading rate: 2 batches / hr (held at the documented default)
  • Charge handling allowance: 11 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 15)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Base furnace charge calculator = charge weight or buckets required รท charge loading completion rate.
  • Required furnace charge time works out to 4.44 hr at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Base furnace charge calculator works out to 4 hr at these inputs.
  • Charge handling allowance works out to 11 % at these inputs.
  • Charge loading completion rate works out to 2 pieces / min at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where charge handling allowance sits at 15% and the headline result is 4.6 hr, this scenario comes in 3.48% below the baseline at 4.44 hr.
  • Use it when sequencing heats on a melt deck so charging starts early enough for melt-down to finish before the pouring line demands metal. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Required furnace charge time: 4.44 hr (headline result)
  • Base furnace charge calculator: 4 hr
  • Charge handling allowance: 11 %
  • Charge loading completion rate: 2 pieces / min

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Furnace Charge Calculator calculator, set charge handling allowance to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.