Foundry & Forging worked example

Melt Loss Calculator at 110% share of loss treated as unrecoverable: a worked example

This scenario runs the melt loss calculator calculation on the strong side: 110% share of loss treated as unrecoverable, with every other input held at its documented default. Use it when quoting castings, reviewing heat performance, or deciding whether melt practice, furnace lining, charge mix, or ladle handling is costing too much metal.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Metal lost per melt cycle: 380 lb (unchanged)
  • Charge metal price per pound: 1.85 $ / lb (unchanged)
  • Share of loss treated as unrecoverable: 110 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 100)
  • Fixed furnace and flux handling cost: 120 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total melt loss calculator = melt loss weight × metal cost per weight unit × recoverable loss included + fixed melt handling cost) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 893 $ for total melt loss calculator, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2.35 $ / piece for melt loss cost per weight unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 773 $ for variable melt loss calculator.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 120 $ for fixed melt handling cost.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where share of loss treated as unrecoverable sits at 100% and the headline result is 823 $, this scenario comes in 8.54% above the baseline at 893 $.
  • Use it when costing a melt practice, comparing alloys or chargers, or building a per-pound surcharge into a casting quote. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Total melt loss calculator: 893 $ (headline result)
  • Melt loss cost per weight unit: 2.35 $ / piece
  • Variable melt loss calculator: 773 $
  • Fixed melt handling cost: 120 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Melt Loss Calculator calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.