Hydrogen Electrolyzer & Fuel Cell Manufacturing worked example

Catalyst Loading Cost at 65% catalyst utilization in coating: a worked example

Suppose catalyst utilization in coating falls to 65%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate platinum, iridium, or PtRu catalyst spend per stack from grams of precious-metal catalyst per stack, the metal price per gram, the catalyst utilization in coating, and a fixed ink prep or coater setup cost.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Catalyst metal per stack: 6 g of PGM (held at the documented default)
  • Catalyst metal price per gram: 32 $ / g (held at the documented default)
  • Catalyst utilization in coating: 65 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 90)
  • Fixed ink-prep or coater setup cost per stack: 600 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Variable catalyst cost per stack = catalyst metal per stack × metal price per gram × catalyst utilization.
  • Total catalyst cost per stack works out to 725 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Catalyst cost per gram of metal works out to 121 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Variable catalyst cost per stack works out to 125 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed ink-prep or coater setup cost works out to 600 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where catalyst utilization in coating sits at 90% and the headline result is 773 $, this scenario comes in 6.21% below the baseline at 725 $.
  • It computes total catalyst cost per stack and cost per gram of metal loaded, combining variable PGM cost with fixed ink-prep and coater setup. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Total catalyst cost per stack: 725 $ (headline result)
  • Catalyst cost per gram of metal: 121 $ / piece
  • Variable catalyst cost per stack: 125 $
  • Fixed ink-prep or coater setup cost: 600 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Catalyst Loading Cost calculator, set catalyst utilization in coating to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.