Industrial Cleaning, Washing & Parts Cleanliness worked example

Solvent Usage with solvent use rate of 0.9 gal / hr: a worked example in industrial cleaning, washing & parts cleanliness

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop solvent use rate to 0.9 gal / hr, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate solvent consumption and run cost for vapor degreasing, solvent cleaning, or solvent rinse operations.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Solvent use rate: 0.9 gal / hr (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 1.8)
  • Solvent cleaning runtime: 10 hr (held at the documented default)
  • Solvent purchase cost: 28 $ / gal (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Solvent consumed = solvent use rate × solvent cleaning runtime.
  • Solvent consumed works out to 9 gal at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Solvent run cost works out to 252 $ at these inputs.
  • Solvent cleaning runtime works out to 10 hr at these inputs.
  • Solvent purchase cost works out to 28 $ / gal at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where solvent use rate sits at 1.8 gal / hr and the headline result is 18 gal, this scenario comes in 50% below the baseline at 9 gal.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to solvent use rate, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It assumes a steady use rate and ignores solvent recovery, distillation reclaim, drag-out losses, and evaporation that varies with bath temperature and lid discipline.

Results at a glance

  • Solvent consumed: 9 gal (headline result)
  • Solvent run cost: 252 $
  • Solvent cleaning runtime: 10 hr
  • Solvent purchase cost: 28 $ / gal

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Solvent Usage calculator, set solvent use rate to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.