Industrial Packaging Materials Manufacturing worked example

Lamination Adhesive Usage at 68% application transfer efficiency: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop application transfer efficiency to 68%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Calculate required adhesive quantity for a lamination run based on web area, target coat weight, and application transfer efficiency so you can size purchase orders accurately.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Total web area to laminate: 30,000 sq meters (held at the documented default)
  • Target adhesive coat weight: 2.5 GSM (held at the documented default)
  • Application transfer efficiency: 68 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 94)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Theoretical adhesive usage = total web area x target coat weight (converted to kg).
  • Required adhesive quantity (kg) works out to 110,294 units at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Theoretical adhesive usage (kg) works out to 75,000 units at these inputs.
  • Transfer loss allowance (kg) works out to 35,294 units at these inputs.
  • Application transfer efficiency works out to 68 % at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where application transfer efficiency sits at 94% and the headline result is 79,787 units, this scenario comes in 38.24% above the baseline at 110,294 units.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to application transfer efficiency, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. Transfer efficiency is an average for a clean, well-set gravure or smooth-roll coater; worn anilox cells, viscosity drift, or substrate porosity can move real losses well outside the entered figure.

Results at a glance

  • Required adhesive quantity (kg): 110,294 units (headline result)
  • Theoretical adhesive usage (kg): 75,000 units
  • Transfer loss allowance (kg): 35,294 units
  • Application transfer efficiency: 68 %

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Lamination Adhesive Usage calculator, set application transfer efficiency to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.