Industrial Packaging Materials Manufacturing worked example

Scrap Reclaim Value at 86% recoverable percentage: a worked example in industrial packaging materials manufacturing

What does the result look like when recoverable percentage reaches 86%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use this when evaluating whether to install an in-line regrind system, negotiating scrap buyback pricing with a recycler, or quantifying the cost offset from reclaiming film trim and edge scrap.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Scrap weight generated: 2,500 lbs (unchanged)
  • Scrap resale value per pound: 0.18 $ / lb (unchanged)
  • Recoverable percentage: 86 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 75)
  • Fixed processing cost: 85 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Gross reclaim value = scrap weight x scrap value per pound x (recoverable percentage / 100)) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 472 $ for net scrap reclaim value, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.19 $ / piece for value per pound of scrap.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 387 $ for gross reclaim value.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 85 $ for processing cost offset.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where recoverable percentage sits at 75% and the headline result is 423 $, this scenario comes in 11.72% above the baseline at 472 $.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when recoverable percentage is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It uses a single fixed processing cost; if your handling cost actually scales with volume, the per-batch economics will differ and you should model variable cost separately.

Results at a glance

  • Net scrap reclaim value: 472 $ (headline result)
  • Value per pound of scrap: 0.19 $ / piece
  • Gross reclaim value: 387 $
  • Processing cost offset: 85 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Scrap Reclaim Value calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.