How do you calculate melt loss rate?

Divide the metal lost by the total charge and multiply by 100. With 8 lost out of 250 charged, the melt loss rate is 3.2%.

What is a good melt loss percentage?

It varies by alloy and furnace — clean aluminum remelt may run 1-3%, while oxidized or finely divided scrap can lose 5-10% or more. The 3.2% in the example is respectable for typical remelt.

What does the gap to target mean here?

It is the melt loss rate minus the target value you entered. With a 95 target and a 3.2% rate, the calculator reports a 91.8-point gap — a large number because the target was set as a recovery figure, not a loss figure.

Should I enter target as recovery or as loss?

Enter it on the same basis you want to compare. If you track loss, set a loss target like 3%; if you enter a recovery target like 95, the gap reflects the difference from that recovery number, not from a loss ceiling.

Why does fine or oxidized scrap lose more metal?

More surface area means more oxidation and dross, so turnings, borings and rusty scrap carry higher melt loss than clean heavy ingot. Charge practice and fluxing can recover several points.

How does melt loss affect what I should pay for scrap?

If 3.2% never becomes good metal, your effective cost per good ton is higher by that amount. Build the expected melt loss into the buy price so the remelt economics still work.

Metal Recycling, Scrap Processing & Salvage calculator

Melt loss estimate Calculator

Melt Loss Estimate calculates what fraction of the metal charged into a furnace is lost to oxidation, slag, dross and spill rather than ending up as good poured metal. Foundry and remelt operators at recycling and salvage operations track it because every point of melt loss is paid-for scrap that vanishes up the stack or into the slag pot. It drives charge sizing, alloy recovery economics and the decision to invest in fluxing or atmosphere control. Compared against a recovery target, the metric tells you immediately whether a heat performed and where the yield is leaking.

What this calculator does

Estimate melt loss estimate for metal recycling, scrap processing and salvage using production-ready inputs so teams can track KPI performance and decide whether corrective action is needed.
Use it when melt loss estimate in metal recycling, scrap processing and salvage needs a clean rate and gap-to-target you can put on a tier board.
It expresses lost metal as a percentage of the total furnace charge, then reports the gap between that rate and your target rate.

Formula used

Melt loss estimate rate = melt loss estimate count ÷ total melt loss estimate population × 100
Melt loss estimate gap to target = melt loss estimate rate - target melt loss estimate rate

Inputs explained

Metal lost in melt (count):
Total charge into the furnace:
Target melt loss rate:

How to use the result

Use it to grade a heat, compare furnace or fluxing practices, or set the recovery yield you quote when buying scrap to remelt.
It treats the inputs as a simple count ratio; if 'loss' and 'charge' are measured on different bases (count vs weight, or including/excluding returns) the rate will mislead — keep both in the same units.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 348.53 (BLS, May 2026), up 6.7% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
U.S. iron and steel imports ran $2.1B in May 2026 (Census International Trade). The U.S. ran a trade deficit of $0.4B in the category that month. Import volumes are the pressure gauge behind tariff and reshoring decisions.

Common questions

How do you calculate melt loss rate? Divide the metal lost by the total charge and multiply by 100. With 8 lost out of 250 charged, the melt loss rate is 3.2%.
What is a good melt loss percentage? It varies by alloy and furnace — clean aluminum remelt may run 1-3%, while oxidized or finely divided scrap can lose 5-10% or more. The 3.2% in the example is respectable for typical remelt.
What does the gap to target mean here? It is the melt loss rate minus the target value you entered. With a 95 target and a 3.2% rate, the calculator reports a 91.8-point gap — a large number because the target was set as a recovery figure, not a loss figure.
Should I enter target as recovery or as loss? Enter it on the same basis you want to compare. If you track loss, set a loss target like 3%; if you enter a recovery target like 95, the gap reflects the difference from that recovery number, not from a loss ceiling.
Why does fine or oxidized scrap lose more metal? More surface area means more oxidation and dross, so turnings, borings and rusty scrap carry higher melt loss than clean heavy ingot. Charge practice and fluxing can recover several points.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.