Metals, Steel, Aluminum & Coil Processing worked example

Annealing Load at 98% furnace utilization target: a worked example

Push furnace utilization target up to 98% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when scheduling batch or bell anneal furnaces and you need to know whether the queue fits the available furnace capacity.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Coils to anneal: 40 coils (unchanged)
  • Furnace base capacity: 48 coils (unchanged)
  • Furnace utilization target: 98 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 85)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Required anneal load = coils to anneal รท utilization target) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,920 coils for total load, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 19.59 coils / hr for hourly equivalent.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 40 coils for input load.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 48 x for load factor.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where furnace utilization target sits at 85% and the headline result is 1,920 coils, this scenario lands almost exactly on the baseline at 1,920 coils.
  • It computes the required anneal load by dividing coils to process by the utilization target, then compares that to furnace capacity to expose any gap. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Total load: 1,920 coils (headline result)
  • Hourly equivalent: 19.59 coils / hr
  • Input load: 40 coils
  • Load factor: 48 x

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.