Finishing worked example

Film Thickness at 58% transfer efficiency: a worked example

Suppose transfer efficiency falls to 58%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimate expected dry film thickness from coated area, powder or coating applied per area, and transfer efficiency.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Coated surface area: 500 ft² (held at the documented default)
  • Target dry film build per square foot: 2 mils (held at the documented default)
  • Transfer efficiency: 58 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 80)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Coverage requirement = area × thickness ÷ efficiency.
  • Required quantity works out to 1,724 mils at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Theoretical amount works out to 1,000 mils at these inputs.
  • Loss allowance works out to 724 mils at these inputs.
  • Efficiency works out to 58 % at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where transfer efficiency sits at 80% and the headline result is 1,250 mils, this scenario comes in 37.93% above the baseline at 1,724 mils.
  • It converts a coated area and a target dry film build into the powder requirement, inflating the theoretical amount to cover transfer-efficiency losses. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Required quantity: 1,724 mils (headline result)
  • Theoretical amount: 1,000 mils
  • Loss allowance: 724 mils
  • Efficiency: 58 %

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.