Finishing worked example

Paint Booth Operating Cost with parts finished per shift of 250 parts: a worked example

What does the result look like when parts finished per shift reaches 250 parts? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use this calculator for practical powder coating or surface finishing planning, quoting, troubleshooting, or line setup.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Parts finished per shift: 250 parts (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 100)
  • Booth cost per part: 2.5 $ / part (unchanged)
  • Filter change and cleanup labor: 150 $ (unchanged)
  • Makeup air and facility overhead: 75 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total cost = quantity × unit cost + labor/downtime + overhead) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 850 $ / shift for total cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 3.4 $ / piece for cost per piece.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 625 $ for variable cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 225 $ for fixed adders.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where parts finished per shift sits at 100 parts and the headline result is 475 $ / shift, this scenario comes in 78.95% above the baseline at 850 $ / shift.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when parts finished per shift is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It treats overhead as a flat per-shift figure; if your makeup-air heating cost swings with outside temperature or gas prices, the per-part number will drift seasonally.

Results at a glance

  • Total cost: 850 $ / shift (headline result)
  • Cost per piece: 3.4 $ / piece
  • Variable cost: 625 $
  • Fixed adders: 225 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Paint Booth Operating Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.