Finishing worked example

Paint and Coating Cost Per Part at 75% transfer efficiency: a worked example

Push transfer efficiency up to 75% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use when paint, primer, clearcoat, or specialty coating is a meaningful part of product cost.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Coated surface area per part: 4.5 ft² (unchanged)
  • Theoretical coating coverage: 500 ft² / gal (unchanged)
  • Coating price: 92 $ / gal (unchanged)
  • Transfer efficiency: 75 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 65)
  • Coats applied: 1 coats (unchanged)
  • Mixing, purge, and touch-up waste: 8 % (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Effective coverage = theoretical coverage × transfer efficiency) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1.19 $ / part for coating cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.01 gal for gallons per part.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 375 ft² / gal for effective coverage.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,192 $ for cost per 1,000 parts.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where transfer efficiency sits at 65% and the headline result is 1.38 $ / part, this scenario comes in 13.33% below the baseline at 1.19 $ / part.
  • It computes the material-only coating cost to apply a given number of coats to one part, after derating theoretical coverage for transfer efficiency and adding a waste allowance. 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

  • Coating cost: 1.19 $ / part (headline result)
  • Gallons per part: 0.01 gal
  • Effective coverage: 375 ft² / gal
  • Cost per 1,000 parts: 1,192 $

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.