Finishing worked example

Wet Film Thickness with target dry film thickness of 5 mils: a worked example

This scenario runs the wet film thickness calculation on the strong side: target dry film thickness of 5 mils, with every other input held at its documented default. Use before spraying liquid paint, primer, or sealer when the specification is written as dry film thickness.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Target dry film thickness: 5 mils (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 2)
  • Wet film conversion factor: 2.08 x (unchanged)
  • Target wet film thickness: 4.2 mils (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Calculated wet film = dry film target × conversion factor) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 10.4 wet mils for adjusted value, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 6.2 value for gap to target.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5 value for measured value.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2.08 x for correction factor.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where target dry film thickness sits at 2 mils and the headline result is 4.16 wet mils, this scenario comes in 150% above the baseline at 10.4 wet mils.
  • Use it before spraying to set the wet mil reading you should get on a comb gauge to land the correct cured DFT. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Adjusted value: 10.4 wet mils (headline result)
  • Gap to target: 6.2 value
  • Measured value: 5 value
  • Correction factor: 2.08 x

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.