How do you calculate infiltrant material usage?

Multiply the number of parts by infiltrant mass per part, then divide by transfer efficiency. With 500 parts at 0.08 per part and 85% efficiency you need about 47.06 units versus a 40-unit theoretical fill.

Why divide by transfer efficiency instead of multiply?

You must load more than the part absorbs because some infiltrant stays as residue, erodes tooling, or bonds to the pad. Dividing 40 theoretical by 0.85 gives 47.06 required, so about 7.06 units are loss allowance.

What is a good copper infiltration transfer efficiency?

Practical efficiencies often run 80 to 90% depending on slug design, residue control, and whether you use wafer or ring infiltrant. The 85% here is a reasonable planning value; measure yours by weighing loaded versus infiltrated parts.

How much copper does a sintered part absorb?

It scales with interconnected porosity, roughly 15 to 25% by volume of the part. Convert that to a mass slug per part (0.08 units here) from your density target, then let efficiency inflate it to purchase quantity.

What causes infiltrant loss?

Residue left on the part surface, copper that alloys into the wrong zones, erosion of the powder, and infiltrant absorbed by ceramic setters or pads. Those combined losses are why 40 theoretical units become 47.06 required.

Single-pass vs two-part infiltration, does usage change?

Two-part (sacrificial slug) systems trade some material into the residue skeleton for cleaner parts, which can lower effective transfer efficiency. Enter whatever efficiency your chosen method actually delivers.

Powder Metallurgy & Sintered Parts calculator

Infiltration Material Usage Calculator

Infiltration material usage is the amount of copper (or other) infiltrant you must load to fill the interconnected porosity of iron-based sintered parts, accounting for the fraction that does not actually wick into the part. Materials planners and cost estimators in powder metal shops use it to buy the right infiltrant tonnage and to cost each part accurately. It matters because infiltrant is expensive and residue, erosion, and pad losses mean you always load more than the theoretical fill weight. This calculator converts a per-part slug mass and a transfer efficiency into the real quantity to purchase and stage.

What this calculator does

Infiltration material usage is the amount of copper (or other) infiltrant you must load to fill the interconnected porosity of iron-based sintered parts, accounting for the fraction that does not actually wick into the part.
Use it when infiltration material usage in powder metallurgy and sintered parts needs a buy quantity for the next powder metallurgy and sintered parts run and you do not want to short the line.
It multiplies part count by infiltrant mass per part and divides by transfer efficiency to give required material, then reports the loss above theoretical fill.

Formula used

Required infiltration material usage = covered amount × use per unit ÷ transfer efficiency
Loss allowance = required amount - theoretical amount

Inputs explained

Sintered parts to infiltrate:
Infiltrant slug mass per part:
Infiltration transfer efficiency:

How to use the result

Use it when purchasing infiltrant or costing an infiltrated part, once you know per-part fill mass and your historical transfer efficiency.
It assumes one efficiency figure and does not account for part-to-part porosity scatter, so wide density variation across a batch will spread real usage around this estimate.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 348.53 (BLS, May 2026), up 6.7% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
U.S. iron and steel imports ran $2.1B in May 2026 (Census International Trade). The U.S. ran a trade deficit of $0.4B in the category that month. Import volumes are the pressure gauge behind tariff and reshoring decisions.

Common questions

How do you calculate infiltrant material usage? Multiply the number of parts by infiltrant mass per part, then divide by transfer efficiency. With 500 parts at 0.08 per part and 85% efficiency you need about 47.06 units versus a 40-unit theoretical fill.
Why divide by transfer efficiency instead of multiply? You must load more than the part absorbs because some infiltrant stays as residue, erodes tooling, or bonds to the pad. Dividing 40 theoretical by 0.85 gives 47.06 required, so about 7.06 units are loss allowance.
What is a good copper infiltration transfer efficiency? Practical efficiencies often run 80 to 90% depending on slug design, residue control, and whether you use wafer or ring infiltrant. The 85% here is a reasonable planning value; measure yours by weighing loaded versus infiltrated parts.
How much copper does a sintered part absorb? It scales with interconnected porosity, roughly 15 to 25% by volume of the part. Convert that to a mass slug per part (0.08 units here) from your density target, then let efficiency inflate it to purchase quantity.
What causes infiltrant loss? Residue left on the part surface, copper that alloys into the wrong zones, erosion of the powder, and infiltrant absorbed by ceramic setters or pads. Those combined losses are why 40 theoretical units become 47.06 required.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.