Printing, Labels & Industrial Converting worked example

Adhesive Cost at 63% coating transfer efficiency: a worked example

This worked example runs the adhesive cost numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 63% coating transfer efficiency instead of the typical 88%. Estimate the adhesive spend on a converting run from coat weight, resin price, and transfer efficiency.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Adhesive applied to web: 320 lb (held at the documented default)
  • Adhesive price: 4.85 $ / lb (held at the documented default)
  • Coating transfer efficiency: 63 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 88)
  • Mix and prime setup charge: 180 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Adhesive cost = adhesive applied × adhesive price × coating transfer efficiency + mix and prime setup.
  • Total adhesive cost works out to 1,158 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Adhesive cost per unit works out to 3.62 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Variable adhesive cost works out to 978 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed adhesive cost adder works out to 180 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where coating transfer efficiency sits at 88% and the headline result is 1,546 $, this scenario comes in 25.1% below the baseline at 1,158 $.
  • Use it when quoting an adhesive coating pass, evaluating a new adhesive supplier, or auditing why coat-weight jobs run over budget. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Total adhesive cost: 1,158 $ (headline result)
  • Adhesive cost per unit: 3.62 $ / piece
  • Variable adhesive cost: 978 $
  • Fixed adhesive cost adder: 180 $

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.