Pultrusion & Continuous Composite Profiles worked example
Scrap Length Cost at 58% unrecoverable-material fraction: a worked example
This worked example runs the scrap length cost numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 58% unrecoverable-material fraction instead of the typical 80%. Scrap length cost puts a dollar figure on the feet of pultruded profile that never ship — startup transients, off-color runs, out-of-tolerance sections, and the lead-in scrap around every die change.
The inputs for this scenario
- Scrap profile length: 100 ft (held at the documented default)
- Loaded cost per scrap foot: 45 $ / ft (held at the documented default)
- Unrecoverable-material fraction: 58 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 80)
- Fixed scrap handling cost: 250 $ (held at the documented default)
Working through the calculation
- The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Scrap Length Cost cost = quantity × rate × capture factor + fixed cost.
- Weighted cost works out to 2,860 ft at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
- Per piece value works out to 28.6 $ / piece at these inputs.
- Captured value works out to 2,610 $ at these inputs.
- Fixed adjustment works out to 250 $ at these inputs.
How this compares with the baseline
- Against the tool's baseline example, where unrecoverable-material fraction sits at 80% and the headline result is 3,850 ft, this scenario comes in 25.71% below the baseline at 2,860 ft.
- Use it when tallying the cost of a die change, a bad run, or a chronic startup-scrap problem, and when building a scrap-reduction business case. 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
- Weighted cost: 2,860 ft (headline result)
- Per piece value: 28.6 $ / piece
- Captured value: 2,610 $
- Fixed adjustment: 250 $
Run it with your numbers
- To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Scrap Length Cost calculator, set unrecoverable-material fraction to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.
Last reviewed 2026-05-12.