Refractories, Furnace Linings & Foundry Consumables worked example

Castable Volume at 61% placement transfer efficiency: a worked example

This worked example runs the castable volume numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 61% placement transfer efficiency instead of the typical 85%. Castable Volume tells a refractory installer how much monolithic castable to actually mix and place to line a given surface, once you account for material stuck in the mixer, lost at the pump, and dropped during placement.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Lining surface area to be cast: 500 units (held at the documented default)
  • Castable required per unit of area (installed thickness): 0.08 units (held at the documented default)
  • Placement transfer efficiency (net of mixer and pump loss): 61 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 85)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Required castable volume = covered amount × use per unit ÷ transfer efficiency.
  • Required quantity works out to 65.57 gal at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Theoretical amount works out to 40 gal at these inputs.
  • Loss allowance works out to 25.57 gal at these inputs.
  • Efficiency works out to 61 % at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where placement transfer efficiency sits at 85% and the headline result is 47.06 gal, this scenario comes in 39.34% above the baseline at 65.57 gal.
  • Use it when ordering or batching castable, gunning mix, or plastic refractory for a lining, patch, or precast shape before a pour. 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

  • Required quantity: 65.57 gal (headline result)
  • Theoretical amount: 40 gal
  • Loss allowance: 25.57 gal
  • Efficiency: 61 %

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.