Stone, Countertops & Engineered Surfaces worked example

Waterjet Consumable Cost at 98% high-pressure duty cycle: a worked example

Push high-pressure duty cycle up to 98% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. A CNC waterjet operator pricing abrasive and wear-part consumption for a stone-cutting run.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Waterjet cutting hours: 40 hr (unchanged)
  • Garnet and parts rate: 28 $/hr (unchanged)
  • High-pressure duty cycle: 98 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 85)
  • Nozzle rebuild cost: 180 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Waterjet consumable $ = cutting hours x garnet and parts rate x duty% + nozzle rebuild) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,278 $ for total waterjet consumable cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 31.94 $ / piece for waterjet consumable cost per unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,098 $ for variable waterjet consumable cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 180 $ for fixed waterjet consumable cost adder.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where high-pressure duty cycle sits at 85% and the headline result is 1,132 $, this scenario comes in 12.86% above the baseline at 1,278 $.
  • It computes total waterjet consumable cost, cost per cutting hour, and the split between variable garnet-and-parts spend and a fixed nozzle rebuild adder. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Total waterjet consumable cost: 1,278 $ (headline result)
  • Waterjet consumable cost per unit: 31.94 $ / piece
  • Variable waterjet consumable cost: 1,098 $
  • Fixed waterjet consumable cost adder: 180 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Waterjet Consumable Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.