How do you calculate the cost of a thermal spray coated part?

Multiply the number of parts by the coating cost per part, apply your deposit-efficiency factor, then add fixed setup. With 100 parts at $45, an 80% factor, plus $250 setup, the batch is $3,850, or $38.50 per piece.

Why include deposit efficiency in coating cost?

Because a large fraction of sprayed powder becomes overspray and never bonds. The 80% factor in the example weights the $45 rate down to a $3,600 captured value before the $250 fixed cost is added.

What is a good deposit efficiency for HVOF or plasma spray?

Deposit efficiency varies widely by process and material, but HVOF carbides commonly land in the 45-70% range and plasma often lower; the field here is a cost-weighting input, so set it to reflect your measured captured value.

How much of coated part cost is fixed setup?

In the example, $250 of the $3,850 total is fixed setup for masking, fixturing, and gun prep. Spread across 100 parts that is $2.50 per piece, which shrinks as batch size grows.

Coated part cost vs. quote price - what is the difference?

This tool gives your internal cost floor. A quote price adds margin, scrap allowance, and overhead on top. Never quote at the $38.50 per-piece cost without a markup.

How do I lower per-part coating cost?

Raise deposit efficiency (better gun standoff and traverse), batch more parts to dilute the $250 setup, or reduce consumable rate through powder yield improvements.

Thermal Spray, Hardfacing & Wear Coatings calculator

Coated Part Cost Calculator

Coated Part Cost tells a thermal spray shop what it truly costs to apply a wear-resistant coating to a batch of parts, blending variable coating cost per part, a deposit-efficiency factor, and the fixed setup burden of masking and fixturing. Estimators, job-shop owners, and process engineers use it to quote hardfacing and HVOF work without underpricing the powder and gas that never make it onto the substrate. Because tungsten carbide and cobalt powders are expensive and overspray is real, folding deposit efficiency into the number is what separates a profitable quote from a loss. It converts a messy pile of consumable, gas, and labor costs into one defensible per-part figure.

What this calculator does

Coated Part Cost tells a thermal spray shop what it truly costs to apply a wear-resistant coating to a batch of parts, blending variable coating cost per part, a deposit-efficiency factor, and the fixed setup burden of masking and fixturing.
Use it when coated part cost in thermal spray, hardfacing and wear coatings is being put through a thermal spray, hardfacing and wear coatings weighted-cost review.
It computes total batch coating cost as parts x per-part rate x deposit efficiency plus fixed setup, then divides by batch size for a per-part cost.

Formula used

Coated Part Cost cost = quantity × rate × capture factor + fixed cost
Per-unit coated part cost = total cost ÷ quantity

Inputs explained

Parts coated in the batch:
Coating cost per part (consumables + labor + gas):
Deposit efficiency (usable coating vs. sprayed):
Fixed batch setup cost (masking, fixturing, gun prep):

How to use the result

Use it when quoting a coating job or reviewing whether an existing HVOF, plasma, or arc-spray line is priced to cover powder waste and setup.
The efficiency factor here scales cost rather than modeling true material loss versus labor separately, so treat it as a blended weighting, not a physics-grade deposit-efficiency model.

Current U.S. benchmarks

Industrial electricity averages 8.66 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA, Apr 2026), up 5.5% from a year earlier. Energy-intensive steps carry this directly into unit cost.
The producer price index for industrial chemicals stands at 344.336 (BLS, May 2026), up 16.1% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
The U.S. has 14,543 chemical manufacturing establishments employing about 911,245 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate the cost of a thermal spray coated part? Multiply the number of parts by the coating cost per part, apply your deposit-efficiency factor, then add fixed setup. With 100 parts at $45, an 80% factor, plus $250 setup, the batch is $3,850, or $38.50 per piece.
Why include deposit efficiency in coating cost? Because a large fraction of sprayed powder becomes overspray and never bonds. The 80% factor in the example weights the $45 rate down to a $3,600 captured value before the $250 fixed cost is added.
What is a good deposit efficiency for HVOF or plasma spray? Deposit efficiency varies widely by process and material, but HVOF carbides commonly land in the 45-70% range and plasma often lower; the field here is a cost-weighting input, so set it to reflect your measured captured value.
How much of coated part cost is fixed setup? In the example, $250 of the $3,850 total is fixed setup for masking, fixturing, and gun prep. Spread across 100 parts that is $2.50 per piece, which shrinks as batch size grows.
Coated part cost vs. quote price - what is the difference? This tool gives your internal cost floor. A quote price adds margin, scrap allowance, and overhead on top. Never quote at the $38.50 per-piece cost without a markup.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.