Thermal Spray, Hardfacing & Wear Coatings calculator

Deposition Efficiency Calculator

Measure how much fed material remains as coating on the intended part. Enter the matching feed, deposit and spray-time measurements plus your retention target.

What this calculator does

  • Measure how much fed material remains as coating on the intended part.

Formula used

  • Efficiency = 100 × Deposited kilograms ÷ Fed kilograms
  • Nondeposit mass = Fed kilograms − Deposited kilograms
  • Deposition rate = 60 × Deposited kilograms ÷ Spray minutes
  • Efficiency margin = Measured efficiency − Target efficiency

Inputs explained

  • Deposited Coating Mass: Dry mass gain on intended surfaces, corrected for substrate change.
  • Feedstock Delivered: Feedstock mass delivered during the same measured run.
  • Feed-On Spray Time: Logged time with material actually feeding to the gun.
  • Target Deposition Efficiency: Required material retention for this qualified part and process.

How to use the result

  • Best suited to coupon efficiency trials, feedstock loss reviews.
  • Oxidation or decarburization can invalidate a simple weigh-back mass balance.

Current U.S. benchmarks

  • Industrial electricity averages 9.77 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA, Jul 2026), up 4.7% from a year earlier. Energy-intensive steps carry this directly into unit cost.
  • The producer price index for industrial chemicals stands at 336.006 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 13.3% 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

  • Is deposition efficiency the same as feed rate? No. Efficiency is the retained mass fraction; feed rate is material delivered per unit time.
  • Should masking deposits count as retained coating? No. Count only coating on the intended part surfaces; masking deposits belong in the nondeposit balance.
  • Why can a weigh-back result exceed the feed mass? Oxidation, moisture, weighing errors or mismatched intervals can distort the balance. Correct the measurement basis before using this model.
  • Does higher efficiency prove a better coating? No. Inspect thickness, adhesion and other specified coating properties separately.

Last reviewed 2026-10-12.