How do you calculate regrind recovery value?

Multiply the recovered scrap quantity by the regrind resin value and your capture efficiency, then add the fixed grinding cost. With 100 units of scrap at $45/unit, 80% capture and $250 fixed cost, the result is $3,850 total, or $38.50 per unit.

What is a good regrind capture efficiency for thermoforming?

Well-run in-line granulation systems capture 90-98% of web skeleton and trim. The 80% used in the example reflects a setup with manual scrap handling or contamination losses; anything below 75% usually signals grinder maintenance or sortation problems.

Why is captured value shown separately from fixed cost?

The example splits out $3,600 of captured material value and $250 of fixed adjustment so you can see the raw resin recovery independent of the grinding overhead, which matters when the fixed cost is amortized across many runs.

How much regrind can I blend back into thermoforming sheet?

Typical blends run 15-35% regrind for non-critical parts, but repeated heat history reduces impact strength and clarity, so food-packaging and medical formers often cap it lower and rely on a fresh virgin skin layer.

Regrind recovery value vs virgin resin cost, which matters more?

Recovery value tells you what you save, virgin cost tells you the ceiling. If recovered value per unit approaches virgin sheet cost, in-house grinding is clearly economic; a wide gap means contamination or handling losses are eroding your return.

Does this include energy cost to run the granulator?

Only if you fold it into the fixed cost input. The $250 fixed adjustment is meant to absorb grinding energy, labor and blade wear so the per-unit figure reflects true net recovery.

Thermoforming & Vacuum Formed Products calculator

Regrind Recovery Value Calculator

In vacuum thermoforming, the web skeleton, edge trim and rejected parts can account for 20-50% of the sheet fed into the machine, and every pound of that material is either landfilled or ground back into usable regrind. The Regrind Recovery Value calculator translates your reclaimed scrap volume, its resin value, and how cleanly your grinder captures it into a real dollar figure. Process engineers, plant controllers and sustainability leads use it to justify grinder and blending investments and to price sheet buy-back deals. Because virgin PET, PETG, HIPS and PP prices swing weekly, knowing recovered value per run keeps regrind decisions grounded in current economics rather than assumptions.

What this calculator does

In vacuum thermoforming, the web skeleton, edge trim and rejected parts can account for 20-50% of the sheet fed into the machine, and every pound of that material is either landfilled or ground back into usable regrind.
Use it when regrind recovery value in thermoforming and vacuum formed products is being put through a thermoforming and vacuum formed products weighted-cost review.
It computes the total and per-unit dollar value reclaimed from thermoforming scrap after applying a capture-efficiency factor and a fixed processing cost.

Formula used

Regrind Recovery Value cost = quantity × rate × capture factor + fixed cost
Per-unit regrind recovery value = total cost ÷ quantity

Inputs explained

Scrap and trim weight recovered per run:
Regrind resin market value:
Clean-regrind capture efficiency:
Grinding and sortation fixed cost:

How to use the result

Use it when evaluating a granulator purchase, negotiating regrind blend ratios, or building the material cost side of a thermoformed-part quote.
It treats capture efficiency as a flat percentage and does not model quality degradation from repeated regrind cycles, which limits allowable blend ratios for optical or food-contact parts.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for plastic resins and materials stands at 319.371 (BLS, May 2026), up 19.5% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
The U.S. has 9,635 plastics product manufacturing establishments employing about 677,302 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate regrind recovery value? Multiply the recovered scrap quantity by the regrind resin value and your capture efficiency, then add the fixed grinding cost. With 100 units of scrap at $45/unit, 80% capture and $250 fixed cost, the result is $3,850 total, or $38.50 per unit.
What is a good regrind capture efficiency for thermoforming? Well-run in-line granulation systems capture 90-98% of web skeleton and trim. The 80% used in the example reflects a setup with manual scrap handling or contamination losses; anything below 75% usually signals grinder maintenance or sortation problems.
Why is captured value shown separately from fixed cost? The example splits out $3,600 of captured material value and $250 of fixed adjustment so you can see the raw resin recovery independent of the grinding overhead, which matters when the fixed cost is amortized across many runs.
How much regrind can I blend back into thermoforming sheet? Typical blends run 15-35% regrind for non-critical parts, but repeated heat history reduces impact strength and clarity, so food-packaging and medical formers often cap it lower and rely on a fresh virgin skin layer.
Regrind recovery value vs virgin resin cost, which matters more? Recovery value tells you what you save, virgin cost tells you the ceiling. If recovered value per unit approaches virgin sheet cost, in-house grinding is clearly economic; a wide gap means contamination or handling losses are eroding your return.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.