Welding & Fabrication worked example

Bend Deduction with outside-mold-line span of 3 in: a worked example

Suppose outside-mold-line span falls to 3 in. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Calculate developed flat length from outside-mold-line span by subtracting two outside setbacks and the bend allowance.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Outside-mold-line span (both legs): 3 in (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 6)
  • First outside setback: 0.09 in (held at the documented default)
  • Second outside setback: 0.09 in (held at the documented default)
  • Bend allowance to net out: 0.16 in (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Sum of bend deductions = first outside setback + second outside setback + bend allowance to net out.
  • Developed flat length works out to 2.68 in at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Sum of bend deductions works out to 0.33 value at these inputs.
  • Outside-mold-line span (both legs) works out to 3 value at these inputs.
  • Utilization works out to 89.17 % at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where outside-mold-line span sits at 6 in and the headline result is 5.68 in, this scenario comes in 52.86% below the baseline at 2.68 in.
  • It computes the developed flat length by subtracting two outside setbacks plus the bend allowance from the outside-mold-line span measured across both legs. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Developed flat length: 2.68 in (headline result)
  • Sum of bend deductions: 0.33 value
  • Outside-mold-line span (both legs): 3 value
  • Utilization: 89.17 %

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Bend Deduction calculator, set outside-mold-line span to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.