Display Case Design Calculator
Calculate vitrine dimensions, glass area, silica gel buffering, and cost from artifact size and conservation requirements.
Inputs
Results
Case width (in)
20
Estimated total case cost ($)
$1,308.00
≈ 10 pairs of sneakers
Case depth (in)20
Case height (in)26
Internal volume (cu ft)6.02
Glass area (sq ft)17.22
Glass cost ($)$603.00
Silica gel needed (lbs)7.5
Target air exchange rate (/day)0.1
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter Artifact width (inches), Artifact depth (inches), and Artifact height (inches).
- Set Side clearance (inches), Top clearance (inches), and Glass type.
- Review Case width (in) and Estimated total case cost ($) ($).
- Use Case depth (in) and Case height (in) to inform your decision.
How the result changes with Artifact width (inches)
| Artifact width (inches) | Case width (in) | Estimated total case cost ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | 21 | $1,354.00 |
| 43 | 51 | $2,712.00 |
| 78 | 86 | $4,297.00 |
| 108 | 116 | $5,655.00 |
What each input means
- Artifact width (inches)
- Width of the artifact to be displayed.
- Artifact depth (inches)
- Depth (front to back) of the artifact.
- Artifact height (inches)
- Height of the artifact.
- Side clearance (inches)
- Minimum clearance between the artifact and case walls on each side.
- Top clearance (inches)
- Clearance above the artifact to the case top.
- Glass type
- 1 = Standard float (~$15/sq ft); 2 = Low-iron (~$35/sq ft); 3 = Museum anti-reflective (~$85/sq ft).
What each result means
- Case width (in)
- Overall case width including clearances.
- Case depth (in)
- Overall case depth including clearances.
- Case height (in)
- Overall case height including clearance and base platform.
- Internal volume (cu ft)
- Interior volume of the display case.
- Glass area (sq ft)
- Total glass panel area (4 sides + top).
- Glass cost ($)
- Estimated cost for the glass panels.
- Silica gel needed (lbs)
- Conditioned silica gel for ±5% RH buffering inside the case.
- Target air exchange rate (/day)
- Recommended air exchanges per day for the selected glass/seal quality.
- Estimated total case cost ($)
- Approximate cost including glass, fabrication, and hardware.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersArtifact width (inches) = 12, Artifact depth (inches) = 12, Artifact height (inches) = 18, Side clearance (inches) = 4 = 6 input(s) provided
- Calculate Case widthCase width = artifactWidthIn + 2 * clearanceSideIn20 = 20
- Calculate Estimated total case costEstimated total case cost = glassCost + fabricationCost1308 = $1,308
- Calculate Case depthCase depth = artifactDepthIn + 2 * clearanceSideIn20 = 20
- Calculate Case heightCase height = artifactHeightIn + clearanceTopIn + 226 = 26
Engine last updated .
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