Abrasive Blasting Calculator

Calculate media consumption, production rates, and costs for abrasive blasting surface preparation based on SSPC standards.

Inputs

Surface area (sq ft)

Prep standard (1-3)

Nozzle bore (inches)

Blast pressure (PSI)

Target profile (mils)

Media cost ($/lb)

Labor rate ($/hr)

Tab to move between fields

Results

Production rate (sq ft/hr)

150

Total cost ($)

$516.67

≈ 9 tanks of gas

Total blasting hours3.33

Total media (lbs)2,500

Media per sq ft (lbs)5

Air requirement (CFM)413

Media cost ($)$300.00

Labor cost ($)$216.67

Cost per sq ft ($)$1.03

Prep NameSP-10 Near-White

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Surface area (sq ft), Prep standard (1-3), and Nozzle bore (inches).
Set Blast pressure (PSI), Target profile (mils), and Media cost ($/lb).
Adjust Labor rate ($/hr) as needed.
Review Production rate (sq ft/hr) and Total cost ($) ($).
Use Total blasting hours and Total media (lbs) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Nozzle bore (inches)

Nozzle bore (inches)	Production rate (sq ft/hr)	Total cost ($)
0.3	96	$638.54
0.43	192.7	$468.69
0.58	352.7	$392.16
0.7	522.7	$362.18

What each input means

Surface area (sq ft): Total surface area to be blasted.
Prep standard (1-3): 1 = SP-6 Commercial, 2 = SP-10 Near-White, 3 = SP-5 White Metal.
Nozzle bore (inches): Blast nozzle bore diameter. Common: #4=0.25", #6=0.375", #8=0.5".
Blast pressure (PSI): Air pressure at the nozzle. Typical range: 80-110 PSI.
Target profile (mils): Required anchor profile depth in mils (thousandths of an inch).
Media cost ($/lb): Cost per pound of abrasive media. Steel grit ~$0.10-0.20, garnet ~$0.15-0.30.
Labor rate ($/hr): Fully burdened labor rate for blast operator.

What each result means

Production rate (sq ft/hr): Estimated blasting production rate.
Total blasting hours: Estimated time to complete the job.
Total media (lbs): Total abrasive media required.
Media per sq ft (lbs): Media consumption rate.
Air requirement (CFM): Minimum compressor CFM needed.
Media cost ($): Total cost of abrasive media.
Labor cost ($): Total labor cost for blasting.
Total cost ($): Combined media and labor cost.
Cost per sq ft ($): Unit cost for blasting.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Surface area (sq ft) = 500, Prep standard (1-3) = 2, Nozzle bore (inches) = 0.375, Blast pressure (PSI) = 100 = 7 input(s) provided
Calculate Production rate
Production rate = baseProdRate * nozzleFactor * pressureFactor * profileFactor
150 = 150
Calculate Total cost
Total cost = mediaCost + laborCost
516.67 = $516.67
Calculate Total blasting hours
Total blasting hours = surfaceAreaSqFt / max(1, adjustedProdRate)
3.33 = 3.33
Calculate Total media
Total media = surfaceAreaSqFt * mediaPerSqFt
2500 = 2500

Engine last updated July 26, 2026.

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