Electrostatic Spray Calculator

Calculate electrostatic spray coating coverage, transfer efficiency savings, and cost comparison vs conventional spray.

Inputs

Surface area (sq ft)

Target DFT (mils)

Volume solids (%)

Transfer efficiency (%)

Charging voltage (kV)

Paint cost ($/gal)

Labor rate ($/hr)

Spray rate (sq ft/hr)

Tab to move between fields

Results

Actual coverage (sq ft/gal)

330.8

Paint required (gal)

3.02

Total cost ($)

$319.36

≈ 6 tanks of gas

Theoretical coverage (sq ft/gal)441.1

Required WFT (mils)3.64

Paint wasted (gal)0.76

Paint cost ($)$136.02

Labor cost ($)$183.33

Cost per sq ft ($)$0.32

Savings vs conventional ($)$155.46

Wrap Factor5

Faraday Cage RiskNo

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Surface area (sq ft), Target DFT (mils), and Volume solids (%).
Set Transfer efficiency (%), Charging voltage (kV), and Paint cost ($/gal).
Adjust Labor rate ($/hr), Spray rate (sq ft/hr) as needed.
Review Actual coverage (sq ft/gal), Paint required (gal), and Total cost ($) ($).
Use Theoretical coverage (sq ft/gal) and Required WFT (mils) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Target DFT (mils)

Target DFT (mils)	Actual coverage (sq ft/gal)	Paint required (gal)	Total cost ($)
5.09	130	7.69	$529.51
18	36.8	27.2	$1,407.55
33	33.1	30.23	$1,543.57
45	33.1	30.23	$1,543.57

What each input means

Surface area (sq ft): Total surface area to be coated.
Target DFT (mils): Desired dry film thickness in mils.
Volume solids (%): Volume solids percentage of the coating.
Transfer efficiency (%): Electrostatic transfer efficiency. Typical: 65-85%.
Charging voltage (kV): Electrostatic charging voltage in kilovolts.
Paint cost ($/gal): Paint cost per gallon.
Labor rate ($/hr): Labor cost per hour.
Spray rate (sq ft/hr): Application rate in square feet per hour.

What each result means

Theoretical coverage (sq ft/gal): Coverage at 100% transfer efficiency.
Actual coverage (sq ft/gal): Coverage at specified transfer efficiency.
Required WFT (mils): Wet film thickness needed to achieve target DFT.
Paint required (gal): Total paint needed including overspray.
Paint wasted (gal): Overspray waste volume.
Paint cost ($): Total paint material cost.
Labor cost ($): Total labor cost.
Total cost ($): Combined paint and labor cost.
Cost per sq ft ($): Unit cost per square foot coated.
Savings vs conventional ($): Paint cost savings compared to conventional air spray at 35% TE.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Surface area (sq ft) = 1000, Target DFT (mils) = 2, Volume solids (%) = 55, Transfer efficiency (%) = 75 = 8 input(s) provided
Calculate Actual coverage
Actual coverage = theoreticalCoverageSqFtGal * (transferEfficiencyPct / 100)
330.8 = 330.8
Calculate Paint required
Paint required = surfaceAreaSqFt / max(1, actualCoverageSqFtGal)
3.02 = 3.02
Calculate Total cost
Total cost = paintCost + laborCost
319.36 = $319.36
Calculate Theoretical coverage
Theoretical coverage = (1604 * volumeSolidsPct) / (100 * targetDftMils)
441.1 = 441.1
Calculate Required WFT
Required WFT = targetDftMils / (volumeSolidsPct / 100)
3.64 = 3.64

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