Coatings
Paint consumption and coverage calculator
Enter the area, the specified dry film thickness, the product's volume solids and a loss factor. The calculator returns the wet film to apply, the spreading rates, and the litres and gallons per coat and in total.
Wet film thickness to apply
125µm
Theoretical spreading rate
8.00m²/L
Practical spreading rate
5.60m²/L
Per coat
44.6L
Total for 2 coats
89.3L
Total in US gallons
23.6gal
Advisory result. Provisional until a qualified inspector or engineer verifies it against the governing code edition.
How it works
- 01Wet film thickness: DFT divided by volume solids. A 75 µm DFT at 60 percent solids needs 125 µm wet.
- 02Theoretical spreading rate: volume solids x 10 / DFT in µm, in square metres per litre.
- 03Practical spreading rate: theoretical x (1 - loss factor). Losses cover overspray, profile, edges and container residue.
- 04Litres per coat: area / practical rate; total = litres per coat x coats.
Formulas
WFT = DFT / VSm²/L = VS x 10 / DFT(µm)L = area / (rate x (1 - loss)) x coatsRead before you rely on it
- Volume solids and loss factors come from the product data sheet and the applicator's experience; 20 to 40 percent loss is typical for airless spray on steel.
- Thinning changes volume solids; recompute if the product is reduced.
- The area should already include fitting factors; use the surface area calculator to build it.
Answers
Questions about this calculator
How do I convert DFT to WFT?
Divide the dry film thickness by the volume solids fraction. At 50 percent solids, 100 µm dry needs 200 µm wet. The wet film comb is set to that number during application.
What loss factor should I use?
It depends on the method and the geometry. Brush and roller on flat plate may lose 10 percent; airless spray on pipe racks and lattice can lose 40 percent or more. Start with the applicator's history for the same work.
How is theoretical coverage calculated?
One litre at 100 percent solids covers 1 m² at 1000 µm, so coverage in m²/L is volume solids x 1000 / DFT in µm, or VS x 10 / DFT with VS in percent.
Does intelliSPEC compute this?
Yes. intelliPAINT carries mix ratio, solids, coverage and DFT calculators that feed quantity estimates and the coating record, using the same relationships.