Data Sheet Coverage Is the Window-Sticker MPG

The Wet Edge, No. 009. Short field notes for coating crews.

Every estimator has had the job where the gallons ran out before the steel did. Usually the math wasn't wrong. It just stopped one step short.

Here's the step everyone knows. A gallon of liquid spread 1 mil thick covers about 1,604 sq ft. Multiply that by volume solids to get dry coverage, then divide by your DFT. Tnemec's Series 66 epoxy is 56% solids, so that's about 898 sq ft per gallon at 1 mil dry, or about 225 at 4 mils.

Here's the step that gets skipped. That 225 is like the MPG on a window sticker: no overspray, no wind, no profile to fill, no paint left in the hose. Real coverage runs lower, sometimes a lot lower, depending on spray versus roller, open air versus inside a tank, and how rough the surface is. Blast profile and block walls soak up material that never shows on a DFT gauge.

Why it matters: short material means a second delivery, a crew standing around, or coats pushed thin to stretch the last kit.

The practical move: start with the theoretical number, then apply a loss factor from your own jobs for that application method and exposure. Write the factor on the takeoff, so the next person knows where the number came from. Our Coating Takeoff Calculator does this math for you.

Bottom line

Theoretical coverage assumes zero loss. Start with 1,604 × volume solids ÷ DFT, then apply a loss factor from your own jobs, and write it down.

Further reading: Tnemec Series 66 Hi-Build Epoxoline; ACC Coating Takeoff Calculator.

Talk to a consultant. Questions on a job? Atlantic Coating Consultants supports contractors in PA, NJ, DE, MD, DC, WV and OH with product recommendations, field support and crew training. Call 484-644-5303 or email atlantic@tnemec.com.