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Wet and Dry Film Thickness Formulae

Wet and Dry Film Thickness Formulae

Sharan Cooper |

As a professional painter wet and dry film thickness calculations may not be be most interesting part of the job....they are however absolutely crucial to paint remaining on the substrate in the manner it was intended!

To understand a little more about wet and dry film thickness view our training video.

Calculating Wet and Dry Film Thickness Ratios

Easily convert and calculate the wet and dry film thickness and coverage of coatings applied to a substrate.  Usually the percentage of solids by volume in a coating will be known.  Please check the instructions for use of the coating or the 'Material Safety Data Sheet' (MSDS).

Below are the formulations regarding the wet film and dry film with the volume solids.

Wet Film Thickness = Dry Film Thickness/Volume Solids*

Example: What is the wet film thickness, if you want to achieve 100 microns' dry film   and the volume solids are 62%, for Ultrimax 1 Compliant? . 

Answer - 100/0.62 = 161 microns Wet Film Thickness

Dry Film Thickness = Wet Film Thickness x Volume solids*

Example: What is the dry film thickness, if you want 162 microns' wet film for Ultrimax 1 Compliant? .

Answer - 161 x 0.62 = 100 microns Dry Film Thickness  

Volume Solids* = Dry Film Thickness/Wet Film Thickness

Example: What are the volume solids for Ultrimax 1 Compliant, if the wet film thickness is 161 microns and the dry film thickness is 100 microns? .

Answer - 100/161 = 0.62 Volume Solids *Volume solids should be expressed as a decimal less than 1.  E.g. 62% = 0.62

Need More Help With Wet Film Thickness?

If you can’t find a fix for the issue you’re experiencing or you need more advice, drop us a line and we’ll get your paint job on track.