Enter the material needed and the waste factor percentage into the calculator to determine the total material required, including waste.
Waste Factor Formula
The following formula is used to calculate the total material required including waste.
TM = MN * (1 + WF / 100)
Variables:
- TM is the total material required (units)
- MN is the material needed for the project (units)
- WF is the waste factor (percentage)
To calculate the total material required, including waste, multiply the material needed by one plus the waste factor percentage divided by 100.
What is a Waste Factor?
A waste factor is a percentage that accounts for potential material waste during construction or manufacturing processes. It is used to estimate the total amount of material that needs to be purchased to ensure that there is enough material to complete a project, even if some is wasted. The waste factor can vary depending on the type of material, the complexity of the project, and the experience level of the workers.
How to Calculate Total Material with Waste Factor?
The following steps outline how to calculate the total material required, including waste.
- First, determine the material needed for the project (MN) in units.
- Next, determine the waste factor (WF) as a percentage of the material needed.
- Next, gather the formula from above = TM = MN * (1 + WF / 100).
- Finally, calculate the total material required (TM) in units.
- After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.
Example Problem :
Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.
material needed for the project (MN) = 100 units
waste factor (WF) = 10%
