Screen-printing emulsion calculator.
Estimate a coating batch using your measured wet emulsion consumption per square meter.
Your inputs
Planning estimate · based on your inputs
Enough emulsion. Less guesswork.
Enter actual coated dimensions, not the outside frame size. The usage rate must include your complete coating recipe on both sides. Do not multiply again by the number of coats. The default rate is an illustrative input.
See the calculation
Coated area (m²) = width × height ÷ 10,000 × number of screens. Emulsion (mL) = coated area × measured usage × (1 + allowance ÷ 100).
How do I find my usage rate?
Measure the wet volume consumed over several screens, including your usual coats on both sides. Divide this volume by the combined one-face coated area in square meters. Repeat when you change mesh or coating technique.
Better inputs.
Better estimates.
Keep a record of your actual job results. Replace these example values with measurements from your own shop.
Our calculation approach ↗Updated · Methods and example checks
How to calculate emulsion for a batch of screens
Multiply the coated area by a measured wet-emulsion usage rate for your entire coating recipe. In this tool, the area is measured on one face of the screen; the usage rate already includes every coat on both sides.
- Measure the width and height of the area actually coated, in centimeters.
- Enter the number of screens using the same coated dimensions.
- Enter wet emulsion usage in milliliters per square meter for the full coating recipe.
- Add a handling allowance only for losses not included in your measured rate.
Worked example: ten 40 × 50 cm coated areas
One coated area is 40 × 50 ÷ 10,000 = 0.20 m². Ten screens have a combined reference area of 2.00 m². At an illustrative usage rate of 120 mL/m², the base volume is 240 mL. Adding 10% gives 264 mL for the batch, or 26.4 mL per screen.
How to establish your own coating usage rate
Measure the wet volume consumed across a group of screens with a consistent mesh, coated area, coating sequence, and technique. Divide the consumed volume by the combined one-face reference area. For example, if five screens with a 0.20 m² coated area consume 150 mL for the complete recipe, your measured rate is 150 ÷ (5 × 0.20) = 150 mL/m².
Record what the consumption measurement includes. If it already includes normal handling loss, use a zero additional allowance for that loss. Keep exceptional spills separate from the normal coating rate so a single incident does not become your permanent baseline.
What this estimate does not determine
Coating volume does not establish exposure time, stencil performance, or a suitable mesh. Follow your emulsion supplier’s technical instructions and validate the actual screen. This is a batch-quantity estimate using your measurements, not a coating specification.
Emulsion questions
Do I enter the outside frame size?
No. Enter the width and height of the coated area. Using the frame dimensions can overstate the area and the estimated volume.
Should I multiply by coats on each side?
No additional multiplication is needed when the measured usage rate includes the full recipe. Entering a rate per coat into a full-recipe calculation will understate the total unless you first combine all coats.
What if my screens have different sizes?
Calculate each group of matching coated dimensions separately and add their volumes. Keep rates separate if their mesh or coating recipes differ. Use the mesh unit converter when comparing your records.
For unit conventions, NIST explains metric length, area, and volume relationships. The 10,000 factor here converts square centimeters to square meters.