Coverage per Cartridge Calculator
Work out how far one cartridge or container goes — as metres of bead at a chosen diameter, or as area at a chosen spread thickness.
Bead you can run
A geometric best case — actual yield is a little lower from tooling waste, over-application, and absorbent substrates. Keep a spare cartridge on hand for a long run.
From volume to metres or square metres
A cartridge holds a fixed volume, and how far it goes depends entirely on how you lay it down. Run it as a bead and the volume divides by the bead’s cross-section to give a length — so a thinner bead reaches much further, because cross-section grows with the square of the diameter. Spread it as a film and the volume divides by the film thickness to give an area, so a thinner film covers more ground.
Knowing the number before you start saves a mid-job run to the shop and helps you decide bead size or film thickness to make a container reach. Just remember it’s the geometric best case — plan on a little less and keep a spare handy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many metres of bead does a cartridge give?
Divide the cartridge volume by the bead's cross-sectional area (π × radius²). A 310 mL cartridge run as a 6 mm bead gives about 11 metres; drop to a 3 mm bead and the same cartridge stretches roughly four times as far, because halving the diameter quarters the cross-section.
How do I get area instead of bead length?
Switch to spread mode and enter a film thickness. Area equals volume divided by thickness: 1,000 mL spread at 1 mm covers 1 m², and at 0.5 mm it covers 2 m². Thinner films cover more area but leave less adhesive in the bond.
How big is a standard cartridge?
Common sealant and adhesive cartridges are around 310 mL (sometimes quoted as 300 or 290 mL), sausage packs are often 400–600 mL, and dual cartridges range from tens of millilitres up. Enter whatever your container actually holds — the figure is printed on the tube or its data sheet.
Why is my real coverage lower than the estimate?
The calculator assumes a perfectly uniform bead or film with nothing wasted. In practice you lose adhesive to over-application, tooling and clean-up, the bit left in the nozzle and cartridge, and porous surfaces that soak some up. Treat the number as a best case and buy a spare for a long run.
Does bead diameter mean the nozzle size?
Roughly — the finished bead diameter is set by how far you cut back the nozzle tip and how fast you move, so it's close to the nozzle opening but not exact. If you want precise coverage, run a short test bead and measure its actual width, then use that.
Estimates for planning — not professional engineering advice; follow the product’s technical data sheet for coverage and recommended bead or film thickness.