Now more than ever, manufacturers are looking to cut costs to remain competitive, and keep the bottom line healthy. When it comes to aluminum coil, the challenge is that buyers are often limited to “stock” or “standard” gauge / thickness. In most cases, they over-spec without realizing it, using aluminum that is slightly thicker than needed. It’s waste hidden in plain sight. Thankfully, our precision rolling mills can provide ANY gauge required. This allows us to supply coil to a more exact thickness, which increases your aluminum coil yield.
To help calculate the gauge, we offer a calculator that’s free to use, and doesn’t require any personal information. Today, we’ll take a look at how it works, so you can quickly see how having us do the math can improve your yield.
For example, using a coil at 2.5” wide, alloy 1100, and a “standard” gauge of .063”, you could expect that coil to provide approximately 2,700 linear feet.
If the precise gauge your part needed was .0615” instead, then using United Aluminum Custom Rolled® Coil at .0615” provides 2765 linear feet. This yields 65 more feet for producing parts from the exact same weight!
To calculate this gain in footage, simply:
- Calculate the footage you would get for your gauge and width using our Aluminum Coil Calculator.
- Reduce the gauge to exactly what you need
- Note the difference in linear footage at the same weight
In this example the gauge of .063” was reduced by .0015” to .0615”so the yield gain can be calculated by dividing the footage gained (67) at the lighter gauge by the footage (2,700) of the “standard” gauge, so 67/2,700 = approx. 2.4%. Another method to estimate the yield gain would be to divide the gauge reduction (.0015) by the original gauge (.063) or .0015/.063 = approximately a 2.38% yield gain.
Here is a second example, using .020” “standard” gauge versus .0185”. A 500# order of 1100 alloy, 2.5” wide and .020” gauge provides 8,504 linear feet.
When the gauge is controlled more precisely at the required .0185”, the same weight coil yields 9,193 linear feet, an additional 689 linear feet. (689/8,503 means 8.1% yield gain).
If your item would benefit from an even lighter gauge, like .0182, then the linear feet is 842 more than using .020”. This results in an impressive ~9% increase in footage and yield.
Please contact United Aluminum to discuss how changing your ordered gauge to a more precise gauge can directly improve your yield in raw material and help you start MAKING MONEY from your coil stock!
