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Foundry Charge Makeup and Cost Worksheet

Charge makeup sets the cost and the starting chemistry of every melt. This worksheet lets you try returns, pig iron, scrap and additions and see cost per kg and carbon content before you load the furnace.

Download:

Charge material	Type	Weight (kg)	Cost per kg	Extended cost	Carbon content (percent)	Carbon added
				$432		86.4
				$864		50.4
				$680		4
				$66		58.8
				$91		0.055

Total charge weight

5,715

Total charge cost

$2,133

Total carbon

199.655

Charge cost per kg

Charge carbon, percent of weight

3.4935

Charge carbon is before melting losses and pickup. Real carbon in the bath depends on practice, so use this to compare mixes, then confirm with a spectrometer sample. Costs per kg are examples.

Compare planned and actual charge cost

Optional: a short review of how material consumption could be compared with plan from ERP data.

Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.

How to use this worksheet

Replace the sample rows with the materials you actually stock. Enter weight and cost per kg for each, and the carbon percent. The sheet totals weight and cost, then shows cost per kg and the carbon content of the mix. Change the proportion of returns against purchased material to see how the cost moves. Export to Excel to keep a library of standard charges per alloy.

The method

Cost per kg is total extended cost divided by total weight. Carbon contribution is the sum of weight times carbon percent for each material, divided by total weight. This is a simple weighted average. It ignores melt loss, oxidation of silicon and manganese, and carbon pickup or burn off, so treat it as a planning figure and confirm with the furnace sample.

Returns and cost

Returns from gates, risers and scrapped castings are the cheapest metal in the building, but a high share can accumulate trace elements and gas. Many foundries limit returns in critical grades such as ductile iron. Compare a high returns mix to a high pig iron mix on cost and on risk to nodularity and chemistry control.

Common mistakes

Do not forget to include ferroalloys and carburizer, which add cost out of proportion to weight. Do not use stale prices. Do not compare charges at the same cost per kg without comparing yield, since a cheap charge with high loss may cost more per good casting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this account for melt loss?

No. It shows the charge as loaded. Apply your melt loss percentage separately, or use it to compare the relative cost of mixes before applying the same loss to each.

Can I use it for aluminum or steel?

The cost math works for any alloy. The carbon column is aimed at iron and steel. For other metals, relabel the column to a key element or ignore it.

What carbon values should I use?

Use the certificate value for pig iron and carburizer, and your typical analysis for returns. The sample numbers are illustrative only.

How do I store standard charges?

Export to Excel and keep one sheet per alloy and furnace, updating prices monthly.

If material costs and lots live in an ERP, Netray can help compare planned charges against actual consumption privately on your servers.

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