What Is Transfer Efficiency and Why It Matters for Wood Finishing
The single metric that determines whether your coating process makes money or wastes it.
Understanding Transfer Efficiency
Transfer efficiency is the percentage of coating material that actually ends up on the workpiece, compared to the total amount applied. If you spray 100ml of primer but only 40ml reaches the timber, your transfer efficiency is 40% — and 60% is wasted as overspray.
This wasted material doesn't just cost money in raw materials. It requires extraction, filtration, and disposal — each adding cost and environmental impact. Over a production year, the difference between 40% and 95% transfer efficiency can represent tens of thousands of pounds in coating costs alone.
Transfer Efficiency by Method
HVLP and airless spray systems
Charged-particle spray systems
Immersion-based vacuum technology
Impact Beyond Material Cost
Direct Savings
Less primer purchased per board metre. A 50% reduction in waste means half the coating budget — on the same volume of finished product.
Environmental Compliance
Less overspray means less VOC emission, less filter waste, and simpler extraction requirements. Increasingly important as environmental regulations tighten.
Calculate Your Coating Savings
Tell us your current volumes and coating method — we'll show you the transfer efficiency difference.
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