Work out blasting powder factor instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
Powder factor is explosive mass per unit of rock broken, usually kilograms per tonne. Typical values are 0.15-0.30 kg/t for soft rock and 0.4-0.8 kg/t for hard competent rock. It is the primary control on fragmentation, and under-charging shifts cost downstream into crushing and grinding energy.
Powder factor
PF (kg/t) = explosive mass / (rock volume x rock density)
Volume basis
PF (kg/m3) = explosive mass / rock volume
Explosives storage, transport and use are strictly regulated and must be carried out by licensed shotfirers under an approved blast design, with vibration and flyrock controls.
Not necessarily. Explosive energy is the cheapest way to break rock; skimping produces coarse muck that costs far more to crush and grind. Optimise total mine-to-mill cost, not blasting cost alone.
Fragmentation, muckpile diggability, wall damage, flyrock, ground vibration and airblast. Raising it to improve fragmentation must be balanced against vibration limits near sensitive structures.