Shuttering Oil Quantity Calculator

Work out shuttering oil quantity instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Shuttering Oil Quantity Calculator

Release agent is applied fresh before every pour, so consumption is formwork area divided by coverage, multiplied by the number of pours the panels will be used for. Coverage of 15-25 square metres per litre is typical for a chemical release agent on plywood or steel faces.

Formula

Consumption

Litres = formwork area / coverage per litre x number of pours

Worked example

With the default values below, Shuttering Oil Quantity Calculator returns Release agent required of 125.00. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Formwork area per pourminimum 0.1 m²: 500 m²
Coverage per litreminimum 1 m²/L: 20 m²/L
Number of poursminimum 1: 5

Results

Release agent required: 125.00 L
Litres per pour: 25.00 L
Total area treated: 2,500 m²
Application rate: 0.0500 L/m²

Step by step

1Values used
2Consumption
3Release agent required= 125.00 L
4Litres per pour= 25.00 L
5Total area treated= 2,500 m²
6Application rate= 0.0500 L/m²

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 4 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is the Shuttering Oil Quantity figure worked out?

Litres = formwork area / coverage per litre x number of pours. Release agent is applied fresh before every pour, so consumption is formwork area divided by coverage, multiplied by the number of pours the panels will be used for.

Does over-applying cause problems?

Yes. Excess release agent pools at the base of vertical forms and causes dusting, staining and retarded surfaces on the finished concrete.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 3 inputs: Formwork area per pour, Coverage per litre, Number of pours. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic worked example — replace them with your own site or project figures.