Price any blast job: media cost, labor hours, and total bid. Built for blasters. Free, no account needed.
Updated July 2026
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Every sandblasting bid comes down to three numbers: how much media you need, how long the labor takes, and your markup. Here is the formula this calculator uses:
Consumption rates vary by media type and coating condition. Production rates vary by surface complexity and coating thickness. Adjust the inputs above to see how each variable affects your total bid.
| Media Type | Price/lb | lbs/sqft (medium) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crushed Glass | $0.25 | 7.0 | General purpose, paint removal |
| Coal Slag | $0.18 | 8.0 | Large surfaces, cost-sensitive jobs |
| Garnet | $0.40 | 2.5 | Precision work, marine, recoating |
| Aluminum Oxide | $0.25 | 2.0 | Hard coatings, reusable media |
| Glass Bead | $1.50 | 5.0 | Finishing, peening, delicate surfaces |
| Recycled Glass | $0.18 | 7.0 | Eco-friendly, general purpose |
| Walnut Shell | $0.50 | 1.5 | Soft substrates, wood, fiberglass |
| Plastic Media | $1.75 | 5.0 | Aerospace, auto body, composites |
| Steel Grit | $0.70 | 0.4 | Heavy mill scale, recyclable |
| Silicon Carbide | $4.00 | 1.0 | Hardest coatings, stone/granite |
Ranges below are based on $75/hr labor with 25% markup. Your actual cost depends on media choice, coating condition, and surface complexity.
| Job Type | Example Sqft | Media | $/sqft Range | Example Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 1,000 | Crushed Glass | $1.59 – $15.21 | $3,359 |
| Auto | 120 | Crushed Glass | $2.50 – $5.83 | $403 |
| Marine | 500 | Garnet | $3.83 – $4.88 | $1,917 |
| Commercial | 5,000 | Coal Slag | $2.58 – $6.09 | $12,906 |
| Industrial | 5,000 | Coal Slag | $4.78 – $6.78 | $23,917 |
These examples use $75/hr labor and 25% markup. Adjust the calculator above to match your rates.
Five things drive the price of a blast job: media type (garnet costs more per pound but uses fewer pounds than coal slag), coating condition (lead paint takes 3-4x more media than light rust), surface complexity (intricate steel slows production to a fraction of flat-panel speed), labor rate (typically $65-$100/hr loaded), and markup (most shops run 20-30%).
The cheapest jobs are flat surfaces with light coatings blasted with coal slag ($1.50-$2.50/sqft). The most expensive are intricate surfaces with lead paint requiring garnet or aluminum oxide and full containment ($6-$12+/sqft before disposal). Use the calculator above to plug in your specific numbers.
Media blasting and sandblasting are the same job priced the same way. "Media blasting" is just the broader term for blasting with any media instead of plain silica sand, which most shops stopped using years ago. This calculator already covers all ten common media: crushed glass, coal slag, garnet, aluminum oxide, glass bead, recycled glass, walnut shell, plastic media, steel grit, and silicon carbide.
So media blasting prices land in the same range as any blast job: roughly $2-$5 per square foot on average, from $1.50/sqft for flat surfaces with light coatings up to $6-$12+/sqft for intricate steel or lead paint. What moves the number is which media you run and how many pounds it eats, not the word you put on the invoice. Pick your media above and the calculator prices the job in real consumption rates.
Most blasters charge $1.50-$6 per square foot for residential work and $2-$10+ per square foot for industrial jobs with heavy coatings or lead paint. The rate depends on media type, coating condition, and surface complexity. The biggest cost drivers are media consumption rate and labor speed, both of which vary with coating thickness and surface difficulty.
Coal slag and recycled glass are the cheapest blast media at roughly $0.18 per pound. However, cheaper media often has higher consumption rates. Coal slag uses 5-17 lbs per square foot depending on coating condition, while garnet at $0.40/lb only uses 1.5-4.5 lbs/sqft. Total media cost depends on both price per pound and how many pounds you need.
Media consumption varies significantly by type and coating condition. Crushed glass uses 4-14 lbs/sqft (light to lead paint), garnet uses 1.5-4.5 lbs/sqft, and steel grit uses only 0.2-0.8 lbs/sqft because it is recyclable. Heavier coatings and lead paint always require more media per square foot.
Production speed depends on surface complexity and coating condition. Flat surfaces with light coatings blast at about 200 sqft/hr, while intricate surfaces with lead paint slow down to about 10 sqft/hr. A typical moderate-complexity job with medium coating runs around 80 sqft/hr. Use these rates to estimate labor hours for your job.
Crushed glass is the best general-purpose media for paint removal. Garnet is ideal for precision work, marine jobs, and recoating prep. Coal slag works well for large surfaces where cost matters. Glass bead is used for finishing, peening, and delicate surfaces. Walnut shell is safe for soft substrates like wood and fiberglass. Steel grit handles heavy mill scale and is recyclable.
A typical house exterior is about 1,000 sqft. Using crushed glass on medium coating at moderate complexity, expect roughly 7,000 lbs of media ($1,750), 12-13 hours of labor ($940 at $75/hr), plus travel and markup. A competitive bid usually lands between $3,000 and $4,500 depending on your rates and the condition of the paint.
A full car body is about 120 sqft. With crushed glass on medium coating, you need around 840 lbs of media ($210) and 1.5 hours of labor ($112 at $75/hr). With 25% markup the bid runs $400-$600 for a full strip. Partial panels or single fenders are $100-$200.
Across all job types and media, going rates average between $2 and $5 per square foot. Residential work with crushed glass runs $2-$4/sqft. Commercial and industrial jobs range $3-$6/sqft. Marine work with garnet runs $3-$5/sqft. Lead paint abatement is $5-$8+/sqft before disposal costs. The biggest variable is coating condition and how much media each square foot eats.
Media blasting costs the same as sandblasting because it is the same job: roughly $2-$5 per square foot on average, from about $1.50/sqft for flat surfaces with light coatings up to $6-$12+/sqft for intricate steel or lead paint. The price depends on which media you run and how many pounds it consumes, not on whether you call it sand or media blasting.
There is no real difference in price or method. Media blasting is the broader, more accurate term: it covers blasting with any media (crushed glass, garnet, coal slag, glass bead, walnut shell, steel grit, and more), while sandblasting technically means using silica sand, which most shops no longer use because of silica health risks. The cost math is identical, so this calculator prices both.
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