Auto paint calculator
How much paint, hardener and reducer to buy for single-stage or base coat and clear coat. Every default is editable, because your product's tech sheet always wins.
Mixed product needed
Quantities are rounded up to whole quarts. Coverage varies with color, gun setup and how many coats you lay down, so check your product's technical data sheet.
How the estimate works
The mixed amount is then split by the mix ratio into paint, hardener and reducer, and each is rounded up to whole quarts because that's how most paint is sold.
Where the defaults come from
The coverage defaults (about 125 sq ft per gallon for single-stage and 150 to 160 for base coat and clear coat) follow Eastwood's published paint coverage guidance, which also recommends buying 10 to 20% extra. The vehicle areas are rough estimates for the outer skin. Mix ratios vary a lot between products, so set them from your product's technical data sheet.
Base coat and clear coat
Base coat provides the color and usually goes on with enough coats to hide the primer. Clear coat provides gloss and protection. Metallics and pearls often need an extra base coat for even coverage, so consider raising the waste figure for those colors.
Coverage guidance: Eastwood, "Calculating How Much Paint You'll Need to Paint Your Vehicle".
Frequently asked questions
Why does the calculator ask for jambs and extras separately from the main painted area?
Door jambs, the underside of a hood or trunk, and other extras add real paintable surface area that's easy to forget when estimating from just the visible body panels, and skipping that allowance is a common reason painters run short mid-job.
Why should I always check my product's tech sheet over the calculator's defaults?
Coverage per gallon varies by brand, color, and mix ratio, and manufacturers publish that exact number on their own tech sheets — this calculator's defaults are reasonable planning estimates, but the product you're actually using is always the more accurate source.
Does base coat and clear coat use the same math as single-stage?
The same underlying area-and-coverage formula applies, just run separately for each product since base coat and clear coat have their own coverage rates and mix ratios — that's why the calculator handles single-stage and base/clear as distinct calculation paths.
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