All guesstimates
EasyPhysical Estimation reported at BCG
Estimate the amount of paint required to paint a car
Scope it first — questions to ask
- · Exterior only, or interior and underbody too? — Chosen: exterior body panels only, as in a factory paint job.
- · What kind of car? — Chosen: a standard mid-size sedan (roughly 4.5m long).
- · Paint actually applied on the car, or total consumed including spray wastage? — Chosen: paint applied across all coats; wastage noted as an add-on.
Assumptions on the table
- · A mid-size sedan approximates a box of 4.5m (L) × 1.8m (W) × 1.5m (H) — standard sedan dimensions.
- · About 40% of the box surface is not painted — windows, windshield, lights, grille, wheels, plus the box over-states curved panels.
- · A full paint job needs 3 coats: primer, colour/base, and clear coat — standard OEM paint-shop process.
- · 1 litre of paint covers roughly 10 m² per coat — typical spread rate quoted on paint cans (8–12 m²/L).
The worked solution
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