Crafts calculators

Resin Calculator

Updated Sep 22, 2026 By Infinity Calculator
Rate Formulas
Shape & Pour Setup
Project Shape
Application Type
Coating uses a thin surface layer. Casting fills a mold to a set depth.
Mix Ratio (by volume)
Sets the Part A / Part B weight split used in the "Mix by Weight" results. Always verify the mix ratio on your specific product's label — ratios vary by manufacturer.
Dimensions
Unit System
Sets the unit on every dimension field below. Each field can still be changed individually.
Enter a length greater than 0.
Enter a width greater than 0.
Standard flood coat is 0.125 in (3.175 mm) per coat.
Enter a thickness greater than 0.
Multiplies the total volume. Minimum 1.
Enter 1 or more coats.
Waste Buffer & Cost
Adds extra material to account for mixing cup residue, spillage, or measuring error.
Buffer must be between 0 and 50.
Leave blank or 0 to hide the cost estimate.
Price cannot be negative.


Introduction

This resin calculator tells you how much epoxy resin you need for your project. Enter your shape and size, and it gives you the answer in fluid ounces, milliliters, liters, gallons, and cubic inches.

It works for rectangles, circles, triangles, and ovals. You can pick a thin coating (like a flood coat on a table top) or a deep casting pour (like a mold or river table). Add the number of coats and a small waste buffer for what sticks to the mixing cup.

The calculator also splits your total into Part A (resin) and Part B (hardener). You get the split by volume using ratios like 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, or your own custom ratio. You also get the split by weight in grams and ounces, which is handy if you mix on a scale.

On top of that, it suggests a kit size to buy and can estimate your cost if you enter a price per fluid ounce. A step-by-step solution shows the math, so you can check the numbers yourself. Always double-check the mix ratio printed on your own resin label, since it changes from brand to brand.

How to use our Resin Calculator

Enter your project shape, size, pour depth, and mix ratio, and the resin calculator tells you how much epoxy resin you need in cubic inches, fluid ounces, milliliters, liters, and gallons, plus the Part A and Part B split, a kit size to buy, and the cost.

Project Shape: Pick the shape of your piece: rectangle/square, circle/round, triangle, or oval. This sets which size boxes show up.

Application Type: Choose Coating for a thin top layer, or Casting to fill a mold to a set depth.

Mix Ratio: Pick 1:1, 2:1, or 3:1. Choose Custom to type your own Part A and Part B numbers, like 100 and 44. Check your bottle label first.

Resin Formulation: Pick your resin type from the list. This sets the weight split used in the "Mix by Weight" results.

Unit System: Choose Imperial (inches) or Metric (centimeters). You can still change the unit on any single box.

Length and Width: For a rectangle or square, type the two side measurements of your surface.

Diameter: For a round project, type the full width across the middle. The tool cuts it in half to get the radius.

Base and Triangle Height: For a triangle, type the bottom edge and the straight-up height of the face.

Oval Width and Oval Height: For an oval, type the long way across and the short way across.

Depth / Thickness: For casting, type how deep the mold gets filled.

Coating Thickness: For coating, type how thick one layer will be. A normal flood coat is 0.125 in (3.175 mm).

Number of Coats / Pours: Type how many layers you plan to pour. The total volume is multiplied by this number.

Waste Buffer (%): Add extra resin for drips, spills, and what sticks in the cup. 5% is a safe start.

Price per fl oz (USD): Type what you pay per fluid ounce to see a cost estimate. Leave it blank or 0 to hide the cost.

Custom Density (g/cm³): Most epoxy is about 1.1 g/cm³. Change it only if your product lists a different number. This changes the gram and ounce weights.

Calculate and Reset: Click Calculate Resin Amount to see your results, charts, and step-by-step math. Click Reset to start over with the sample numbers.

What Is a Resin Calculator?

Epoxy resin comes in two parts: Part A (resin) and Part B (hardener). You mix them, pour them, and they cure into a hard, glossy solid. The hard part is guessing how much to mix. Too little and your pour comes up short. Too much and you waste costly resin. A resin calculator takes the size of your piece and returns how many fluid ounces, milliliters, or gallons of mixed resin you need.

How Resin Amounts Are Figured Out

The math is simple at its core: area × depth = volume. First you find the surface area of your project, which changes with the shape:

  • Rectangle or square: length × width
  • Circle: π × radius² (radius is half the diameter)
  • Triangle: ½ × base × height
  • Oval: π × (width ÷ 2) × (height ÷ 2)

Then you multiply that area by how thick the resin layer will be, and again by the number of coats. That gives cubic inches, which converts to fluid ounces (1 in³ ≈ 0.554 fl oz) and milliliters (1 fl oz ≈ 29.57 mL).

Coating vs. Casting

Coating means a thin, flat layer poured over a top surface, like a table, a bar top, or a wood cutting board. A normal flood coat is about 1/8 inch (3.175 mm) thick. Casting means filling a mold or a deep cavity, like a river table, a paperweight, or a resin block. Casting uses much more resin because the depth is much greater.

This matters for more than money. Casting resin is made to cure slowly in deep pours so it does not overheat. Coating resin cures fast and can crack, yellow, or smoke if you pour it too deep. Always check the max pour depth on your bottle.

Mix Ratios: Volume and Weight

Every resin brand has its own mix ratio. Common ones are 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 by volume. Some brands list the ratio by weight instead, such as 100:44. These are not the same thing, because resin and hardener have different densities. Mixing by weight needs a digital scale; mixing by volume needs marked cups. Either way, follow the exact ratio printed on your label. Guessing or "eyeballing" leads to soft, sticky, or cloudy resin that never fully hardens.

Why You Should Add a Waste Buffer

Some resin always gets left behind. It clings to the sides of your mixing cup, sticks to the stir stick, drips over the edge of the piece, or gets scraped off. Adding a 5% to 10% buffer covers that loss. For big or tricky pours, go closer to 10%. Running out mid-pour is much worse than having a little extra, since epoxy starts to set as soon as it is mixed and you cannot pause to mix a fresh batch.

Quick Tips for Better Pours

  • Work at room temperature, around 70 to 75°F (21 to 24°C). Cold resin traps bubbles and cures slowly.
  • Mix for a full 3 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the cup.
  • Pour into a second clean cup and stir again for the best cure.
  • Level your table first. Resin flows to the low side.
  • Tape the underside edges of coating projects to catch drips.
  • Pop bubbles with a heat gun or torch, moving fast and staying a few inches away.
  • Wear gloves and work in a room with fresh air.

Buying the Right Kit Size

Resin kits usually sell in 8 oz, 16 oz, 32 oz, 64 oz, and 1-gallon sizes. That total is the combined volume of Part A and Part B together, so a 32 oz kit gives you 32 oz of mixed resin. Pick the smallest kit that still covers your total plus buffer. Buying a bigger kit often costs less per ounce, but opened resin has a shelf life of about 6 to 12 months, so only size up if you have more projects planned.


Formulas used

Surface area by shape
A = \begin{cases} L \times W & \text{rectangle} \\ \pi \left(\dfrac{D}{2}\right)^2 & \text{circle} \\ \dfrac{1}{2} b h & \text{triangle} \\ \pi \dfrac{W_o}{2} \cdot \dfrac{H_o}{2} & \text{oval} \end{cases}
Raw volume (area × depth × coats)
V_{raw} = A \times d \times n_{coats}
Total volume with waste buffer
V_{total} = V_{raw} \times \left(1 + \frac{B}{100}\right)
Volume unit conversions
V_{floz} = V_{total} \times 0.55411, \quad V_{mL} = V_{floz} \times 29.5735, \quad V_{L} = \frac{V_{mL}}{1000}, \quad V_{gal} = \frac{V_{floz}}{128}
Part A and Part B by volume
A_{vol} = V_{floz} \times \frac{r_A}{r_A + r_B}, \qquad B_{vol} = V_{floz} \times \frac{r_B}{r_A + r_B}
Total mix weight and component weights
m = V_{total} \times 16.387064 \times \rho, \qquad m_A = m \times \frac{p_A}{100}, \qquad m_B = m \times \frac{p_B}{100}
Estimated material cost
C = P_{floz} \times V_{floz}
Cumulative volume per coat
V_{i} = A \times d \times \left(1 + \frac{B}{100}\right) \times i

Frequently asked questions

How much epoxy do I need per square foot for a 1/8 inch coat?

About 10 fluid ounces (295 mL) per square foot.

Here is the math: 1 square foot is 144 in². Multiply by 0.125 in thick and you get 18 in³. That equals 9.97 fl oz of mixed resin.

So a 2 ft × 4 ft table top (8 sq ft) needs roughly 80 fl oz, plus a small buffer for waste.

How much area does a gallon of epoxy resin cover?

A gallon is 128 fl oz of mixed resin. Coverage depends on how thick you pour:

  • 1/8 inch (flood coat): about 12.8 sq ft
  • 1/16 inch (seal coat): about 25 sq ft
  • 1/4 inch: about 6.4 sq ft

Double the thickness and you cut the coverage in half.

How thick can you pour epoxy resin in one layer?

It depends on the type:

  • Table top / coating epoxy: 1/8 inch (3 mm) per layer
  • Deep pour / casting epoxy: 1 to 2 inches per layer, some up to 4 inches

Pour coating epoxy too deep and it heats up fast. That can make it crack, yellow, smoke, or even melt your mold. Always check the max pour depth on the bottle.

Why is my epoxy resin still sticky or soft after curing?

The most common causes:

  • Wrong ratio. Even a small error leaves resin soft forever.
  • Under-mixing. Stir a full 3 minutes and scrape the sides and bottom of the cup.
  • Too cold. Below about 70°F epoxy cures slowly or not at all.
  • Mixed by weight when the label says volume. Those numbers are not the same.

Sticky resin will not fix itself. Scrape it off and pour again.

What happens if you add too much hardener to epoxy?

It does not cure harder or faster in a good way. Extra hardener leaves parts of the mix with nothing to bond to. You get resin that stays soft, bendy, or tacky, and it often turns yellow or cloudy.

Too much resin and not enough hardener gives the same soft result. Measure both parts carefully every time.

How long does epoxy resin take to cure?

Typical timing for table top epoxy at 75°F:

  • Dust free: 4 to 8 hours
  • Safe to touch: 12 to 24 hours
  • Light use: 24 to 48 hours
  • Full hardness: 3 to 7 days

Deep pour epoxy takes longer, often 36 to 72 hours before you can sand it. Cold rooms slow everything down.

Does epoxy resin shrink when it cures?

Only a little. Most epoxy shrinks about 1% to 2% or less by volume. You will not notice it on a thin coat.

On deep pours you may see a slight dip in the middle or a small gap pulling away from the mold wall. Adding a 5% to 10% waste buffer covers this, and a thin top coat hides any dip.

How much does a gallon of epoxy resin weigh?

About 9 pounds (4.1 kg) per gallon of mixed resin.

Epoxy density is roughly 1.1 g/cm³, so it is a bit heavier than water. That works out to about 1.15 oz of weight per fluid ounce of volume. This matters if you ship pieces or hang a resin panel on a wall.

Why does my resin get hot and smoke in the cup?

That is exotherm. Epoxy makes its own heat while it cures, and a deep pile of resin traps that heat instead of letting it escape.

To stop it:

  • Mix smaller batches, not one giant cup
  • Pour it out right after mixing instead of letting it sit
  • Use a wide, shallow cup instead of a tall narrow one
  • Use deep pour epoxy for anything over 1/8 inch thick

A smoking cup can reach over 300°F. Set it outside on concrete and leave it alone.

How do you measure how much resin a weird shaped mold holds?

Use the water trick. Fill the mold with water right to the fill line, then pour that water into a measuring cup. That number is your volume in fluid ounces or milliliters.

Mixed resin fills the same space, so you need the same volume. Dry the mold completely before you pour, since water ruins the cure. Then add 5% to 10% extra for waste.

Do you have to sand between coats of epoxy?

Only if you miss the recoat window. Most brands let you pour a second coat within 24 hours and it bonds on its own.

If the first coat is fully hard, scuff it with 220 grit sandpaper, wipe off the dust with denatured alcohol, and let it dry. Without that scuff, the new layer can peel later.

Does epoxy resin go bad or expire?

Yes. Unopened kits last about 1 year. Once opened, use them within 6 to 12 months.

Hardener is the first to go. It turns yellow or amber as it reacts with air, and old hardener can cure cloudy or soft. Keep bottles tightly capped, stored indoors, and away from cold and sunlight.

How much epoxy do I need for a river table?

Measure the open gap between the two wood slabs, not the whole table. Multiply length × average width × depth of the channel.

Example: a 72 in long gap that averages 8 in wide and 2 in deep is 1,152 in³. That is about 638 fl oz, or 5 gallons.

Wood edges are never straight, so measure the width in a few spots and average them. Add 10% buffer for a pour this big.

Why does my epoxy have so many bubbles?

Cold resin is thick and traps air. Fast or whipping stirs also beat air into the mix.

Fixes that work:

  • Warm the bottles in a bucket of warm water for 10 minutes before mixing
  • Stir slowly and steadily, not fast
  • Seal bare wood with a thin coat first, so trapped air cannot escape into your flood coat
  • Pass a heat gun or torch a few inches above the surface right after pouring

Does epoxy resin turn yellow over time?

Most of it does. Sunlight and UV light break down epoxy and give it a yellow tint, often within a year near a window.

Look for resin labeled UV resistant or with HALS and UV blockers added. Keep finished pieces out of direct sun, or add a UV-resistant clear top coat. White and clear pieces show yellowing the most.