Know Your Material Costs
Yield Check Calculations for Spray Foam Insulation Jobs
Business margins aren’t forgiving. That’s a lesson Richard Foster learned long before he got into the spray foam insulation business.
“I spent most of my career doing cell phone tower construction,” says Foster. “It’s a pretty tight business. Margins are very low. You’re lucky to get 10 percent.”
That background is why the project manager gets into “the nerd stuff” as he sets expectations on jobs for Fox Insulation and Red Rock Building Products.
Knowing Real Job Costs and Profit
Accurate yield check calculations show whether material usage matches what was bid.
“It’s about knowing your business,” says Foster. “If you take your expenses down. You’re going to make more money. It’s pretty simple.”
Foster and Josh Feitl of Red Rock Building Products talk through some practical ways spray foam contractors can check material yield and stay on track.
During Spray Foam Tech Day with ICAFe PCR, Richard Foster of Fox Insulation and Josh Feitl from Red Rock Building Products discuss material cost calculations with a room full of spray foam insulation contractors.
Make Your Yield Number Your Number
Foster and Feitl agree that yield numbers only matter if they’re measured consistently. One mistake many contractors make is believing someone else’s yield. Different measurement methods, safety factors, barrel shapes, and foam depth can all warp the numbers.
“Use the same method the whole time,” advises Foster. “Your number is your number.”
That consistency is what lets contractors compare jobs, foam systems, and crews without fooling themselves.
In-Field Yield Checks Matter
Manufacturer yields and quoted yields don’t always match what’s happening in the building.
“That’s why I do in-field yield checks,” says Feitl, who points out how easily advertised yields get inflated.
“They might have quoted it and done that yield calculation at six inches in the roof, but some of the roof might be four inches or three inches,” he explains.
Depth varies. The numbers need to reflect reality, not best-case assumptions.
How to Run a Basic Yield Check Calculation
To start a basic yield check, contractors need to answer two questions:
- How many gallons are in the barrel?
- How many gallons will you spray?
Some manufacturers provide extremely detailed specs. Others don’t.
Feitl adds an important reminder: barrel weights are not static.
He says, “Weights have been changing in the B side. You want to pay attention to that.”
Once you know how much foam you’re spraying or have sprayed, the math is straightforward.
(calculated board feet ÷ gallons used) × gallons per set = set yield
“You divide the gallons used by the size of the job with board feet,” explains Foster. That’ll tell you your board feet per gallon.”
Free Download: BDFT Calculator
To simplify the process, Foster set up yield check calculations in a Google Sheet:
Contractors can download the spreadsheet so that they can plug in (and save) their own data.
Different Variables, Same Approach
Different barrels, drum shapes, and materials all affect yield numbers.
That’s why Foster repeats, “Just do the same thing every time, and it doesn’t matter. Your number is always your number.”
Once you know it, you can price work accurately, spot material waste, and protect your margins long before a job goes sideways.
SprayFoam Expo Las Vegas
Richard Foster and Josh Feitl are among the spray foam professionals you can talk shop with at booth 625 during SprayFoam Expo, March 24–25, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
