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How Much Sealant Per Metre of Joint? Cartridge Yield Explained
Ordering the wrong quantity is one of the most common cost leaks in sealing work — and it is entirely avoidable. Whether you are pricing sealant cartridge yield per metre for a curtain wall package or working out how many packs a flooring contractor will burn through next month, the arithmetic is the same, and it takes about thirty seconds.
What actually decides how far a cartridge goes
A cartridge does not cover an area — it fills a volume. Three measurements decide the yield: joint width, joint depth, and total joint length. Change the depth and the yield changes even when the width stays identical. That is why no supplier can honestly quote “metres per cartridge” without first knowing your joint detail.
The formula, and a worked example
Consumption per metre is simply joint width multiplied by joint depth, as long as both are measured in millimetres:
Millilitres per metre = width (mm) × depth (mm)
So a 10 mm × 10 mm joint consumes 100 ml for every metre. Divide the pack volume by that number and you have the yield:
- 600 ml cartridge, 10 × 10 mm joint → 6.0 m per cartridge
- 600 ml cartridge, 10 × 6 mm joint → 10.0 m per cartridge
- 600 ml cartridge, 20 × 10 mm joint → 3.0 m per cartridge
- 590 ml sausage pack, 10 × 10 mm joint → 5.9 m per pack
- 300 ml cartridge, 10 × 10 mm joint → 3.0 m per cartridge
Run the same joint through different pack formats and the ranking rarely matches the price list. A larger pack is not automatically cheaper per metre once waste and gun changes are counted — but it usually is, and this is the calculation that proves it for your specific joint.
Why the width-to-depth rule matters more than the price
Sealant joints are not filled solid. The common field rule is a width-to-depth ratio of roughly 2:1, with a backer rod behind the sealant — a 20 mm wide joint is normally sealed to about 10 mm deep. Two reasons: a joint filled too deep cannot stretch with the building, and it wastes material. Hold the depth down and the yield goes up; get the ratio wrong and the joint fails long before the cartridge runs out.
Waste factors that never appear in the estimate
Three losses are routinely left out of yield calculations, and together they are worth more than the discount most buyers negotiate over:
- Tooling and clean-up — material squeezed out when the joint is struck and finished
- Cut-outs — joints that have to be removed and redone after a defect is found
- Cartridge heel — the last few millilitres no gun can push out of the pack
Plan on 10–15% above the theoretical figure. Rough substrates, absorbent masonry and cold weather all push it higher, because stiffer sealant is harder to tool into a clean joint.
What to send your supplier
To get a real consumption number rather than a range, give your supplier four figures: joint width, joint depth, total joint length, and the pack format you intend to use. With those four, any factory can return the yield per pack and the quantity you need in the same reply — and you can check their arithmetic against the formula above in seconds.
Send us your joint detail and total length, and we will come back with the consumption per pack, the quantity you need and the price for your market — including the 590 ml sausage pack and standard cartridge formats.
📧 info@sikenshop.com / 📱 WhatsApp: +8613780876997 / 🌐 sikenshop.com
Products for this application
Specification pages for the products referenced above:
