Easy Epoxy Calc

How much epoxy for a 5 ft river table?

Short answer

You need about 3.57 gallons of mixed epoxy for a 5 ft river table with a 60-inch river averaging 8 inches wide on 1.5-inch slabs — 3.25 gallons for the channel, poured 1/16 inch proud, plus a 10% waste allowance.

How to work it out

  1. 60 in × 8 in × (1-1/2 in + 1/16 in proud) = 750 cu in = 3.25 gal
  2. + 10% waste = 3.57 gal → 2 × 3 gal kits
  3. Lifts: 1-9/16 in ÷ 2 in per layer → 1 lift
  4. Batches: 3.57 gal ÷ 1.5 gal max → 3 → A 3.17 qt (7.62 lb) + B 1.59 qt (3.21 lb) each
  5. Mix ratio 2 : 1 by volume, SG A 1.15 / B 0.97 (typical, not published by the maker — type your data sheet’s SGs for exact weights) → Part A 2.38 gal (22.9 lb) + Part B 1.19 gal (9.64 lb)

Five feet (60 in) is a common length for a desk or a four-seat dining table. With the river averaging 8 in, the channel alone is 3.25 gallons before any waste — already more than a single 3-gallon kit holds — so this is the size where the kit arithmetic deserves a minute before you order.

Adjust for your project

in
in
Measure across the gap, not the whole table — the diagram just below the calculator shows where.
in
Your slab thickness at the thickest spot. About 1/16 in extra, so you can sand it flat, is added for you (“Pour proud” under More options). Many deep-pour resins also have a minimum depth — often 2 in.
in
On the label as “max pour depth”. Not bought yet? Leave 2 in — many deep-pour epoxies allow 1–2 in per layer.
Total of both bottles together. Most “1 gallon kits” are ½ gal resin + ½ gal hardener — enter 1. If the listing says 1 gal of EACH, enter 2.
More options: waste · proud · product …
%
Cup and bucket film, small leaks, the seal coat on the live edges. Use 15% for very open or punky wood.
in
Resin poured above the wood so the whole top can be sanded flat — 1/16 in is typical. Enter 0 if you already added it to the depth.
Fills in the mix ratio, weights and depth limits from the maker’s published data, and hides those fields. Always check the data sheet that comes with your batch.
in
From the label — e.g. MAS Deep Pour X 2 in, FlowCast 1/2 in
gal
Some labels lower the deepest layer for big pours, or cap the volume per layer. Enter that volume here; leave blank if your label doesn’t.
fl oz
Open knots and cracks that join the river fill up too. A rough guess is fine: a 1 × 1 × 3 in knot holds about 1.7 fl oz.
Only changes the Part A / Part B split — it’s printed on the kit. Tabletop and art resins are usually 1:1; deep pour often 2:1.
From the TDS, in g/ml. Leave blank for 1.15 (typical, not published by the maker).
From the TDS, in g/ml. Leave blank for 0.95 on 1:1 kits or 0.97 on other ratios (typical, not published by the maker).
gal
Resin + hardener mixed in one bucket. Leave blank to mix one whole kit at a time; enter less (1.5 gal or 6 L is easy with a drill paddle) to split each lift into batches you pour back to back.
From the label: when the next layer can go on (the recoat window) at room temperature. Leave blank to skip the pour schedule.
From the label: how long after the last pour before the table can come out of the form.
$
Optional — your kit price, for a cost estimate
Deep-pour epoxy to buy3.57 gal14.3 qt · 13.5 L
In short
Buy 2 × 3 gal deep-pour kits. Pour the river in one layer, mixed in three batches.
What the resin will weigh in the table (for the form and legs)
29.8 lb (13.5 kg)
Left over from the last kit
2.43 gal (9.71 qt · 9.19 L)
Mixing details: batches, Part A and Part B
Mixing details: batches, Part A and Part B
Part A (resin)Part B (hardener)
Each batch (3 in all)3.17 qt · 7.62 lb1.59 qt · 3.21 lb
Whole job2.38 gal · 22.9 lb1.19 gal · 9.64 lb
  • What to buy: 2 × 3 gal deep-pour epoxy kits. Each kit has both bottles (resin + hardener) — you don’t buy them separately.
  • Check the label’s minimum depth too. Many deep-pour resins list a minimum pour as well as a maximum — MAS Deep Pour X, for one, wants at least 2 in, and thinner pours cure slowly or stay soft. At 1-9/16 in, choose a resin whose range includes that depth, and type its minimum under Min depth per pour (More options) to check.
  • Mix 3 batches of about 1.19 gal and pour them back to back into the same layer, before they start to thicken. Some labels also cap the mass per pour — check yours.
  • Seal the live edges and any bark with a thin coat first — dry wood soaks up epoxy and releases bubbles into the pour.
  • About 2.43 gal will be left in the jugs. Kept sealed, it fills knots and cracks later, or makes a practice river board.

For this job · affiliate link
Deep pour epoxy, 3-gallon-plus kitYou need 3.57 gal — 2 × 3 gal kits. Bigger deep-pour kits are usually cheaper per gallon than a stack of small ones. Pick one whose label range includes 1-9/16 in per pour — the minimum as well as the maximum.
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5 ft river table: kits and leftover by kit size (60 × 8 in river, 1.5 in slabs)

5 ft river table: kits and leftover by kit size (60 × 8 in river, 1.5 in slabs)
Kit sizeKits to buyLeft over from the last kit
1.5 gal3 kits0.93 gal
3 gal2 kits2.43 gal
6 gal1 kit2.43 gal

What to know about a 5 ft river table

The kit arithmetic. You need 3.57 gallons including the allowance. Deep-pour kits for 2:1 products commonly come in 1.5, 3 and 6 gallon sizes (that is how MAS Deep Pour X is sold, for example). Two 3-gallon kits leave about 2.43 gallons over; a 3 plus a 1.5, or three 1.5s, make 4.5 gallons and leave about 0.93. Trimming the waste allowance to squeeze into one 3-gallon kit doesn’t work here — even the bare channel is over 3 gallons. The table above compares the kit sizes side by side.

Measuring 60 inches. Five width readings fit this length neatly: split the river into five 12 in sections and measure across the middle of each — 6, 18, 30, 42 and 54 in from one end. Switch the width setting to several spots and those go straight into the five boxes. An inch of error in the average width moves the total by about 0.45 gallons here, so measure with the slabs clamped in their final position, not loose on the bench.

Desk or table? A 60 × 30 in desk usually gets a narrower river than a dining top, and people often run it off-centre so the keyboard and monitor sit on solid wood. The maths only cares about the average width. If you want a cable grommet through the resin, drill it once the top is fully cured rather than casting around a plug.

Mixing it. At a 1.5 gallon largest batch the pour is three batches of about 1.19 gallons, each roughly 3.17 qt (7.62 lb) of Part A and 1.59 qt (3.21 lb) of Part B for a 2:1 resin. About 29.8 lb of resin ends up in the channel.

For the smaller build, see How much epoxy for a river coffee table; a six-seater, How much epoxy for a 6 ft river table, adds 12 in of length and about three-quarters of a gallon.

Different size? Use the full River Table Epoxy Calculator.

What you’ll need

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Frequently asked questions

How much epoxy for a 5 ft river table with a 10 inch river?

About 4.46 gallons with 10% waste — 2 kits of 3 gal, leaving 1.54 gal.

How much epoxy for a 5 ft river table 2 inches thick?

About 4.71 gallons (4.29 gal of channel plus 10%). With a resin rated for 2 in per layer that is 2 pours of about 1-1/32 in, because the 1/16 in poured proud takes it just past the limit.

How many 1.5 gallon kits for a 5 ft river table?

3 kits of 1.5 gal cover the 3.57 gal with about 0.93 gal to spare.

Other common sizes

Sources