Blend Time Supplements: How to Get Paid for Every Blend Operation

What Is Blend Time and Why Is It Disputed?

Blend time is the labor time required to blend (feather and fade) a new paint finish into an adjacent panel so that the color match is seamless. When a panel is repaired or replaced, the new paint rarely matches the existing paint perfectly — due to age, fading, and color variation between batches. Blending the adjacent panel eliminates the visible color difference.

Insurance adjusters routinely deny blend time as "included in the refinish time" of the repaired panel. This is incorrect. Blend time is a separate operation performed on a different panel — the adjacent panel — and is explicitly listed as a non-included, separately billable operation in the P-pages of every major estimating platform.

The P-Page Citations That Win the Argument

The most effective way to get blend time approved is to cite the specific P-page from the estimating platform being used:

• CCC ONE: CCC P-pages state that blend time is not included in the refinish time of the repaired panel and is a separate, billable operation for the adjacent panel.
• Mitchell: Mitchell's Refinishing Time Includes/Excludes section explicitly states that blending of adjacent panels is not included and must be estimated separately.
• Audatex: Audatex's procedure pages similarly list blend time as a separate, non-included operation.

In your supplement letter, cite the specific platform being used and the relevant P-page section. This shifts the argument from "your opinion vs. their opinion" to "the platform's own documentation vs. their misapplication of it."

When Is Blend Time Required?

Blend time is required when:

• A panel adjacent to a repaired or replaced panel shares a color zone with the repaired panel
• The existing paint on the adjacent panel has faded or changed color due to age or UV exposure
• The new paint on the repaired panel uses a color formula that differs from the original due to batch variation
• The adjacent panel is visible from the same viewing angle as the repaired panel

As a general rule, any panel that shares a color zone with a repaired panel and is visible from the same angle requires blend time. This typically means the panels immediately adjacent to the repaired panel on each side.

Calculating Blend Time

Blend time is typically calculated as a percentage of the full refinish time for the adjacent panel — usually 50–75% depending on the estimating platform and the extent of blending required. Your supplement letter should specify the blend time for each adjacent panel and the basis for the calculation.