Enter Tooling Inputs
Example Data Table
| Scenario | Tool Type | Cavities | Machining Hours | Direct Cost | Total Tooling Cost | Cost per Part |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Injection Mold | 2 | 140 | $17,250 | $22,043 | $0.1837 |
| B | Stamping Die | 1 | 96 | $10,980 | $13,755 | $0.0917 |
| C | Jig and Fixture | 1 | 55 | $6,420 | $7,905 | $0.1581 |
Formula Used
Base Material Cost = Tool Weight × Material Rate
Adjusted Material Cost = Base Material Cost × Complexity Factor
Machining Cost = Machining Hours × CNC Rate × Complexity Factor × Cavity Multiplier
Design Cost = Design Hours × Design Rate × Complexity Factor
Assembly Cost = Assembly Hours × Assembly Rate × Assembly Multiplier
Direct Cost = Sum of material, labor, setup, treatments, components, outsourcing, inspection, tryout, and delivery costs
Scrap Allowance = Direct Cost × Scrap Percentage
Project Overhead = (Direct Cost + Scrap Allowance) × Overhead Percentage
Maintenance Reserve = (Direct Cost + Scrap Allowance) × Maintenance Percentage
Contingency = Subtotal × Contingency Percentage
Total Tooling Cost = Direct Cost + Scrap Allowance + Overhead + Maintenance + Contingency
Tooling Cost per Part = Total Tooling Cost ÷ Amortization Parts
Annual Cost Recovery = Total Tooling Cost ÷ (Amortization Parts ÷ Annual Volume)
How to Use This Calculator
Start by selecting the tooling category and base material. Enter the number of cavities, tool weight, material rate, and the main engineering complexity factor.
Add labor inputs such as machining, design, and assembly hours with their rates. Then include setup, standard components, treatment costs, tryout, inspection, and packaging expenses.
Enter risk and support percentages for scrap, overhead, maintenance, and contingency. Finally, supply production assumptions, including tool life, amortization quantity, planned parts, and annual volume.
Press the estimate button. The result summary will appear above the form, followed by a detailed breakdown table. Use the export buttons to save the calculation as CSV or PDF.
FAQs
1. What does the complexity factor change?
It scales material handling, design effort, and machining intensity. Higher complexity reflects tighter tolerances, extra slides, intricate geometry, special inserts, or more demanding finishing requirements.
2. Why include maintenance reserve before production starts?
Maintenance reserve captures expected upkeep such as polishing, repairs, alignment checks, and consumables. Including it early creates a more realistic full-life tooling budget.
3. Is tooling cost per part the same as unit manufacturing cost?
No. This value only spreads the tooling investment across an amortization quantity. Material, cycle time, labor, energy, and scrap during production are separate unit costs.
4. What should I enter for amortization parts?
Use the quantity over which you want to recover tooling investment. It may equal a launch order, yearly demand, contract volume, or expected lifetime sales.
5. How does cavity count affect the estimate?
More cavities usually raise machining, assembly, balancing, and component requirements. The calculator applies cavity-based multipliers so the estimate grows with added tooling complexity.
6. Should outsourced operations include EDM and grinding?
Yes. Add any subcontracted processes that are billed separately, including EDM, grinding, laser texturing, nitriding, specialty coating, or dimensional certification services.
7. What does annual cost recovery show?
It estimates how much tooling value is recovered each year based on annual production volume and the selected amortization quantity. It helps budgeting and pricing decisions.
8. Can this calculator support scenario comparison?
Yes. Change cavity count, complexity, rates, reserves, or amortization quantities, then rerun the estimate. Comparing saved exports makes supplier and design decisions easier.