The cost of injection molds is a key factor that affects the production cost and market competitiveness of injection molded products. When calculating the cost of injection molding, we need to consider all factors that may affect the price. There are also some other factors that may affect the price of injection molding, such as the stability of the supply chain, fluctuations in market demand, and technological innovation. Therefore, calculating the cost of injection molding requires comprehensive consideration of various factors and evaluation and prediction based on actual conditions. The price of injection molding is affected by size, complexity, product design, materials, production cycle and life requirements, ranging from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Small molds cost a few dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, medium-sized molds cost 50,000 to 100,000 dollars, and large or high-precision molds cost hundreds of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The specific quotation needs to be based on the design drawings and process requirements.
Calculation method of injection molding processing cost
Injection molding processing cost is not a single fixed value, but is affected by multiple factors. First, material cost is one of the key factors that determine injection molding processing cost. Different types of plastic raw materials have significant price differences. Their procurement costs and market price fluctuations will directly affect the processing cost. Secondly, processing complexity is also an important factor. The more complex the product design, such as requiring high-precision dimensions or multiple colors, the higher the processing difficulty and cost. In addition, factors such as equipment usage fees, mold costs, labor costs, and production batches will also affect the injection molding processing costs. Elimold has summarized our years of experience in the industry and concluded a detailed algorithm for injection molding processing costs:
injection molding cost = material cost + processing fee + packaging fee + transportation fee
Explanation of the actual calculation method for injection molding
- Material cost = [(1+material loss)product weightbatch+machine adjustment loss material weight+normal scrap rateproduct weightbatch]*material unit price/batch. Among them, material loss is generally 3%-5%; the weight of machine adjustment loss material and the weight of normal scrapped products are generally 5000g—15000g.
- Processing fee = (machine adjustment time/batch+molding time/number of mold cavities)*injection molding machine labor fee.
According to my understanding, the current injection molding machine labor fee is divided into (equipment) according to the tonnage of the injection molding machine.
| Equipment tonnage (T ) | Work Fee (US$/hour) | Equipment tonnage (T) | Work Fee (US$/hour) |
| 80 | 35-45 | 200 | 110-160 |
| 100 | 45- 60 | 250 | 150-200 |
| 120 | 65-85 | 300 | 180-220 |
| 150 | 80-110 | 350 | 200-250 |
| 150 | 95-140 | 400 | 250-350 |
Injection molding price calculation, plastic parts quotation. Injection molding is as follows:
- Product unit price = material price + processing cost
- Material cost = (actual weight + loss) * material unit price
- Processing cost = molding cycle * unit price (seconds) ÷ number of holes (that is, the price per piece)
- If special packaging is required, the packaging cost must be added.
Injection molding is basically divided into three categories. Next, we use data to calculate.
Material price is relatively simple: PP or ABS directly uses price x product weight, color parts can be calculated according to the raw material price, and black parts can be calculated according to specific return materials or product requirements.
Processing costs are related to the number of mold cavities, molding cycle and product weight;
The machine is calculated based on tonnage, and can be calculated to how much per second, but if the number of mold cavities is large, the weight is heavy, and the molding cycle is short, the processing fee is low and the unit price is low.
We use a PP product of 30g to calculate using 11 12 1*4 to calculate the product separately. The product is a new material color part. The cycle is assumed to be 60 seconds. The 120-ton machine is 800 US dollars / 22 hours / 60min = 0.6 US dollars / minute.
1*1 material 30 * 0.013 US dollars / g = 0.26 US dollars, processing fee 0.6 US dollars, product unit price 0.9 US dollars.
1* 2 material 30 * 0.013 US dollars / g = 0.26 US dollars, processing fee 0.6 US dollars / 2 = 0.3 US dollars, product unit price 0.56 US dollars.
1* 4 material 30 * 0.013 US dollars / g = 0.26 US dollars, processing fee 0.6 US dollars / 4 = 0.15 US dollars, product unit price 0.4 US dollars.
If you encounter a particularly heavy or light product, you can also use this calculation method. For example, if a product weighs 1g, you can use the product cost per mold + the processing fee per mold / the number of mold cavities = the unit price of the product. Elimold generally calculates the unit price of the product as follows: PP black 0.016-0.016 USD/g, color price 0.018-0.02 USD/g, ABS black 0.018-0.020 USD/g, color parts 0.022-0.025 USD/g, and then use the above calculation method to check again.
The method to calculate the approximate price of injection molding is very simple
- Material cost: multiply the weight of the injection molded part by the unit price of the corresponding plastic raw material. Unless there are special requirements, the weight of the nozzle is generally not considered. The so-called special requirements mean that no nozzle materials can be added, such as highly transparent plastic parts and engineering plastic parts with special working conditions.
- Injection molding machine processing fee: Depending on the region, the processing fee of each single injection molding machine is generally determined according to the clamping force of the injection molding machine (commonly known as tonnage) or the injection volume. Among them, it is more common to determine the processing fee according to the clamping force. This is because the clamping force determines the purchase price of the injection molding machine and the cost of using the injection molding machine (such as power consumption). In Shenzhen, from 80 tons to 200 tons, the processing fee for each work shift (12 hours) is about 200 yuan to 700 US dollars. Some small factories may be a little lower, and some large factories may be a little higher.
- Calculation example: When calculating the price of injection molded parts, you must first know the processing time for each time. For example, if your product is two pieces per mold, the injection time is 40 seconds each time, the material is ABS, the weight of each piece is 40 grams, and a 120-ton injection molding machine is used. The processing fee of a 120-ton injection molding machine per work shift (12 hours) is US$350, and the price of ABS raw materials is: US$10,000/ton. The calculation is as follows:
- Material cost: 40X0.01=0.4 USD
- Processing fee: Number of beers per hour = 60X60/40 = 90 USD
- Processing fee per hour = 350/12 = 29.2 USD
- Then the processing fee per beer = 29.2/90 = 0.325 USD
Because it is a two-piece order, the processing fee per piece = 0.325/2 = 0.163 USD,
So the total price is: 0.4+0.163=0.563 USD
Actual calculation example of injection molding cost
Next, we will use the injection mold and molding example of battery products manufactured by Elimold for customers. The details are as follows:
- Packaging and freight: 0.03 USD/mold
- Processing fee: (calculated based on the number of molds opened by the machine)
- Salary 0.08 USD (including management staff salary)/
- Water and electricity 0.08 USD (auxiliary electricity and water for workshops, dormitories, etc.)/mold
- Rent 0.02 USD
- Therefore, no profit is included: 0.21 USD/mold
- Material cost: single set of products = [(product net weight A) g + (Ax10%) g] x (material unit price/kg) – 1000
Therefore, our quotation to customers = packaging, freight + processing fee + material cost + appropriate profit
If one of our machines requires about 9 kWh of electricity per hour, one machine is calculated by 3 people, and one machine opens 3,000 molds on average in 24 hours (each mold indicates the number of molds opened, because some molds are x sets per mold), temporarily calculate based on 5 machines.
Therefore, the processing fee for a single product = 0.21-x
For example: a battery product, one or two sets of molds, 1 out of 1, its processing cost (excluding material cost)
Single battery = (0.21 US dollars processing cost ÷ number of sets) + (0.03 yuan packaging, transportation) + (material cost) + profit
A battery product, two sets of molds, 1 out of 2 for the top and bottom, its processing cost (excluding material cost)
Single battery = (0.21 US dollars processing cost ÷ 2) + (0.21 US dollars processing cost ÷ 2) + (0.03 US dollars packaging, transportation x 2) + (material cost) + profit.
Summary
Theoretical knowledge gained from reading books is always superficial. Only when you truly understand and implement it can you get accurate information. Although the injection molding process seems to be common, it is not easy to accurately calculate the cost. This article only analyzes and summarizes the experience of Elimold, and there may be many differences. If the cost of ordinary injection molded parts is simply analyzed theoretically, there are many factors affecting the actual production situation, which are due to differences in mold design, processing capacity, equipment capacity, etc. Only by choosing a suitable injection molding supplier can the accurate cost be calculated.