Injection Molding Cost Calculator | Colorado Sun Inc

Estimate total injection molding costs per part including resin material, tooling amortization, machine time, and labor. Essential tool for quote preparation and process optimization in thermoplastic molding operations.

Your Settings

Part Weight (grams)

Finished part weight including runners and sprues

Resin Cost ($/kg)

Cost per kilogram of thermoplastic resin material

Cycle Time (seconds)

Complete injection molding cycle time

Machine Hourly Rate ($/hour)

Machine operating cost including utilities and overhead

Tooling Cost ($)

Total mold manufacturing cost

Production Volume (parts)

Expected lifetime production quantity

Labor Rate ($/hour)

Operator labor cost including benefits

Results

Material Cost per Part

Cost of thermoplastic resin per molded part

Tooling Cost per Part

Amortized mold cost distributed over production volume

Total Cost per Part

Complete manufacturing cost including all factors

How to Read Your Score

< $0.50:Low Cost — Competitive part cost suitable for high-volume commodity applications

$0.50 - $2.00:Moderate Cost — Typical range for engineered plastic parts with reasonable complexity

> $2.00:High Cost — Premium cost requiring value justification or process optimization review

Tips

Optimize cycle time through proper melt temperature and cooling design to reduce machine costs

Higher production volumes significantly reduce per-part tooling costs through amortization

Select appropriate resin grades - engineering plastics cost more but may enable design optimization

Consider runner system efficiency - hot runners eliminate material waste but increase tooling cost

Factor in scrap rate and regrind capabilities when calculating true material costs

Methodology

This calculator estimates injection molding costs using industry-standard factors: material weight and resin pricing, cycle time economics, tooling amortization over production volume, and direct labor allocation. Costs are calculated per part to enable accurate quoting and process optimization decisions.