How do you calculate heat treatment batch cost?

Multiply furnace connected load by cycle time to get energy used in kWh, then multiply by the energy rate. At 18 kW for 6 hr at $0.14/kWh, that is 108 kWh x $0.14 = $15.12 per batch.

What is the energy cost per part for heat treatment?

Divide the batch energy cost by the number of parts in the load. With $15.12 spread across 80 parts, energy cost is $0.189 per part, which is why filling the furnace matters so much.

Does running a fuller furnace lower cost per part?

Yes. The energy cost per batch barely changes whether the furnace is half or fully loaded, so spreading the same $15.12 over more parts directly cuts the per-part figure. Doubling the part count roughly halves per-part energy cost.

What is the furnace hourly energy cost?

Multiply connected load by energy rate: 18 kW x $0.14/kWh = $2.52 per hour. This hourly figure is useful for comparing cycle recipes and estimating cost of cycle-time overruns.

Why does connected load overstate real consumption?

Connected load is the rated draw; a furnace cycles its elements once at temperature, so average draw is often 40-70% of rated. Using connected load gives a conservative upper-bound cost unless you substitute a measured average kW.

Is heat-treat energy cost significant for metal 3D printing?

It can be substantial. Long stress-relief and sintering cycles draw high power for hours, and for low-volume builds the per-part energy cost can become a meaningful share of total part cost, so it belongs in every quote.

Additive Manufacturing calculator

Heat Treatment Batch Cost Calculator

Heat treatment batch cost captures the electrical energy expense of running a furnace through one complete heat-treat or post-processing cycle, then breaks it down to a per-part figure. Cost estimators, additive manufacturing leads, and metallurgists use it to put a real dollar value on stress-relief, annealing, or sintering cycles that are easy to overlook because the furnace is already on. For 3D-printed metal parts especially, a single long furnace cycle can rival or exceed the printing cost, so knowing the per-part energy burden directly affects quoting and batch-size decisions. This calculator isolates the energy component cleanly so you can see how cycle time and batch fill drive your cost.

What this calculator does

Estimate additive heat-treatment energy cost per batch and per part from furnace load, cycle time, power rate, and parts processed.
a post-processing engineer or estimator needs furnace energy cost for an additive batch
It computes the electrical energy cost of one furnace heat-treatment cycle and the resulting energy cost per part for the batch.

Formula used

Energy used = connected load × cycle time
Batch energy cost = energy used × energy rate

Inputs explained

Furnace connected load: undefined
Heat-treatment cycle time: undefined
Energy rate: undefined
Parts in heat-treat batch: undefined

How to use the result

Use it when quoting post-processing, comparing batch sizes, or deciding whether to consolidate parts into fewer, fuller furnace loads.
It covers connected-load electrical energy only and excludes labor, fixturing, inert-gas consumption, furnace duty-cycle ramp-down, and amortized capital, so true fully-loaded cost is higher.

Current U.S. benchmarks

As of Apr 2026, industrial electricity averages 8.7 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA), up 5.5% from a year earlier. State averages range widely, so plants should confirm against their own tariff.
The producer price index for plastic resins and materials stands at 319.371 (BLS, May 2026), up 19.5% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
The U.S. has 22,301 printing and related support establishments employing about 386,248 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate heat treatment batch cost? Multiply furnace connected load by cycle time to get energy used in kWh, then multiply by the energy rate. At 18 kW for 6 hr at $0.14/kWh, that is 108 kWh x $0.14 = $15.12 per batch.
What is the energy cost per part for heat treatment? Divide the batch energy cost by the number of parts in the load. With $15.12 spread across 80 parts, energy cost is $0.189 per part, which is why filling the furnace matters so much.
Does running a fuller furnace lower cost per part? Yes. The energy cost per batch barely changes whether the furnace is half or fully loaded, so spreading the same $15.12 over more parts directly cuts the per-part figure. Doubling the part count roughly halves per-part energy cost.
What is the furnace hourly energy cost? Multiply connected load by energy rate: 18 kW x $0.14/kWh = $2.52 per hour. This hourly figure is useful for comparing cycle recipes and estimating cost of cycle-time overruns.
Why does connected load overstate real consumption? Connected load is the rated draw; a furnace cycles its elements once at temperature, so average draw is often 40-70% of rated. Using connected load gives a conservative upper-bound cost unless you substitute a measured average kW.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.