Circular Economy, Recycling & Remanufacturing worked example

Remanufacturing Cost at 52% recoverable core yield used for this estimate: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop recoverable core yield used for this estimate to 52%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate the total cost to remanufacture returned cores into saleable units, including core volume, cost per recoverable unit, yield allocation, and fixed setup work.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Returned cores released to remanufacturing: 1,200 cores (held at the documented default)
  • Remanufacturing cost per recoverable core: 84 $ / core (held at the documented default)
  • Recoverable core yield used for this estimate: 52 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 72)
  • Fixed teardown, cleaning, testing, or setup cost: 9,500 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Recoverable-core variable cost = returned cores released to remanufacturing × remanufacturing cost per recoverable core × recoverable core yield used for this estimate.
  • Total remanufacturing cost works out to 61,916 total remanufacturing cost at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Remanufacturing cost per input core works out to 51.6 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Recoverable-core variable cost works out to 52,416 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed teardown, cleaning, testing, or setup cost works out to 9,500 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where recoverable core yield used for this estimate sits at 72% and the headline result is 82,076 total remanufacturing cost, this scenario comes in 24.56% below the baseline at 61,916 total remanufacturing cost.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to recoverable core yield used for this estimate, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It assumes a single blended cost per core and a single recoverable yield; mixed core conditions (A/B/C grade) or escalating rework on low-grade cores can make the real cost higher than this estimate.

Results at a glance

  • Total remanufacturing cost: 61,916 total remanufacturing cost (headline result)
  • Remanufacturing cost per input core: 51.6 $ / piece
  • Recoverable-core variable cost: 52,416 $
  • Fixed teardown, cleaning, testing, or setup cost: 9,500 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Remanufacturing Cost calculator, set recoverable core yield used for this estimate to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.