How do you calculate parts kitting labor?

Multiply the number of kits prepared by the labor cost per kit, apply the scope-included percentage, then add fixed setup, cart, and replenishment cost. With 260 kits at $18 each, 100% scope, and $750 fixed, total parts kitting labor is $5,430.

What is parts kitting labor per vehicle?

It is total kitting labor divided by the vehicles supplied. In the worked example, $5,430 across the kits maps to about $20.88 per vehicle, which is the number you carry into a cost-per-vehicle rollup.

Why separate kitting labor from assembly labor?

Kitting is indirect material handling, not value-added install time. Keeping it separate lets you see whether moving to line-side kitting actually reduces total touch labor or just shifts cost from assembly into the kitting cell.

What is a good kitting labor cost per kit?

It depends on kit content and pick density, but well-run commercial vehicle cells often land between $10 and $25 per kit. Above that, look at travel distance, pick errors, and whether kits are overstuffed.

Does the scope-included percentage change the result?

Yes. At 100% the full kit count counts; if a supplier pre-kits half your hardware, set scope to 50% and the variable labor halves while your fixed cell cost stays the same.

What drives the fixed kitting cost?

The $750 fixed bucket covers shift setup, kitting carts and tugger routes, and replenishment trips that do not scale one-for-one with kit count. It is the standing cost of running the cell regardless of volume.

Commercial Vehicle, Bus & Coach Manufacturing calculator

Parts Kitting Labor Calculator

Parts kitting labor is the cost of assembling line-side kits, the pre-sequenced sets of fasteners, brackets, trim, and hardware that feed each station on a bus or coach build line. On commercial vehicle programs, kitting is usually a dedicated cell or material-handling crew working off pick lists, so its labor is a distinct cost bucket separate from the assemblers who install the parts. Industrial engineers and program cost estimators track it because point-of-fit kitting can swing line balance, walk time, and indirect headcount on low-volume, high-mix coach work. This calculator turns kit count, per-kit labor, and the fixed cell overhead into a total and a clean per-vehicle figure for quoting and line costing.

What this calculator does

Estimate labor cost to kit parts for commercial vehicle, bus, or coach assembly.
costing line-side parts kitting labor
It computes total parts kitting labor by multiplying kits prepared by the labor cost per kit, scaling by the share of kitting scope included, then adding the fixed setup, cart, and replenishment cost.

Formula used

Variable parts kitting labor = vehicle assembly kits prepared × kitting labor cost per kit × kitting scope included
Total parts kitting labor = variable parts kitting labor + kitting setup, cart, and replenishment cost

Inputs explained

Vehicle assembly kits prepared:
Kitting labor cost per kit:
Kitting scope included:
Kitting setup, cart, and replenishment cost:

How to use the result

Use it when quoting a new coach program, sizing the kitting crew for a takt-time change, or comparing line-side kitting against bulk material presentation.
It assumes a flat labor cost per kit; in reality kit complexity varies widely between a dash harness kit and a wheel-well fastener kit, so blend your rates or run high-mix kits separately.

Current U.S. benchmarks

U.S. light vehicles sell at a 16.9 million annual rate (BEA, Jun 2026), up 4.1% from a year earlier, the volume signal for automotive supply chains.
Steel mill PPI stands at 348.53 (BLS, May 2026), up 6.7% from a year earlier. New factory orders are up 2.3% year over year (Census).
The U.S. has 11,691 transportation equipment establishments employing about 1,682,910 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate parts kitting labor? Multiply the number of kits prepared by the labor cost per kit, apply the scope-included percentage, then add fixed setup, cart, and replenishment cost. With 260 kits at $18 each, 100% scope, and $750 fixed, total parts kitting labor is $5,430.
What is parts kitting labor per vehicle? It is total kitting labor divided by the vehicles supplied. In the worked example, $5,430 across the kits maps to about $20.88 per vehicle, which is the number you carry into a cost-per-vehicle rollup.
Why separate kitting labor from assembly labor? Kitting is indirect material handling, not value-added install time. Keeping it separate lets you see whether moving to line-side kitting actually reduces total touch labor or just shifts cost from assembly into the kitting cell.
What is a good kitting labor cost per kit? It depends on kit content and pick density, but well-run commercial vehicle cells often land between $10 and $25 per kit. Above that, look at travel distance, pick errors, and whether kits are overstuffed.
Does the scope-included percentage change the result? Yes. At 100% the full kit count counts; if a supplier pre-kits half your hardware, set scope to 50% and the variable labor halves while your fixed cell cost stays the same.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.