Composites, Fiberglass & Advanced Materials worked example

Autoclave Cycle Cost at 72% share of cycle chargeable to this job: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop share of cycle chargeable to this job to 72%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate cost assigned to an autoclave cure cycle for advanced composite parts.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Autoclave cycle hours run for this job: 14 cycle hr (held at the documented default)
  • Fully-burdened autoclave operating rate: 360 $ / cycle hr (held at the documented default)
  • Share of cycle chargeable to this job: 72 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 100)
  • Fixed setup, tooling load, and quality cost: 950 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Variable autoclave cycle cost = autoclave cycle hours or part slots × autoclave operating cost × cycle cost scope included.
  • total autoclave cycle cost works out to 4,579 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • autoclave cycle cost per part or job works out to 327 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • variable autoclave cycle cost works out to 3,629 $ at these inputs.
  • fixed autoclave setup and quality cost works out to 950 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where share of cycle chargeable to this job sits at 100% and the headline result is 5,990 $, this scenario comes in 23.56% below the baseline at 4,579 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to share of cycle chargeable to this job, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It assumes a flat hourly burden; in reality energy draw spikes during ramp-up and hold, so a long-soak cure can cost more per hour than the average rate implies.

Results at a glance

  • total autoclave cycle cost: 4,579 $ (headline result)
  • autoclave cycle cost per part or job: 327 $ / piece
  • variable autoclave cycle cost: 3,629 $
  • fixed autoclave setup and quality cost: 950 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Autoclave Cycle Cost calculator, set share of cycle chargeable to this job to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.