Which costs belong in direct cost per part?

Material, ply cutting, layup and touch labor that scale with each part. Fixed tooling, qualification and program engineering belong in the fixed row, so the per-part figure stays honest at any lot size.

Why does cost per part fall as the lot grows?

The fixed tooling and qualification cost spreads over more parts. At the defaults the 6,200 dollars is 172 dollars per part at 36 parts, and half that at 72 parts if direct cost holds.

What does the cost versus target row show?

Cost per part minus your target. A positive number is cost above target, so the quote is thin; a negative number is headroom you can use before the target is touched.

When should the included share be below 100?

When this job pays only part of the cost, for example a customer-supplied tool or a program shared with another plant. Enter the share this job carries and the rest stays with the other part of the scope.

Composites, Fiberglass & Advanced Materials calculator

Composite Part Cost Calculator

Spread the direct cost of a composite lot and its fixed tooling over the parts in scope, then compare the result with your target cost per part. The included share lets you cost part of the scope only.

What this calculator does

Composite part cost at the lot size from direct cost, the included share and fixed tooling, checked against a target.

Formula used

Variable part cost = parts in scope × direct cost per part × included share ÷ 100
Total part cost = variable part cost + fixed tooling and qualification cost
Cost per part = total part cost ÷ parts in scope
Cost versus target = cost per part − target cost per part

Inputs explained

Parts in Scope: Good parts this run ships, from the production plan.
Direct Cost per Part: Material and touch labor per part, before any fixed cost.
Cost Share Included: Share of this lot's cost charged here, from the quote.
Fixed Tooling and Qualification Cost: Tooling, qualification and engineering cost charged once to the lot.
Target Cost per Part: Cost per part your quote must beat, from the quote sheet.

How to use the result

Best suited to quoting a 36 part composite run, testing a lot size against a target, sharing tooling cost across a family.
Learning curve savings and scrap are not modeled, so a first lot often costs more per part than a repeat. A target from one customer cannot judge a lot built to another customer's scope.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for plastic resins and materials stands at 280.569 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 6.6% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
Steel mill PPI stands at 381.162 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 23.4% from a year earlier. New factory orders are up 8.5% year over year (Census).

Common questions

Which costs belong in direct cost per part? Material, ply cutting, layup and touch labor that scale with each part. Fixed tooling, qualification and program engineering belong in the fixed row, so the per-part figure stays honest at any lot size.
Why does cost per part fall as the lot grows? The fixed tooling and qualification cost spreads over more parts. At the defaults the 6,200 dollars is 172 dollars per part at 36 parts, and half that at 72 parts if direct cost holds.
What does the cost versus target row show? Cost per part minus your target. A positive number is cost above target, so the quote is thin; a negative number is headroom you can use before the target is touched.
When should the included share be below 100? When this job pays only part of the cost, for example a customer-supplied tool or a program shared with another plant. Enter the share this job carries and the rest stays with the other part of the scope.

Related guides

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.