How do you calculate cost per repaired unit?

Multiply the units in the estimate by the variable cost per unit and by the in-scope share, add fixed depot support, then divide by the unit count. With 100 units at $45, 80% scope, plus $250 fixed, total is $3,850, or $38.50 per repaired unit.

What is a good cost per repaired unit?

It depends on the device's replacement value: a healthy rule is keeping repair cost under 40-60% of a new unit's price. The $38.50 figure here is attractive for a board worth $150+ but uneconomic for a $40 consumer accessory.

Why is the variable cost scaled by repair scope?

Not every unit in an RMA batch needs full work; some are no-fault-found or cosmetic. The 80% scope factor means only 80% of units incur the full $45 variable cost, which is why variable cost lands at $3,600 rather than $4,500.

Repair cost vs replacement cost — which should drive the decision?

Compare cost per repaired unit against landed replacement cost plus the value of any salvageable cores. When repair approaches replacement, scrap-and-replace usually wins once you factor warranty risk on a re-repaired board.

How does fixed depot support change the per-unit number?

Fixed cost is spread across the batch, so larger runs dilute it. Here $250 over 100 units adds just $2.50/unit, but the same $250 over 10 units would add $25/unit — short runs carry far heavier overhead.

What should the fixed depot support cost include?

Bench time allocation, ESD-safe workstation amortization, supervisor and QA coverage, consumables not tracked per unit, and software license seats — anything the depot pays regardless of how many units pass through that batch.

Electronics Repair, Refurbishment & Depot Operations calculator

Cost Per Repaired Unit Calculator

Cost per repaired unit is the fully-loaded dollar figure a repair depot incurs to return one device to service, blending variable touch labor and parts with allocated fixed overhead. Depot managers, RMA program leads, and service-contract quoters use it to price warranty work, compare in-house repair against replace-or-scrap decisions, and benchmark technician cells against each other. It matters because a depot can look busy while quietly losing money on low-value SKUs once stencil, ESD bench, and supervision overhead are spread across the run. Tracking it per batch keeps quotes defensible and exposes when a product line should be retired rather than repaired.

What this calculator does

Estimate total and per-unit cost for depot repairs after labor, parts, test, freight, overhead, and fixed support costs are applied.
Use it when cost per repaired unit in electronics repair, refurbishment and depot operations is being put through a electronics repair, refurbishment and depot operations weighted-cost review.
It computes the total cost to repair a batch of units and the resulting average cost per repaired unit, combining variable per-unit cost scaled by the share of units actually in scope plus fixed depot support cost.

Formula used

Variable repair cost = repaired units in estimate × variable cost per repaired unit × repair scope included
Total repaired-unit cost = variable repair cost + fixed depot support cost

Inputs explained

Repaired units in estimate:
Variable cost per repaired unit:
Repair scope included:
Fixed depot support cost:

How to use the result

Use it when quoting an RMA contract, deciding repair-versus-replace thresholds, or setting an internal chargeback rate for a depot cell over a defined batch.
The model averages fixed cost evenly across all estimated units, so it understates per-unit cost on short runs and hides the spread between a fast no-fault-found unit and a hard board-level repair.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for copper and brass mill shapes stands at 559.593 (BLS, May 2026), up 76.8% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move. Global copper trades at $13,484 per tonne (IMF via FRED, May 2026).
U.S. manufacturing runs at 75.6% of capacity (Federal Reserve, May 2026). New factory orders are up 2.3% year over year (Census).
The U.S. has 11,261 computer and electronic products establishments employing about 815,443 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate cost per repaired unit? Multiply the units in the estimate by the variable cost per unit and by the in-scope share, add fixed depot support, then divide by the unit count. With 100 units at $45, 80% scope, plus $250 fixed, total is $3,850, or $38.50 per repaired unit.
What is a good cost per repaired unit? It depends on the device's replacement value: a healthy rule is keeping repair cost under 40-60% of a new unit's price. The $38.50 figure here is attractive for a board worth $150+ but uneconomic for a $40 consumer accessory.
Why is the variable cost scaled by repair scope? Not every unit in an RMA batch needs full work; some are no-fault-found or cosmetic. The 80% scope factor means only 80% of units incur the full $45 variable cost, which is why variable cost lands at $3,600 rather than $4,500.
Repair cost vs replacement cost — which should drive the decision? Compare cost per repaired unit against landed replacement cost plus the value of any salvageable cores. When repair approaches replacement, scrap-and-replace usually wins once you factor warranty risk on a re-repaired board.
How does fixed depot support change the per-unit number? Fixed cost is spread across the batch, so larger runs dilute it. Here $250 over 100 units adds just $2.50/unit, but the same $250 over 10 units would add $25/unit — short runs carry far heavier overhead.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.