EV Charging Infrastructure Manufacturing worked example

Busbar Copper Cost at 66% usable copper yield after scrap: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop usable copper yield after scrap to 66%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate copper busbar cost for EV charger cabinets from busbar weight, copper price, yield, and fabrication adders.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Busbar copper mass: 540 kg (held at the documented default)
  • Copper cost per kilogram: 11.8 $ / kg (held at the documented default)
  • Usable copper yield after scrap: 66 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 92)
  • Fabrication, plating, and freight adders: 1,800 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Variable copper cost = busbar copper mass × copper cost per kilogram × usable copper yield share.
  • Total busbar copper cost works out to 6,006 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Busbar copper cost per kg works out to 11.12 $ / kg at these inputs.
  • Variable busbar copper material cost works out to 4,206 $ at these inputs.
  • Fabrication, plating, and freight adders works out to 1,800 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where usable copper yield after scrap sits at 92% and the headline result is 7,662 $, this scenario comes in 21.62% below the baseline at 6,006 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to usable copper yield after scrap, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It treats the yield factor as a simple multiplier on material, so it does not separately credit scrap-copper recovery value that you may reclaim back from your fabricator.

Results at a glance

  • Total busbar copper cost: 6,006 $ (headline result)
  • Busbar copper cost per kg: 11.12 $ / kg
  • Variable busbar copper material cost: 4,206 $
  • Fabrication, plating, and freight adders: 1,800 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Busbar Copper Cost calculator, set usable copper yield after scrap to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.