How do you calculate reheat cost for a heat-treat batch?

Multiply parts to reheat by the per-part reheat rate and the capture factor, then add fixed setup or lab cost. For 80 parts at $7.50 each fully captured plus $300 fixed, the total is 80 x 7.50 x 1.00 + 300 = $900.

What does the capture factor do here?

It's the share of the per-part rate you actually incur. At 100% you absorb the full reheat cost; lower it if some cost is recovered, for example if the reheat piggybacks on an already-scheduled load. Here 100% means full cost.

Is reheating cheaper than scrapping?

Often, but not always. At $900 to reheat 80 parts, that's $11.25 per part all-in; if a finished part is worth more than that and the reheat reliably brings it to spec, reheating wins. If the second cycle risks over-tempering, scrap may be cheaper.

Why does the per-part cost come out higher than the $7.50 rate?

The fixed setup or lab charge spreads across the parts. The $300 fixed cost over 80 parts adds $3.75 each, pushing the effective reheat cost to $11.25 per part.

What's in the fixed reheat charge?

One-time costs that don't scale with quantity: furnace setup and atmosphere stabilization, fixturing changeover, and a lab retest of hardness or case depth to confirm the reheat worked.

Heat Treatment, Furnaces & Thermal Processing calculator

Reheat Cost Calculator

Reheat Cost totals the money spent putting parts back through the furnace when the first thermal cycle missed spec. Reheats happen for real reasons: a hardness reading below target, an incomplete case, a soft spot from poor fixturing, or a quench that ran too slow. Each rerun burns energy, atmosphere, fixturing labor, and furnace time that should have produced new parts, and often a lab retest on top. Heat-treat supervisors and cost estimators use this number to see what reheats actually cost, build the case for getting the first cycle right, and decide whether reheating beats scrapping. A reheat is rarely free, and this makes the bill visible.

What this calculator does

Estimate reheat cost for loads that must be reheated due to missed soak, failed profile, hardness issue, or process interruption.
Use it when a heat treat lot needs reprocessing and the added cost must be visible for disposition.
It multiplies the parts needing reheat by a per-part reheat cost and a capture factor, then adds any fixed setup or lab-test charge to give the total cost of the rerun.

Formula used

Captured reheat cost = reheated parts or pounds × reheat cost rate × reheat cost capture
Total reheat cost = captured reheat cost + fixed reheat setup or lab cost

Inputs explained

Parts or pounds requiring reheat:
Reheat cost per part:
Share of reheat cost actually incurred:
Fixed reheat setup or lab test charge:

How to use the result

Use it after a batch fails hardness or case-depth checks to cost the rework, or when weighing reheat against scrap and rework alternatives.
It costs the reheat event itself; it doesn't price the risk that a second cycle over-tempers, grows grain, or further distorts the part, which can turn a reheat into scrap anyway.

Current U.S. benchmarks

Industrial electricity averages 8.66 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA, Apr 2026), up 5.5% from a year earlier. Energy-intensive steps carry this directly into unit cost.

Common questions

How do you calculate reheat cost for a heat-treat batch? Multiply parts to reheat by the per-part reheat rate and the capture factor, then add fixed setup or lab cost. For 80 parts at $7.50 each fully captured plus $300 fixed, the total is 80 x 7.50 x 1.00 + 300 = $900.
What does the capture factor do here? It's the share of the per-part rate you actually incur. At 100% you absorb the full reheat cost; lower it if some cost is recovered, for example if the reheat piggybacks on an already-scheduled load. Here 100% means full cost.
Is reheating cheaper than scrapping? Often, but not always. At $900 to reheat 80 parts, that's $11.25 per part all-in; if a finished part is worth more than that and the reheat reliably brings it to spec, reheating wins. If the second cycle risks over-tempering, scrap may be cheaper.
Why does the per-part cost come out higher than the $7.50 rate? The fixed setup or lab charge spreads across the parts. The $300 fixed cost over 80 parts adds $3.75 each, pushing the effective reheat cost to $11.25 per part.
What's in the fixed reheat charge? One-time costs that don't scale with quantity: furnace setup and atmosphere stabilization, fixturing changeover, and a lab retest of hardness or case depth to confirm the reheat worked.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.