Industrial Minerals & Powder Processing worked example

Packaging Cost Per Ton with tonnage to be packaged of 200 tons: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop tonnage to be packaged to 200 tons, then walk the calculation through step by step. Calculate the total packaging cost per ton for bagged, supersacked, or bulk mineral products including bag material, pallets, stretch wrap, labor, and equipment depreciation.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Tonnage to be packaged: 200 tons (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 400)
  • Packaging material cost per ton: 8.5 $ / ton (held at the documented default)
  • Packaging labor cost per ton: 4 $ / ton (held at the documented default)
  • Fixed equipment and overhead cost: 1,200 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Variable packaging cost = tonnage x (material cost per ton + labor cost per ton).
  • Total packaging cost works out to 1,268 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Packaging cost per ton works out to 6.34 $ / ton at these inputs.
  • Variable packaging cost works out to 68 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed equipment and overhead works out to 1,200 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where tonnage to be packaged sits at 400 tons and the headline result is 1,336 $, this scenario comes in 5.09% below the baseline at 1,268 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to tonnage to be packaged, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It treats material and labor as flat per-ton rates, so it misses bag-size step changes, reject/rework on the line, and overtime on long runs.

Results at a glance

  • Total packaging cost: 1,268 $ (headline result)
  • Packaging cost per ton: 6.34 $ / ton
  • Variable packaging cost: 68 $
  • Fixed equipment and overhead: 1,200 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Packaging Cost Per Ton calculator, set tonnage to be packaged to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.