Industrial Sensors & Instrumentation worked example

Temperature Probe Cost at 98% transmitter installation rate: a worked example

What does the result look like when transmitter installation rate reaches 98%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use this when budgeting a temperature measurement point installation, comparing RTD vs. thermocouple total cost, or preparing a capital estimate for a process upgrade with multiple new temperature points.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Temperature probes to install: 12 probes (unchanged)
  • Variable cost per probe: 380 $ / probe (unchanged)
  • Transmitter installation rate: 98 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 85)
  • Fixed engineering and commissioning: 2,800 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Variable probe cost = probes to install x cost per probe x (transmitter rate / 100)) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 7,269 $ for total installed cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 606 $ / piece for cost per installed probe.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 4,469 $ for variable probe cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2,800 $ for engineering and commissioning.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where transmitter installation rate sits at 85% and the headline result is 6,676 $, this scenario comes in 8.88% above the baseline at 7,269 $.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when transmitter installation rate is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes one blended per-probe cost and a single transmitter share, so it does not separate exotic probe materials, thermowell costs, or long cable runs unless folded into the per-probe figure.

Results at a glance

  • Total installed cost: 7,269 $ (headline result)
  • Cost per installed probe: 606 $ / piece
  • Variable probe cost: 4,469 $
  • Engineering and commissioning: 2,800 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Temperature Probe Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.