How do you calculate lens coating cost?

Multiply surfaces to coat by cost per surface and by the yield fraction, then add the fixed chamber setup cost. With 120 surfaces at $28, 94% yield, and a $450 setup, that is 120 x 28 x 0.94 = $3,158.40 variable, plus $450 = $3,608.40 total.

Why does coating yield lower the cost in this formula?

Here yield scales the variable coating spend you actually pay for surfaces meeting spec. At 94% yield the variable cost is $3,158.40 rather than the full $3,360, reflecting that you are charged for in-spec surfaces. Note that real shops often pay for chamber time regardless of yield, so treat this as a spec-meeting cost view.

What is a good cost per coated surface?

It depends on the stack. Simple single-layer MgF2 AR coatings can run a few dollars per surface in volume, while complex multilayer dielectric mirrors or low-loss IBS laser optics run tens to hundreds of dollars. In this example the all-in cost lands at $30.07 per coated surface once the $450 setup is spread across the batch.

How can I reduce the per-surface coating cost?

Load larger batches so the fixed $450 chamber setup is amortized over more surfaces, raise yield to cut wasted deposition, and group parts that share the same recipe so you avoid extra pump-down cycles.

Does this include substrate or polishing cost?

No. This calculator covers only the deposition step, the per-surface coating charge plus chamber setup. Substrate fabrication, polishing, cleaning, and metrology are separate line items you would add to the part cost.

Is chamber setup cost fixed per run or per part?

Per run. The $450 covers fixturing, pump-down, and chamber conditioning for one deposition cycle, so it is divided across every surface in that load. Splitting an order into two runs doubles that fixed charge.

Lasers, Optics & Photonics Manufacturing calculator

Lens Coating Cost Calculator

Lens coating cost captures what it actually costs to put an anti-reflection, high-reflector, or beam-splitter stack onto a batch of optics, including the fixed price of pumping down and conditioning the deposition chamber. Optical coating shops, laser OEMs, and precision-optics buyers use it to quote runs and decide whether a batch is worth loading. Because each chamber cycle carries a large fixed setup cost, the per-surface economics swing hard with batch size and yield. Getting this number right is the difference between a profitable IBS or e-beam run and one that quietly loses money on rejects.

What this calculator does

Calculate total optical coating cost for a production batch by combining the number of lens surfaces, per-surface coating cost, coating yield (good layers), and fixed chamber setup charges.
Use this when quoting anti-reflection (AR), high-reflection (HR), or bandpass filter coatings, comparing single-layer vs. multi-layer stack costs, or deciding batch size for a vacuum deposition run.
It computes the total cost to coat a batch of optical surfaces by combining yield-weighted per-surface coating cost with the fixed chamber setup charge.

Formula used

Variable coating cost = surfaces to coat x coating cost per surface x coating yield / 100
Total lens coating cost = variable coating cost + fixed chamber setup cost

Inputs explained

Number of surfaces to coat:
Coating cost per surface:
Coating yield (surfaces meeting spec):
Fixed chamber setup cost:

How to use the result

Use it when quoting a coating run, comparing in-house deposition against an outside coater, or sizing the batch needed to absorb chamber setup overhead.
It treats coating cost per surface as flat, so it does not model stack complexity differences, substrate-specific masking, or rework loops where failed surfaces are recoated.

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).
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.
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 lens coating cost? Multiply surfaces to coat by cost per surface and by the yield fraction, then add the fixed chamber setup cost. With 120 surfaces at $28, 94% yield, and a $450 setup, that is 120 x 28 x 0.94 = $3,158.40 variable, plus $450 = $3,608.40 total.
Why does coating yield lower the cost in this formula? Here yield scales the variable coating spend you actually pay for surfaces meeting spec. At 94% yield the variable cost is $3,158.40 rather than the full $3,360, reflecting that you are charged for in-spec surfaces. Note that real shops often pay for chamber time regardless of yield, so treat this as a spec-meeting cost view.
What is a good cost per coated surface? It depends on the stack. Simple single-layer MgF2 AR coatings can run a few dollars per surface in volume, while complex multilayer dielectric mirrors or low-loss IBS laser optics run tens to hundreds of dollars. In this example the all-in cost lands at $30.07 per coated surface once the $450 setup is spread across the batch.
How can I reduce the per-surface coating cost? Load larger batches so the fixed $450 chamber setup is amortized over more surfaces, raise yield to cut wasted deposition, and group parts that share the same recipe so you avoid extra pump-down cycles.
Does this include substrate or polishing cost? No. This calculator covers only the deposition step, the per-surface coating charge plus chamber setup. Substrate fabrication, polishing, cleaning, and metrology are separate line items you would add to the part cost.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.