Plating, Anodizing & Surface Treatment worked example

Pretreatment Cost at 99% surface-prep first-pass pass rate: a worked example

This scenario runs the pretreatment cost calculation on the strong side: 99% surface-prep first-pass pass rate, with every other input held at its documented default. Use it when pricing the alkaline clean, etch, and rinse stages that condition parts before plating or anodizing.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Parts run through pretreatment: 200 parts (unchanged)
  • Chemical and labor cost per part: 1.1 $/part (unchanged)
  • Surface-prep first-pass pass rate: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 97)
  • Bath makeup and dump adder: 75 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Pretreatment cost = parts x cost per part x pass rate% + bath makeup and dump adder) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 293 $ for total pretreatment cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1.46 $ / piece for pretreatment cost per unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 218 $ for variable pretreatment cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 75 $ for fixed pretreatment cost adder.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where surface-prep first-pass pass rate sits at 97% and the headline result is 288 $, this scenario comes in 1.53% above the baseline at 293 $.
  • Use it when quoting a finishing job, comparing an in-house clean line against outsourcing, or sizing the fixed cost of a bath changeover. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Total pretreatment cost: 293 $ (headline result)
  • Pretreatment cost per unit: 1.46 $ / piece
  • Variable pretreatment cost: 218 $
  • Fixed pretreatment cost adder: 75 $

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.