How do you calculate cost per sintered part?

Multiply lot size by conversion cost per part and the yield factor, add fixed tooling and setup, then divide by the lot. For 100 parts at $45, an 80% yield factor and $250 setup, total is $3,850 and cost per part is $38.50.

Why does cost per part fall so fast with bigger lots?

The $250 fixed tooling and setup is spread over more parts. At 100 parts it adds $2.50/part; at 1,000 parts the same $250 adds only $0.25/part, which is why PM favors long runs.

What is a typical cost per sintered part?

It ranges widely by size and complexity — a small gear or bushing may run under a dollar, while a large multi-level structural part can exceed several dollars. The $38.50 default reflects a costly or low-volume scenario; scale the inputs to your part.

How does yield affect cost per sintered part?

Scrap forces you to make more parts to ship the same quantity, so a lower good-part yield factor raises the effective cost per shippable part. Improving yield is often cheaper than cutting conversion cost.

What is included in conversion cost per part?

Typically the variable cost to turn powder into a finished part: powder, pressing labor and machine time, sintering energy, and secondary operations like sizing or machining — everything except the fixed setup captured separately.

Cost per sintered part vs piece price — what is the difference?

Cost per sintered part is your internal cost to produce one good part. Piece price adds margin, packaging and freight, so the quoted price sits above the $38.50 cost figure.

Powder Metallurgy & Sintered Parts calculator

Cost Per Sintered Part Calculator

Cost Per Sintered Part is the fully loaded cost to make one acceptable powder-metal component, blending variable conversion cost, a yield adjustment for scrap, and fixed tooling and setup spread across the lot. Estimators and PM plant managers rely on it to quote jobs and to see which lever — bigger lots, better yield, or lower conversion cost — moves the number most. Because PM economics live and die on volume, the fixed setup term dominates small runs and nearly vanishes on large ones. Getting this figure right is the difference between a profitable automotive PM contract and one that bleeds margin on every shipment.

What this calculator does

Cost Per Sintered Part is the fully loaded cost to make one acceptable powder-metal component, blending variable conversion cost, a yield adjustment for scrap, and fixed tooling and setup spread across the lot.
Use it when cost per sintered part in powder metallurgy and sintered parts is being put through a powder metallurgy and sintered parts weighted-cost review.
It computes total lot cost as parts x conversion cost x yield factor plus fixed tooling and setup, then divides by the lot to give cost per good sintered part.

Formula used

Cost Per Sintered Part cost = quantity × rate × capture factor + fixed cost
Per-unit cost per sintered part = total cost ÷ quantity

Inputs explained

Parts in the production lot:
Conversion cost per part:
Good-part yield factor:
Fixed tooling & setup cost:

How to use the result

Use it when quoting a PM part, comparing lot-size scenarios, or checking whether a yield improvement justifies a tooling or process change.
The yield factor and conversion cost are single blended numbers, so the model will not separate powder cost from furnace and secondary-operation cost unless you feed those in deliberately.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 348.53 (BLS, May 2026), up 6.7% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
U.S. iron and steel imports ran $2.1B in May 2026 (Census International Trade). The U.S. ran a trade deficit of $0.4B in the category that month. Import volumes are the pressure gauge behind tariff and reshoring decisions.

Common questions

How do you calculate cost per sintered part? Multiply lot size by conversion cost per part and the yield factor, add fixed tooling and setup, then divide by the lot. For 100 parts at $45, an 80% yield factor and $250 setup, total is $3,850 and cost per part is $38.50.
Why does cost per part fall so fast with bigger lots? The $250 fixed tooling and setup is spread over more parts. At 100 parts it adds $2.50/part; at 1,000 parts the same $250 adds only $0.25/part, which is why PM favors long runs.
What is a typical cost per sintered part? It ranges widely by size and complexity — a small gear or bushing may run under a dollar, while a large multi-level structural part can exceed several dollars. The $38.50 default reflects a costly or low-volume scenario; scale the inputs to your part.
How does yield affect cost per sintered part? Scrap forces you to make more parts to ship the same quantity, so a lower good-part yield factor raises the effective cost per shippable part. Improving yield is often cheaper than cutting conversion cost.
What is included in conversion cost per part? Typically the variable cost to turn powder into a finished part: powder, pressing labor and machine time, sintering energy, and secondary operations like sizing or machining — everything except the fixed setup captured separately.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.