How do you calculate progressive die scrap rate?

Divide the scrap count by the total parts inspected and multiply by 100. With 8 scrap out of 250 parts, that is 8 / 250 x 100 = 3.2% scrap rate.

What is a good scrap rate for progressive die stamping?

Mature high-volume stamping often targets under 1-2% scrap, though tight micro-forming can run higher. The 3.2% here sits above a 95% good-part target, so it flags an out-of-target lot worth investigating.

What does the gap-to-target number mean here?

The calculator reports the difference between the measured scrap rate and the target figure you entered. With a target field of 95, the gap is 91.8 points, so read it as distance from your entered reference rather than a raw pass/fail.

Why is my progressive die scrap rate climbing during a run?

The usual causes are punch and die wear dulling the shear, pilot pins drifting, coil camber or thickness variation, and lubrication breakdown. A rising rate mid-run points to a degrading station rather than a one-off misfeed.

Scrap rate vs first-pass yield: what is the difference?

Scrap rate is the percentage rejected; first-pass yield is the percentage passing. They are complements, so a 3.2% scrap rate corresponds to a 96.8% first-pass yield on that lot.

How many parts should I sample to trust the scrap rate?

On low counts a single reject swings the number hard: 8 of 250 is 3.2%, but 9 of 250 jumps to 3.6%. Use a large enough population per check that one stray part does not dominate the reading.

Precision Springs, Stampings & Micro-Formed Components calculator

Progressive Die Scrap Calculator

Progressive die scrap rate is the percentage of stamped parts that come off the strip as rejects rather than good product. Quality engineers and press operators track it to catch die wear, misfeeds, and material problems before they consume a coil. On a progressive die running springs or micro-formed contacts, a creeping scrap rate is the earliest signal that a punch is dulling or a pilot is drifting. Measuring it against a target keeps a station-by-station tool from quietly bleeding yield and material cost.

What this calculator does

Estimate progressive die scrap for precision springs, stampings and micro-formed components using production-ready inputs so teams can track KPI performance and decide whether corrective action is needed.
Use it when progressive die scrap in precision springs, stampings and micro-formed components needs a clean rate and gap-to-target you can put on a tier board.
It computes the scrap rate as reject count divided by total parts times 100, and reports the gap between that rate and your target.

Formula used

Progressive die scrap rate = progressive die scrap count ÷ total progressive die scrap population × 100
Progressive die scrap gap to target = progressive die scrap rate - target progressive die scrap rate

Inputs explained

Progressive die scrap count:
Total progressive die scrap population:
Target progressive die scrap rate:

How to use the result

Use it during a run to trend scrap, at end-of-run to grade a lot, or when auditing a die that is drifting out of spec.
A single scrap rate hides where in the die parts fail; two identical rates can mean a stray misfeed or a systematically worn station, so pair it with defect-location data.

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.
The U.S. has 53,790 fabricated metal products establishments employing about 1,441,471 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate progressive die scrap rate? Divide the scrap count by the total parts inspected and multiply by 100. With 8 scrap out of 250 parts, that is 8 / 250 x 100 = 3.2% scrap rate.
What is a good scrap rate for progressive die stamping? Mature high-volume stamping often targets under 1-2% scrap, though tight micro-forming can run higher. The 3.2% here sits above a 95% good-part target, so it flags an out-of-target lot worth investigating.
What does the gap-to-target number mean here? The calculator reports the difference between the measured scrap rate and the target figure you entered. With a target field of 95, the gap is 91.8 points, so read it as distance from your entered reference rather than a raw pass/fail.
Why is my progressive die scrap rate climbing during a run? The usual causes are punch and die wear dulling the shear, pilot pins drifting, coil camber or thickness variation, and lubrication breakdown. A rising rate mid-run points to a degrading station rather than a one-off misfeed.
Scrap rate vs first-pass yield: what is the difference? Scrap rate is the percentage rejected; first-pass yield is the percentage passing. They are complements, so a 3.2% scrap rate corresponds to a 96.8% first-pass yield on that lot.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.