How do you calculate labor cost per foot in pultrusion?

Multiply the linear feet pulled by your loaded labor rate per foot, scale by the labor capture factor, then add the fixed setup charge; divide the total by feet to get per-foot labor. With 100 ft, a $45/ft loaded rate, 80% capture, and $250 setup, total labor is $3,850 and per-foot labor is $38.50.

Why is my per-foot labor so high on short runs?

The fixed setup and die-prep charge is spread over fewer feet. In the worked example the $250 setup adds $2.50/ft over 100 ft, but the same setup over 1,000 ft would add only $0.25/ft. Longer runs almost always drop per-foot labor.

What is a good labor cost per foot for a pultruded profile?

It depends heavily on cross-section and line speed, but simple structural rod and rebar profiles often run a few dollars per foot in labor, while complex multi-cavity or gel-coated profiles can exceed the $38.50/ft in the example. Benchmark against your own historical runs, not industry averages.

Does labor per foot include the resin and glass?

No. This calculator isolates human labor only. Material cost per foot, die amortization, and energy are separate line items you add to build a full pultrusion cost per foot.

How does the capture factor work?

Capture reflects the share of on-line labor genuinely attributable to this profile. If one operator tends two dies at once, each profile might carry 50-60% capture; a dedicated single-die run might carry 90-100%. The example uses 80%, turning $4,500 of gross labor into $3,600 captured.

Labor per foot vs profile cost per meter — which should I quote in?

Quote in whichever unit your customer's drawings use. Metric-drawn aerospace and European rail profiles typically want cost per meter; North American structural and utility profiles usually want per foot. The underlying labor is identical, only the length unit differs.

Pultrusion & Continuous Composite Profiles calculator

Labor Per Foot Calculator

Labor per foot tells a pultrusion shop what human effort actually costs on each linear foot of profile pulled off the line. Because a pultrusion line runs semi-continuously with one or two operators tending roving creels, resin bath, and the puller, labor spreads thin across long runs but spikes on short ones. Estimators and plant managers use this figure to price custom profiles, decide minimum run lengths, and spot where die changeovers are eating margin. It is the labor half of the classic material-plus-labor pultrusion cost stack.

What this calculator does

Labor per foot tells a pultrusion shop what human effort actually costs on each linear foot of profile pulled off the line.
Use it when labor per foot in pultrusion and continuous composite profiles is being put through a pultrusion and continuous composite profiles weighted-cost review.
It computes total labor cost for a pultrusion run and the resulting labor cost per linear foot by weighting the loaded labor rate against a capture factor and adding a fixed setup charge.

Formula used

Labor Per Foot cost = quantity × rate × capture factor + fixed cost
Per-unit labor per foot = total cost ÷ quantity

Inputs explained

Linear feet pulled per run:
Loaded labor cost per foot:
Direct-labor capture (share of line labor charged to this profile):
Fixed setup and die-prep charge per run:

How to use the result

Use it when quoting a new profile, comparing run-length economics, or validating that a standing labor standard still holds after a line-speed or staffing change.
It treats labor capture as a flat percentage; in reality the operator share of a shared line varies with how many profiles run simultaneously and with scrap-driven rework, so calibrate the capture factor to your actual time studies.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for plastic resins and materials stands at 319.371 (BLS, May 2026), up 19.5% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.

Common questions

How do you calculate labor cost per foot in pultrusion? Multiply the linear feet pulled by your loaded labor rate per foot, scale by the labor capture factor, then add the fixed setup charge; divide the total by feet to get per-foot labor. With 100 ft, a $45/ft loaded rate, 80% capture, and $250 setup, total labor is $3,850 and per-foot labor is $38.50.
Why is my per-foot labor so high on short runs? The fixed setup and die-prep charge is spread over fewer feet. In the worked example the $250 setup adds $2.50/ft over 100 ft, but the same setup over 1,000 ft would add only $0.25/ft. Longer runs almost always drop per-foot labor.
What is a good labor cost per foot for a pultruded profile? It depends heavily on cross-section and line speed, but simple structural rod and rebar profiles often run a few dollars per foot in labor, while complex multi-cavity or gel-coated profiles can exceed the $38.50/ft in the example. Benchmark against your own historical runs, not industry averages.
Does labor per foot include the resin and glass? No. This calculator isolates human labor only. Material cost per foot, die amortization, and energy are separate line items you add to build a full pultrusion cost per foot.
How does the capture factor work? Capture reflects the share of on-line labor genuinely attributable to this profile. If one operator tends two dies at once, each profile might carry 50-60% capture; a dedicated single-die run might carry 90-100%. The example uses 80%, turning $4,500 of gross labor into $3,600 captured.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.