How do you calculate inverter assembly cost?

Multiply the number of inverters by the power-stage-plus-labor cost per unit and add the fixed test-station setup for total spend, then divide by the units that PASS burn-in. For 150 units at $640 plus $5,000 setup, total spend is $101,000 across 135 passing units, about $748 per good inverter.

What is a good burn-in pass rate for inverters?

Mature string-inverter lines run 95-99% first-pass burn-in; below 90% you are usually chasing solder-joint, gate-driver, or capacitor faults. At the 90% used in the example, failures load roughly $75 of extra cost onto every passing inverter.

Why include test-station setup as a fixed cost?

Burn-in racks, HALT chambers, and hi-pot stations are amortized per batch regardless of quantity. In the example the $5,000 setup is the entire fixed adder and is the only cost that does not scale with volume, so it dominates per-unit cost on small runs.

How much does per-unit cost drop with volume?

Because the $5,000 setup spreads across more units, doubling the batch from 150 to 300 pushes the fixed portion from about $37 per passing unit toward $19, while the $711 yield-loaded variable portion stays flat.

Variable vs fixed inverter cost, what is the difference?

Variable spend ($96,000 here) is the power-stage and labor for every unit built, pass or fail; fixed cost ($5,000) is the test-station setup you pay once per run. Dividing the $101,000 total by the 135 passing units is what loads failure cost onto good output.

Does this include the power semiconductors and BOM?

Yes, bury your IGBT/SiC modules, magnetics, DC-link caps, and assembly labor into the power-stage-plus-labor rate. Keep enclosure, freight, and warranty reserve in a separate landed-cost model.

Renewable Energy, Solar & Wind Manufacturing calculator

Inverter Assembly Cost Calculator

Inverter Assembly Cost estimates what it takes to build and burn-in solar or wind inverters at a given batch size, combining the per-unit power stage and labor spend with your test-station fixed charges. Production engineers and cost estimators at power-electronics contract manufacturers use it to quote strings of central or string inverters and to see how first-pass burn-in yield eats into landed cost. Because inverters fail thermal cycling and burn-in more than most assemblies, the yield term matters as much as the bill of materials. It gives you both a total for the run and a defensible per-unit number to feed a quote.

What this calculator does

Estimate inverter assembly cost from power-stage and labor spend per unit, burn-in pass rate and one-time test station setup.
A power-electronics line planner uses it to combine IGBT or SiC stage cost, build labor and burn-in yield into a per-inverter assembly cost.
It multiplies inverters assembled by the combined power-stage-plus-labor rate, scales that variable cost by the burn-in pass rate, then adds a fixed test-station setup charge and divides for per-unit cost.

Formula used

Total spend = inverters x (power stage + labor) + test setup
Cost per passing inverter = total spend / (inverters x pass rate%)

Inputs explained

Inverters Assembled:
Power Stage + Labor:
Burn-In Pass Rate:
Test Station Setup:

How to use the result

Use it when quoting an inverter build, planning a burn-in cell, or comparing the cost impact of improving first-pass yield versus cutting BOM cost.
The pass-rate term here scales cost as a capture factor rather than modeling scrapped units and rework loops, so at very low yields it under-states true cost of failed boards.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for copper and brass mill shapes stands at 542.853 (BLS, Jul 2026), up 52.8% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move. Global copper trades at $13,543 per tonne (IMF via FRED, Jul 2026).
Industrial electricity averages 8.71 cents per kWh across the U.S. (EIA, May 2026), up 5.1% from a year earlier. Energy-intensive steps carry this directly into unit cost.

Common questions

How do you calculate inverter assembly cost? Multiply the number of inverters by the power-stage-plus-labor cost per unit and add the fixed test-station setup for total spend, then divide by the units that PASS burn-in. For 150 units at $640 plus $5,000 setup, total spend is $101,000 across 135 passing units, about $748 per good inverter.
What is a good burn-in pass rate for inverters? Mature string-inverter lines run 95-99% first-pass burn-in; below 90% you are usually chasing solder-joint, gate-driver, or capacitor faults. At the 90% used in the example, failures load roughly $75 of extra cost onto every passing inverter.
Why include test-station setup as a fixed cost? Burn-in racks, HALT chambers, and hi-pot stations are amortized per batch regardless of quantity. In the example the $5,000 setup is the entire fixed adder and is the only cost that does not scale with volume, so it dominates per-unit cost on small runs.
How much does per-unit cost drop with volume? Because the $5,000 setup spreads across more units, doubling the batch from 150 to 300 pushes the fixed portion from about $37 per passing unit toward $19, while the $711 yield-loaded variable portion stays flat.
Variable vs fixed inverter cost, what is the difference? Variable spend ($96,000 here) is the power-stage and labor for every unit built, pass or fail; fixed cost ($5,000) is the test-station setup you pay once per run. Dividing the $101,000 total by the 135 passing units is what loads failure cost onto good output.

Last reviewed 2026-08-11.