Renewable Energy, Solar & Wind Manufacturing worked example

Tower Fabrication Cost at 69% sound weld yield: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop sound weld yield to 69%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimates the fabrication cost of a wind turbine steel tower from plate tonnage, conversion rate, weld yield and fixed tooling.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Steel Plate Tonnage: 180 tons (held at the documented default)
  • Fabrication Cost per Ton: 1,450 $/ton (held at the documented default)
  • Sound Weld Yield: 69 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 96)
  • Tooling and Setup Charge: 35,000 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total = plate tonnage x fab cost/ton x sound weld yield% + tooling charge.
  • Total tower fabrication cost works out to 215,090 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Tower fabrication cost per unit works out to 1,195 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Variable tower fabrication cost works out to 180,090 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed tower fabrication cost adder works out to 35,000 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where sound weld yield sits at 96% and the headline result is 285,560 $, this scenario comes in 24.68% below the baseline at 215,090 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to sound weld yield, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. Sound-weld yield scales the variable fab cost as a capture factor and does not itemize individual repair labor, grind-out, or re-inspection cycles, so it is a costing estimate rather than a weld-repair audit.

Results at a glance

  • Total tower fabrication cost: 215,090 $ (headline result)
  • Tower fabrication cost per unit: 1,195 $ / piece
  • Variable tower fabrication cost: 180,090 $
  • Fixed tower fabrication cost adder: 35,000 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Tower Fabrication Cost calculator, set sound weld yield to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.