Semiconductor Advanced Packaging & Test worked example

Probe Card Cost at 61% probe card utilization: a worked example

Suppose probe card utilization falls to 61%. This page works the full calculation at that level so you can see exactly which result moves and by how much. Estimates the amortized probe card cost allocated across wafer test volume.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Wafers probed: 8,000 wafers (held at the documented default)
  • Probe card cost per wafer: 3.2 $/wafer (held at the documented default)
  • Probe card utilization: 61 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 85)
  • Cleaning and maintenance reserve: 6,000 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total = wafers probed x card cost per wafer x utilization% + maintenance reserve.
  • Total probe card cost works out to 21,616 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Probe card cost per unit works out to 2.7 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Variable probe card cost works out to 15,616 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed probe card cost adder works out to 6,000 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where probe card utilization sits at 85% and the headline result is 27,760 $, this scenario comes in 22.13% below the baseline at 21,616 $.
  • It computes the total probe card cost and the amortized cost per wafer, combining variable per-wafer cost at your utilization with a fixed cleaning and maintenance reserve. When the numbers land here, the stressed input is the lever to work; the walkthrough above shows exactly how much each output recovers as it climbs back toward the baseline.

Results at a glance

  • Total probe card cost: 21,616 $ (headline result)
  • Probe card cost per unit: 2.7 $ / piece
  • Variable probe card cost: 15,616 $
  • Fixed probe card cost adder: 6,000 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Probe Card Cost calculator, set probe card utilization to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.