Should two setters double the elapsed time?

No. Add their staffed hours for labor costing; the press is charged once for the elapsed stop.

Where does external preparation labor go?

Include it in staffed hours. Preparation while the press runs adds labor cost without adding elapsed press stoppage.

What belongs in materials per change?

Include consumed setup materials and first-piece scrap at their cost. Keep costs already included in burden or labor rates out of this input.

Does faster changeover save the whole result?

No. The result includes allocated press cost and paid labor. Cash savings require a real reduction in spending or additional profitable production.

Sheet Metal Stamping & Press Lines calculator

Die Changeover Cost Calculator

Find the period cost of die changes with separate press, labor and material charges. Enter elapsed stop time, total staffed time, rates and change count.

What this calculator does

Allocate press time, staffed labor and materials to die changeovers in a production period.

Formula used

Press cost per change = elapsed hours × press burden
Labor cost per change = staffed person-hours × loaded labor rate
Cost per change = press cost + labor cost + materials
Period cost = cost per change × changes
Stopped press hours = elapsed hours × changes

Inputs explained

Elapsed Time per Change: Last good part to first good part at normal speed.
Staffed Hours per Change: Sum each setter’s paid time, including external preparation.
Loaded Labor Rate: Payroll cost per paid person-hour, including employer burden.
Press Burden Excluding Labor: Accounting press allocation with setter labor removed.
Changes in the Period: Count of completed die changes in the period.
Materials per Change: Invoices and first-piece scrap cost per change.

How to use the result

Best suited to allocating a month of die changes, pricing external die preparation.
Allocated press burden is not automatically a cash saving. Does not price lost sales, expedited freight or change-specific rate differences.

Current U.S. benchmarks

As of Sep 2026, average hourly earnings in U.S. manufacturing are $30.21 (BLS), up 3.4% from a year earlier. Burdened shop rates typically run 1.3 to 1.8 times earnings once benefits and overhead are loaded.
The producer price index for steel mill products stands at 381.162 (BLS, Aug 2026), up 23.4% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move.
U.S. iron and steel import customs value ran $2.2B in Aug 2026 (Census International Trade). The U.S. ran a trade deficit of $0.6B in the category that month. This dollar total mixes price, quantity, product mix, origin, and timing; it does not measure physical import volume or prove a tariff or reshoring effect.
The U.S. has 53,790 fabricated metal products establishments employing about 1,441,471 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

Should two setters double the elapsed time? No. Add their staffed hours for labor costing; the press is charged once for the elapsed stop.
Where does external preparation labor go? Include it in staffed hours. Preparation while the press runs adds labor cost without adding elapsed press stoppage.
What belongs in materials per change? Include consumed setup materials and first-piece scrap at their cost. Keep costs already included in burden or labor rates out of this input.
Does faster changeover save the whole result? No. The result includes allocated press cost and paid labor. Cash savings require a real reduction in spending or additional profitable production.

Related guides

Cutting the True Cost of Die Changeovers

Last reviewed 2026-10-06.