How do you calculate scrap cost in thermoforming?

Multiply scrapped units by value per unit by the unrecoverable capture share, then add fixed overhead. With 100 units at $45, an 80% capture factor and $250 overhead you get $3,850 total, or $38.50 per scrapped part.

What does the capture factor mean here?

It is the fraction of each part's value that stays lost after scrap. An 80% factor assumes 20% is clawed back as usable regrind; in this example that leaves $3,600 of captured (lost) value on top of the $250 fixed adjustment.

Why add a fixed cost to scrap?

Handling, granulating, purging and disposal carry costs that do not scale with unit count. The $250 fixed adjustment captures that baseline so low-volume scrap events are not undercounted.

What is a good scrap cost for a formed-part line?

Lower is obviously better, but judge it as a percentage of run value: if a 100-part reject stream costs $3,850 against a large good-part output, it may be tolerable; on a short run it is a red flag.

Scrap cost vs scrap rate — what is the difference?

Scrap rate is a count or percentage of parts; scrap cost weights those parts by dollars and by how much value is unrecoverable, so a low rate on a decorated, high-value part can still dominate cost.

How can I lower per-unit scrap cost?

Cut the unrecoverable share by improving regrind capture and blending, reduce the value at risk by catching defects before print or trim, and attack the fixed overhead through better granulation logistics.

Thermoforming & Vacuum Formed Products calculator

Scrap Cost Calculator

Scrap Cost quantifies the money lost to rejected formed parts, weighted by how much of each part's value you can never recover after trimming, forming, and decoration. In thermoforming, scrap is expensive because value is added late: a web that webs or a part that pulls thin has already consumed sheet, heat, cycle time and often print. Quality engineers and estimators use this to separate recoverable regrind value from truly sunk cost, and to prioritise which defect modes to chase first. It turns a vague reject rate into a defensible dollar figure you can take to a corrective-action meeting.

What this calculator does

Scrap Cost quantifies the money lost to rejected formed parts, weighted by how much of each part's value you can never recover after trimming, forming, and decoration.
Use it when scrap cost in thermoforming and vacuum formed products is being put through a thermoforming and vacuum formed products weighted-cost review.
It multiplies scrapped units by their value and the unrecoverable capture share, adds fixed handling overhead, and reports both total and per-unit scrap cost.

Formula used

Scrap Cost cost = quantity × rate × capture factor + fixed cost
Per-unit scrap cost = total cost ÷ quantity

Inputs explained

Scrapped formed parts in the run:
Value lost per scrapped part:
Share of part value unrecoverable at scrap:
Fixed scrap-handling and regrind overhead:

How to use the result

Use it after a problem run, during a scrap-reduction project, or when deciding whether a defect stream is worth a tooling or process fix.
The capture factor is an estimate of how much value is genuinely lost; regrind value, contamination limits and material blend all shift it, so audit that percentage against real reclaim data.

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.
The U.S. has 9,635 plastics product manufacturing establishments employing about 677,302 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate scrap cost in thermoforming? Multiply scrapped units by value per unit by the unrecoverable capture share, then add fixed overhead. With 100 units at $45, an 80% capture factor and $250 overhead you get $3,850 total, or $38.50 per scrapped part.
What does the capture factor mean here? It is the fraction of each part's value that stays lost after scrap. An 80% factor assumes 20% is clawed back as usable regrind; in this example that leaves $3,600 of captured (lost) value on top of the $250 fixed adjustment.
Why add a fixed cost to scrap? Handling, granulating, purging and disposal carry costs that do not scale with unit count. The $250 fixed adjustment captures that baseline so low-volume scrap events are not undercounted.
What is a good scrap cost for a formed-part line? Lower is obviously better, but judge it as a percentage of run value: if a 100-part reject stream costs $3,850 against a large good-part output, it may be tolerable; on a short run it is a red flag.
Scrap cost vs scrap rate — what is the difference? Scrap rate is a count or percentage of parts; scrap cost weights those parts by dollars and by how much value is unrecoverable, so a low rate on a decorated, high-value part can still dominate cost.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.