Tooling, Fixtures, Dies & Mold Economics worked example

Fixture Build Cost at 99% billable labor utilization: a worked example

Push billable labor utilization up to 99% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. A toolroom quotes a custom locating fixture for a new part before releasing the build order.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Fixture build labor hours: 60 hours (unchanged)
  • Toolroom shop rate: 95 $/hr (unchanged)
  • Billable labor utilization: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 90)
  • Material & hardware flat cost: 1,500 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total fixture cost = build hours x shop rate x billable utilization% + material flat) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 7,143 $ for total fixture build cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 119 $ / piece for fixture build cost per unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 5,643 $ for variable fixture build cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 1,500 $ for fixed fixture build cost adder.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where billable labor utilization sits at 90% and the headline result is 6,630 $, this scenario comes in 7.74% above the baseline at 7,143 $.
  • It computes the total fully-loaded build cost of a fixture as recovered labor (hours x rate x billable utilization) plus a flat material and hardware charge, and the resulting cost per build hour. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Total fixture build cost: 7,143 $ (headline result)
  • Fixture build cost per unit: 119 $ / piece
  • Variable fixture build cost: 5,643 $
  • Fixed fixture build cost adder: 1,500 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Fixture Build Cost calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.