Tooling, Fixtures, Dies & Mold Economics worked example

Tool Downtime Cost at 61% tool-attributable share of the stoppage: a worked example

This worked example runs the tool downtime cost numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 61% tool-attributable share of the stoppage instead of the typical 85%. Estimate the production cost of tooling-caused downtime from lost hours and forfeited margin.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Tool-caused downtime duration: 16 hours (held at the documented default)
  • Lost contribution margin per hour: 450 $/hr (held at the documented default)
  • Tool-attributable share of the stoppage: 61 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 85)
  • Restart, purge & scrap flat charge: 700 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total downtime cost = downtime hours x lost margin per hour x tool share% + restart flat.
  • Total tool downtime cost works out to 5,092 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Tool downtime cost per unit works out to 318 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Variable tool downtime cost works out to 4,392 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed tool downtime cost adder works out to 700 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where tool-attributable share of the stoppage sits at 85% and the headline result is 6,820 $, this scenario comes in 25.34% below the baseline at 5,092 $.
  • Use it after a tool failure or planned tool swap to build the cost case for spares, hot-runner upgrades, or a PM interval change, and to compare failure modes by dollar severity. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Total tool downtime cost: 5,092 $ (headline result)
  • Tool downtime cost per unit: 318 $ / piece
  • Variable tool downtime cost: 4,392 $
  • Fixed tool downtime cost adder: 700 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Tool Downtime Cost calculator, set tool-attributable share of the stoppage to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.