Tooling, Fixtures, Dies & Mold Economics worked example

Tooling Repair Cost at 54% share of repairs done in-house: a worked example

This worked example runs the tooling repair cost numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 54% share of repairs done in-house instead of the typical 75%. Estimate the cost of unplanned tooling and die repairs from incident frequency and average fix cost.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Tooling repair incidents per period: 12 repairs (held at the documented default)
  • Average cost per repair incident: 650 $/repair (held at the documented default)
  • Share of repairs done in-house: 54 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 75)
  • Outside vendor flat charge: 800 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total repair cost = repair incidents x cost per repair x in-house share% + vendor flat.
  • Total tooling repair cost works out to 5,012 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Tooling repair cost per unit works out to 418 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Variable tooling repair cost works out to 4,212 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed tooling repair cost adder works out to 800 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where share of repairs done in-house sits at 75% and the headline result is 6,650 $, this scenario comes in 24.63% below the baseline at 5,012 $.
  • Use it during tool life-cycle reviews, maintenance budgeting, or when building a make-versus-buy case on a tool that keeps coming back to the crib. 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 tooling repair cost: 5,012 $ (headline result)
  • Tooling repair cost per unit: 418 $ / piece
  • Variable tooling repair cost: 4,212 $
  • Fixed tooling repair cost adder: 800 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Tooling Repair Cost calculator, set share of repairs done in-house to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.