How do you calculate cost per thousand feet?

Multiply footage (in MFT) by the per-MFT rate and the billable-share factor, add fixed setup and die cost, then divide the total by the footage. With 100 MFT at $45, an 80% factor and $250 fixed, total is $3,850 and per-unit is $38.50/MFT.

Why include a billable share or yield factor?

Scrap, cobbles and off-spec footage mean not every foot fed becomes billable wire. The 80% factor here scales the variable cost to reflect what actually clears, avoiding an overstated quote.

What is a good cost per thousand feet?

There is no universal figure — it depends on wire size, alloy and number of draws. Track your own baseline per product; the useful signal is whether this run's $38.50/MFT is above or below your historical rate for the same spec.

How much does fixed cost affect per-MFT cost on short runs?

A lot. The $250 fixed cost spread over 100 MFT adds $2.50/MFT here. On a 10 MFT run the same $250 adds $25/MFT, which is why short drawing runs quote much higher per foot.

Cost per thousand feet vs cost per pound — which should I use?

Use cost per MFT when the customer buys by length and per pound when they buy by weight. For fine wire, length dominates; for heavy rod, weight is often cleaner. Convert via the wire's weight-per-MFT.

How do I lower cost per thousand feet?

Raise the billable share by cutting scrap, spread fixed die and setup cost over longer runs, and reduce the per-MFT processing rate through faster line speed or fewer draws. Longer runs give the fastest per-foot improvement.

Wire Drawing & Rod Processing calculator

Cost Per Thousand Feet Calculator

Cost Per Thousand Feet (cost per MFT) is the standard costing unit in wire drawing because wire is sold and consumed by length, not by the piece. It rolls variable processing cost, a yield or billable-share adjustment for scrap, and fixed setup and die cost into a total, then divides back to a per-MFT figure. Estimators and cost engineers use it to quote jobs, compare in-house drawing against buying finished wire, and confirm a run actually cleared its fixed costs. Getting the yield factor right is what separates a real quote from an optimistic one.

What this calculator does

Cost Per Thousand Feet (cost per MFT) is the standard costing unit in wire drawing because wire is sold and consumed by length, not by the piece.
Use it when cost per thousand feet in wire drawing and rod processing is being put through a wire drawing and rod processing weighted-cost review.
Computes total run cost from footage, per-MFT rate and a billable-share factor plus fixed cost, then the resulting cost per thousand feet.

Formula used

Cost Per Thousand Feet cost = quantity × rate × capture factor + fixed cost
Per-unit cost per thousand feet = total cost ÷ quantity

Inputs explained

Thousands of feet drawn:
Processing cost per thousand feet:
Billable share (yield after scrap):
Fixed setup and die cost:

How to use the result

Use it when quoting a drawing job, deciding make-vs-buy on finished wire, or checking whether a completed run covered its die and setup charges.
The billable-share factor is a single multiplier — it captures scrap loss on cost but does not model how yield changes with wire size or a break-prone rod lot, so verify it against recent actuals.

Current U.S. benchmarks

The producer price index for copper and brass mill shapes stands at 559.593 (BLS, May 2026), up 76.8% from a year earlier. Quotes priced off last quarter's material cost miss this move. Global copper trades at $13,484 per tonne (IMF via FRED, May 2026).
The U.S. has 5,397 electrical equipment and appliances establishments employing about 369,437 workers (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).

Common questions

How do you calculate cost per thousand feet? Multiply footage (in MFT) by the per-MFT rate and the billable-share factor, add fixed setup and die cost, then divide the total by the footage. With 100 MFT at $45, an 80% factor and $250 fixed, total is $3,850 and per-unit is $38.50/MFT.
Why include a billable share or yield factor? Scrap, cobbles and off-spec footage mean not every foot fed becomes billable wire. The 80% factor here scales the variable cost to reflect what actually clears, avoiding an overstated quote.
What is a good cost per thousand feet? There is no universal figure — it depends on wire size, alloy and number of draws. Track your own baseline per product; the useful signal is whether this run's $38.50/MFT is above or below your historical rate for the same spec.
How much does fixed cost affect per-MFT cost on short runs? A lot. The $250 fixed cost spread over 100 MFT adds $2.50/MFT here. On a 10 MFT run the same $250 adds $25/MFT, which is why short drawing runs quote much higher per foot.
Cost per thousand feet vs cost per pound — which should I use? Use cost per MFT when the customer buys by length and per pound when they buy by weight. For fine wire, length dominates; for heavy rod, weight is often cleaner. Convert via the wire's weight-per-MFT.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.