Wire Harness, Cable & Electromechanical Assembly worked example

Harness Quote Cost at 98% margin realization factor: a worked example

This scenario runs the harness quote cost calculation on the strong side: 98% margin realization factor, with every other input held at its documented default. An estimator responding to an RFQ uses it to roll loaded build cost, expected margin and first-article charges into a single quoted price.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Harnesses in the quoted lot: 500 units (unchanged)
  • Build cost per harness: 42 $/unit (unchanged)
  • Margin realization factor: 98 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 85)
  • NRE, tooling & first-article charge: 2,200 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total = harnesses x build cost x margin realization% + NRE charge) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 22,780 $ for total harness quote cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 45.56 $ / piece for harness quote cost per unit.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 20,580 $ for variable harness quote cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2,200 $ for fixed harness quote cost adder.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where margin realization factor sits at 85% and the headline result is 20,050 $, this scenario comes in 13.62% above the baseline at 22,780 $.
  • Use it when pricing a new harness RFQ or re-quoting a program at a different volume, especially where tooling or first-article charges apply. Treat this as a target state: the delta against the baseline quantifies what the improvement is worth before you commit to chasing it.

Results at a glance

  • Total harness quote cost: 22,780 $ (headline result)
  • Harness quote cost per unit: 45.56 $ / piece
  • Variable harness quote cost: 20,580 $
  • Fixed harness quote cost adder: 2,200 $

Run it with your numbers

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

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.