There are many factors that can affect the cost of your castings and they can vary from supplier to supplier. These factors can change from supplier to supplier because each supplier has different capabilities, manufacturing processes, material costs, etc. In this article we will examine the major factors that will affect costs in order to better help you estimate casting costs.

Metal Choice:
Metal choice is one of the most influential factors in determining cost. Metal costs vary greatly from metal to metal; for example iron typically accounts for 10-25% of total cost while aluminum can be anywhere from 40-60%.

Melting:
Melting affects overall cost due to the cost of the energy used to melt the metal to pour your castings.

Molding:
Molding affects overall costs differently depending on the method used. For example, with permanent molds, molding costs will be minimal, but you also have to pay for the mold. Where as sand molds require a Tooling cost and can account for 5-10% of overall costs.

Pouring:
This cost depends on if the pouring is automated or performed manually. When combined, Pouring and Melting can account for 15-20% of casting costs.

Coremaking:
Coremaking can have a large affect on overall costs if your casting requires multiple cores and the size /complexity of those cores. It can make up 10-20% of overall casting cost.

Finishing:
Cost depends on whether the casting is made from a ferrous or non-ferrous metal. Non-ferrous metals are more conducive to trimming and finishing, reducing costs compared to ferrous metals.

Inspection:
Costs depend on the type of Inspection. Destructive testing requires a casting to be destroyed and inspected internally, further affecting costs. X-ray testing may require the casting to be sent to a testing center, affecting costs.

Heat Treating:
Heat treating may not be necessary for all castings but for those that need it, it's similar to melting as the energy needed to heat treat the casting increases costs.

Shipping:
Shipping depends on the overall weight of the castings being shipped and the distance that they are being shipped.

Machining:
Machining is not always provided by the casting supplier. In our foundry, we offer CNC machining for our castings. Machining can greatly affect costs and depends on many variables. Variables can include machine fixtures, hours spent per casting, metal being machined, number of castings, etc.

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