BOM Cost Estimator
Quantity price breaks and total project cost
Required Parameters
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Quick Answer
Total BOM cost = Σ(unit price × quantity) + assembly cost. Price breaks typically occur at 100, 1000, and 10000 units.
Design Notes
Component pricing follows a non-linear curve. Typical volume discounts: 100 units = 10-15% off, 1K = 20-30% off, 10K = 30-50% off. Always budget 5-10% for component waste and attrition. Factor in shipping, customs (3-5%), and MOQ constraints. NRE costs (PCB tooling, stencils) are amortized across the production run.
Common Mistakes
- 1
Quoting single-unit prices for production volumes — always get quantity pricing.
- 2
Forgetting passive components — they're cheap per unit but add up across hundreds of line items.
- 3
Not accounting for MOQ — buying 100 of a component with 3000 MOQ wastes budget.
Knowledge Base
How do I estimate BOM cost for a prototype?
Sum all component unit prices at single-quantity pricing, add PCB cost ($2-5 per board for standard 2-layer from JLCPCB/PCBWay), add assembly cost ($5-20 per board for manual, $0.50-2 for automated SMT). Prototype BOM is typically 3-5× more expensive per unit than production pricing due to no volume discounts.
What are typical volume price breaks?
Component pricing tiers: 1-9 pcs (list price), 10-99 (5-10% off), 100-999 (15-25% off), 1K-9999 (25-35% off), 10K+ (35-50% off). Passive components (resistors, caps) show the steepest discounts: a 0402 resistor might be $0.10 at qty 1 but $0.002 at qty 10K. ICs and connectors have flatter curves.
How do I reduce BOM cost?
Design strategies: (1) Reduce unique part count — fewer line items = less procurement overhead. (2) Use common values (10kΩ, 100nF) across the design. (3) Consolidate resistor values to a single package size. (4) Replace specialty ICs with MCU firmware. (5) Design for single-sided SMT assembly. (6) Eliminate unnecessary test points and connectors for production.
What hidden costs should I include?
Often missed: PCB tooling/setup ($0-50 depending on fabricator), stencil ($10-30), shipping/customs (3-8% of component cost), component waste/attrition (5-10%), minimum order quantities (MOQ) forcing overbuying, tape and reel fees for small quantities, and assembly NRE (non-recurring engineering) charges.
How do I compare China vs US/EU component sourcing?
Chinese distributors (LCSC, Szlcsc): 30-70% cheaper for passives and common ICs, $15-30 shipping, 7-14 day delivery. US/EU (DigiKey, Mouser, Farnell): full parametric search, guaranteed authenticity, 1-3 day delivery, better for precision/automotive grade parts. Mix both: LCSC for passives, DigiKey for critical ICs and connectors.
What is NRE cost and how do I amortize it?
NRE (Non-Recurring Engineering) includes: PCB design, prototyping, tooling (injection molds: $2K-50K, test fixtures: $500-5K), certifications (CE/FCC: $3K-15K). Amortize across production: $10K NRE over 1000 units = $10/unit. Over 10,000 units = $1/unit. NRE becomes negligible at scale but dominates small-run costs.