Cost, Quantity and Lead Time
What drives the price, panels, break-even between methods, shipping and duty, and the cost of a respin.
What drives the price
A fabrication price has a fixed part (set-up, tooling and handling) and a part that grows with the area of board made, and with the number of layers, the fineness of the rules, the finish and the speed. For a small board the fixed part dominates, so five boards cost barely less than ten. All prices on this page come from a simple illustrative model, not a quote: use your service’s own calculator.
| What increases the price | By how much (typical) |
|---|---|
| More layers (2 to 4) | About 2 times; 6 layers about 4 times |
| Larger board | In proportion to area above the cheapest size (about 100 × 100 mm) |
| Finer rules (below 0.15 mm, holes below 0.3 mm) | A noticeable surcharge |
| ENIG instead of HASL | A surcharge per board or per area |
| Non-green mask, thick copper, thin or thick board | A small surcharge and sometimes a longer lead time |
| Faster production (1 to 2 days instead of 4 or 5) | Often 2 to 3 times |
| Shipping and duty | Often more than the boards for a small order |
| Assembly | Set-up, stencil, parts and placement; see Assembly: Stencils, Reflow and Assembly Services |
Quantity: the set-up fee
Worked example: why the price per board falls so fast
Suppose a service charges $5.00 to set up the job plus $0.012 per cm² of board for each board, with a 20 % discount above 10 boards (assumed numbers). For a 40 × 25 mm board (10.0 cm²):
| Quantity | Total | Per board | Per board against the area-only price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $5.60 | $1.12 | 9.3× the area-only price |
| 10 | $6.20 | $0.62 | 5.2× the area-only price |
| 30 | $7.88 | $0.26 | 2.2× the area-only price |
| 100 | $14.60 | $0.15 | 1.2× the area-only price |
| 500 | $53.00 | $0.11 | 0.9× the area-only price |
- At 5 boards the set-up is 89 % of the price; at 100 boards it is 34 %. The price per board drops from $1.12 to $0.15 and flattens toward the area cost.
- The sensible rule: order the quantity you can use, plus a few spares, once.
Size, layers and options
| Board size | Area | Total for 10 | Per board |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 × 20 mm | 4.0 cm² | $5.48 | $0.55 |
| 40 × 25 mm | 10.0 cm² | $6.20 | $0.62 |
| 70 × 50 mm | 35.0 cm² | $9.20 | $0.92 |
| 100 × 100 mm | 100.0 cm² | $17.00 | $1.70 |
| 150 × 100 mm | 150.0 cm² | $23.00 | $2.30 |
| Layers | Price factor (typical) | Price of 10 boards (model, 40 × 25 mm) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 layers | 1.0× | $6.20 |
| 4 layers | 2.2× | $13.64 |
| 6 layers | 3.8× | $23.56 |
| 8 layers | 6.0× | $37.20 |
Making a board smaller, or two boards into one, saves in proportion to the area: but only if the cost is area-driven, which it is for orders over a few boards. Check whether the service has a price break at a certain size (for example 100 × 100 mm).
Panels and how many boards fit
Worked example: how many small boards fit on a panel?
- A board is 40 × 25 mm. Services that charge by panel, or assemble in panels, want boards with a gap (2 mm) and a rail (5 mm) around the edge for the machine to hold.
- In a 100 × 100 mm area: floor((100 − 2 × 5 + 2) ÷ (40 + 2)) = 2 across and floor((100 − 2 × 5 + 2) ÷ (25 + 2)) = 3 down.
- That is 6 boards per panel (60 % of the area). Fifty boards need 9 panels. V-scoring (boards touching, straight cuts) saves the gaps and gives a few more boards (see Manufacturing Rules, Files and Design Review).
Shipping, tax and customs
| Method | Typical cost | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Express courier, 3 to 5 days | $20 | 5 days |
| Registered air mail, 10 to 20 days | $8 | 15 days |
| Surface or untracked, 3 to 6 weeks | $3 | 35 days |
Worked example: the real cost of ten boards
- Ten boards cost $6.20. Express shipping adds $20: $26.20. A 10 % tax or duty on the total (it depends on your country and may apply on the shipping too) makes $28.82.
- Shipping and tax are 78 % of the bill: the boards cost far less than the headline price. Slow shipping saves $12 and costs three weeks.
- Check the service’s duty-paid option and the rules for your country.
Break-even between methods
Worked example: service or home-made?
- Model costs for five 40 × 25 mm boards: service $20 (including $14 shipping), home etching $20, CNC milling $10 (consumables only; your time and the machine are not counted).
- The service becomes cheaper than etching from about 5 boards and cheaper than milling from about 14 boards, counting money only (see Choosing a Route: Breadboard to Production for the cost including time).
- A milling machine of $800 pays for itself against service orders of five boards only after about 84 such orders: buy a mill for the speed of iteration, not for the saving.
The cost of a respin
The board price is small next to the cost of getting the design wrong. A faulty board means rework, a new run, new assembly and weeks of delay.
Worked example: is a design review worth it?
- A respin costs 20 hours of engineering at $50 (1 000), new boards $120 and assembly $150: $1 270. A delay of 3 weeks at $400 a week of project cost adds $1 200: $2 470 in all.
- A careful design review of 8 hours costs $400. It pays for itself if it cuts the chance of a respin by $400 ÷ $1 270 = 31 % (or 16 % counting the delay). A review that finds one error in three boards does that easily.
- This is why the checklist in Manufacturing Rules, Files and Design Review comes before the order button.
Lead time and how to shorten it
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Engineering check and file review | Hours to 1 day |
| Fabrication (standard 2-layer) | 2 to 5 working days; 24 hours for a rush |
| Shipping (international express) | 3 to 7 days; post 1 to 3 weeks |
| Customs clearance | 0 to several days |
| Assembly (if ordered) | 3 to 10 working days plus parts sourcing |
- Order early and use the wait to write and test the software on a development board.
- Pay for the rush only when the project cost per day exceeds the rush fee.
- Make the first spin simple: two layers, standard rules, HASL, green mask.
- Use a local service for a deadline, and an overseas one for the bulk.
- Have the parts before the boards arrive.
Budgeting a project
Worked example: the board budget for a small product
| Spin | Boards | Cost (model) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spin 1: first board, find errors | 5 | $20 | 10 days |
| Spin 2: fix errors, add features | 5 | $20 | 10 days |
| Spin 3: pre-production | 10 | $20 | 10 days |
- Total for three spins: $59 and about 30 days of waiting (the spins can overlap with the software work).
- Add assembly (about $20 per board for a small run, which is 84 % of the cost of a finished board), parts, test and your time: the bare boards are usually the smallest part of the bill.
- A rule of thumb: budget three to five times the bare-board price for a finished prototype.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Quote is higher than expected | Options, size, shipping or duty | Check each option; try a smaller board or HASL; compare shipping |
| Price per board barely falls with quantity | Area-driven price on a large board | Reduce the size; panelize efficiently |
| Order is late | Engineering query unanswered; customs | Answer promptly; use a tracked courier |
| Total cost keeps growing | Respins and delays | Review before ordering; test on a development board first |
| Parts cost more than the boards | Normal | Budget parts and assembly early (see Assembly) |
Related
- PCB Prototyping: the overview of this guide.
- Choosing a Route: Breadboard to Production: choosing a route.
- Ordering from a Fabrication Service: ordering.
- Assembly: Stencils, Reflow and Assembly Services: assembly cost.
FAQ
Why do five PCBs cost almost as much as ten?
The fixed set-up fee dominates for small boards, so the first few boards carry most of the cost. Order ten.
How much does a PCB prototype cost?
A few dollars for ten small two-layer boards plus shipping, which often costs more than the boards. Assembly and parts add far more.
Is it cheaper to make the board myself?
For one board, yes. For five or more, a service is usually cheaper and gives plated holes and a solder mask.
How can I get boards faster?
Pay for the rush production and express shipping, use a local service, or make the first board with a mill or etching.
What does a respin cost?
Typically ten or more times the price of the bare boards once engineering time, assembly and delay are counted.
References
- Fabricators’ published price calculators and shipping rates (JLCPCB, PCBWay, OSH Park).
- Coombs, C. F. (ed.), Printed Circuits Handbook, McGraw-Hill (cost drivers).
- Boothroyd, G., Dewhurst, P. and Knight, W., Product Design for Manufacture and Assembly, CRC Press.
Last reviewed: October 2026. All prices are an illustrative model, not quotes.