China Manufacturing Cost Calculator
Estimate the unit manufacturing cost of a product made in China — bill of materials, labor, overhead, tooling and packaging — to understand your factory cost before import.
Enter your bill of materials and production assumptions. All cost figures are user-entered estimates; we never invent material or labor rates. Results update as you type.
Production run
The number of finished units you are costing.
Enter a production quantity greater than zero.
Bill of materials
Each material that goes into one finished unit.
Labor & overhead
Direct labor and factory overhead applied to the run.
Enter a number of zero or more.
Enter a number of zero or more.
% of direct cost (materials + labor).
Any other per-unit fixed cost.
Tooling & packaging
One-off tooling spread across the run, plus packaging.
Molds, dies, setup — one-off cost.
Units the tooling cost is divided across.
Enter a number of zero or more.
Optional — to estimate the quoted price.
CNY → USD exchange rate
Used to convert any CNY amounts into USD.
Live ECB rate is fetched automatically. Override it here if you need a different rate.
Daily ECB reference rate. For planning only — verify before transacting.
Enter your numbers to see the result
Please fix the highlighted fields.
- • Enter a production quantity greater than zero.
- • Enter a number of zero or more.
- • Enter a number of zero or more.
- • Enter a number of zero or more.
Understanding manufacturing cost in China
What goes into a unit cost?
The factory price you are quoted is rarely the full story. A complete manufacturing cost includes the materials in the bill of materials (BOM), the direct labor to assemble the product, factory overhead, any one-off tooling or molds spread across the production run, and packaging. Adding these up gives the true cost to make one unit.
Materials, labor and overhead
Materials are summed from your BOM: each line is the material’s cost per unit times how many are used in one product. Labor is hours per unit times the labor rate. Overhead is usually expressed as a percentage of the direct cost (materials plus labor) and covers factory running expenses such as utilities, equipment and supervision.
Why tooling matters
Molds, dies and setup are one-off costs. If you spread them across a large production run, the per-unit impact is small; across a small run, it can dominate. This calculator amortizes your tooling total across the number of units you specify, so you can see the per-unit effect directly.
From cost to quoted price
The manufacturing cost is what it costs to make the product. A factory then adds a margin to arrive at the price it quotes you. Use the optional factory margin to estimate that quoted price, and combine it with our China → US Import Cost Calculator to see the full landed cost once the product reaches the US.
Frequently asked questions
- Are the material and labor rates live?
- No. They are editable estimates. Enter the figures from your supplier quote and factory for an accurate result.
- What if I don’t know the overhead rate?
- Ask the factory, or use a typical range for your product type. The calculator shows the per-unit impact so you can test different overhead assumptions.
- Is my data sent anywhere?
- No. All calculations run in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored on a server.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for informational and planning purposes only. Actual manufacturing costs vary by supplier, material prices, labor rates and order terms. Confirm figures with your manufacturer. This is not business, procurement, or financial advice.
Related China–US tools
More practical tools for doing business between China and the United States are on the way.
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- China Tariff CalculatorOpen →Estimate US tariffs and additional duties for a product by its value and applicable rates.
- China Import Duty CalculatorComing soonCalculate customs duty on a China import using the applicable rate.
- China → US Shipping CalculatorComing soonCompare air, sea and express freight for a China shipment.
- Amazon FBA China Profit CalculatorOpen →Model profit after FBA fees, referral fees and inbound shipping.
- China vs US Manufacturing CalculatorComing soonCompare landed cost of manufacturing in China versus the US.