Cost benchmark
Tooling cost: injection molds, dies and fixtures
Tooling is the single largest cash spike before revenue, and it is quoted per tool — not per product. Founders under-budget it because they count parts, not cavities, and forget the two or three tool revisions that follow first shots.
| Line item | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soft/aluminum mold (prototype tooling) | $1,500 | $5,000 | $12,000 |
| Hardened steel mold, single cavity | $8,000 | $18,000 | $45,000 |
| Multi-cavity production mold | $25,000 | $60,000 | $150,000 |
| Die casting tool | $10,000 | $28,000 | $80,000 |
| Sheet metal / stamping die | $2,000 | $9,000 | $35,000 |
| Assembly & test fixtures | $1,000 | $5,000 | $18,000 |
| Tool revisions (per change) | $500 | $2,500 | $8,000 |
What drives the range
- Number of unique molded parts, not number of products
- Cavity count, which trades tooling cash against unit price
- Tool steel grade and expected tool life (100k vs 1M shots)
- Undercuts, side actions and cosmetic surface finish (SPI A1 is expensive)
- Asian versus domestic toolmakers, and who owns the tool afterwards
Common questions
How much does injection mold tooling cost?
A single-cavity aluminum prototype tool starts near $1,500 to $5,000. A hardened steel production tool for a cosmetic consumer part typically runs $18,000 to $45,000, and a full product with 6 to 10 molded parts commonly totals $60,000 to $200,000.
Should I pay for soft tooling first?
Usually yes if you expect design changes. Soft tooling gets you a few thousand real parts for a fraction of steel-tool cost, and it de-risks the geometry before you commit to a production tool.
Who owns the tool — me or the factory?
Put ownership in writing before payment. Standard practice is that you own the tool once paid in full, with the right to move it to another factory; factories that resist this are pricing in switching costs.
Get tooling numbers for your product
The free estimator applies these benchmarks to your product type, industry, stage, complexity and volume, then gives you a full commercialization budget range you can share with investors.