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Methodology

How we build these cost benchmarks

Every number on FounderPath is a modelled range, not a scraped average and not a quote. This page explains exactly what goes into a range so you can judge how much weight to put on it.

Where the data comes from

Published fee schedules

USPTO fee schedule (effective 19 Jan 2025) for filing, search, examination, issue, and maintenance fees by entity size. Certification body published rate cards for FCC, CE, UL, and FDA pathways.

Supplier and service quotes

Real quoted ranges for injection mould tooling, CNC and additive prototyping, PCB fabrication and assembly, and DFM engineering hours, normalised by part complexity and annual volume.

Contract manufacturer pricing patterns

NRE, tooling amortisation, and per-unit pricing behaviour across low (1k), mid (10k), and high (100k+) annual volumes, including the typical step-changes where a process switches.

Practitioner input

Scope and hour ranges reviewed with design and engineering partners, including TriMech Design, our exclusive concept design partner.

How a range is calculated

  1. 01 — A baseline cost is set per workstream (development, prototyping, IP, certification, tooling, first production run) for a reference product: a moderately complex consumer device at 10,000 units per year.
  2. 02 — Multipliers are applied for your inputs: product type, industry (regulated industries carry certification and documentation premiums), stage, complexity, and annual volume.
  3. 03 — A low/high band is produced rather than a point estimate. The low end assumes a lean scope with an experienced team; the high end assumes rework, a design iteration, and a regulated pathway.
  4. 04 — Fixed statutory costs (for example USPTO fees) are added at face value, not modelled, and are tied to your entity size.

What these numbers are not

  • Not a quote — no supplier is bound by anything you see here.
  • Not legal or patent advice; prior-art search results are a research aid, not a clearance opinion.
  • Not a substitute for three real quotes before you commit tooling or certification spend.
  • Not adjusted for your specific geography beyond broad US/EU/Asia sourcing assumptions.

Update cadence and corrections

Statutory fee tables are updated whenever the issuing body publishes a change. Market-driven ranges are reviewed quarterly. If a range doesn't match a quote you've received, tell us — we'd rather fix the model than defend it. Send us the data point.

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