How Much Does an Aluminum Casting Cost? What Makes Up the Price and How to Compare Foundry Quotes

There is no single price for an aluminum casting, either per piece or per kilogram. A quote consists of two separate items: the one-time cost of tooling (a pattern, permanent mold or die) and the unit price, which depends on weight, alloy, part complexity, batch size and finishing operations. Here we explain how a foundry calculates both components and how to line up quotes so that you compare like with like.

In brief

• You pay for tooling once, covering all the castings made from it, while the remaining operations are repeated for every casting, so the price per piece falls as the order quantity rises.
• Sand molds pay off at any batch size, permanent molds usually from a few hundred pieces, and high-pressure die casting from about 2,500 pieces (indicative thresholds from the textbook "Odlewnictwo", WNT).
• Design accounts for about 7% of a product's cost, but determines about 65% of its level: the biggest savings come from changing the design, not from negotiating the rate.
• Price per kilogram is misleading: two castings of the same weight can differ completely in cost if one requires cores and long cleaning.
• Compare the cost of the finished part (casting, machining, coating, inspection), not just the price of the raw casting.

Two price components: tooling and unit price

The academic textbook "Odlewnictwo" (WNT) puts it plainly: making the tooling is essentially a one-time process for the entire production run of a given casting, while the other processes are repeated for every casting. That is why a good foundry quote usually has two separate line items.

Tooling is the pattern and core boxes for sand molds, a permanent mold (a reusable metal mold), or a die for die casting. Its cost depends on part size, number of cores, and required accuracy. We describe materials, service life, and who owns the tool after payment in the article on the cost and service life of foundry tooling.

Unit price covers everything that happens to each piece: preparing the mold and cores, melting and treating the liquid metal, pouring, shakeout, removing the gating system and risers, and cleaning, followed where needed by heat treatment, machining and surface finishing.

Example (illustrative values, not a price list): if tooling costs PLN 20,000, its share in the price of one piece is PLN 100 at 200 pieces, and only PLN 10 at 2,000 pieces. The unit price itself usually also falls with batch size, because setup and process start-up costs are spread over more castings.

What drives up the unit price of a casting

A foundry factors these in for every quote, even if you see only a single amount in the offer:

1. Weight and alloy. Metal is a significant part of the cost, and grades differ in ingot price and melting requirements. It is worth specifying the alloy per PN-EN 1706 from the start.
2. Complexity and number of cores. Each core is a separate operation, separate tooling, and an additional risk of defects. A core that can be avoided by a design change is a real saving. We explain when a core is necessary in the article on foundry cores and core-making technologies.
3. Metal yield. Yield is the ratio of the weight of good castings to the weight of the melted charge. The gating system, risers and scrap return to the furnace, but remelting them costs energy and time, and complex castings have a lower yield than simple ones.
4. Molding and cleaning labor. With expendable molds, molding alone generally accounts for 30–40% of the total labor needed to make a casting. On top of that come cores and cleaning, which takes a long time for difficult shapes.
5. Machining. The number of machined surfaces, tolerances, threads and the number of setups can cost more than the casting itself. When a foundry has its own CNC machining, there is no transport between suppliers and no split of responsibility for dimensions.
6. Heat treatment. The T6 temper (solution treatment and artificial aging) is an additional furnace process that extends the cycle and requires control.
7. Finishing and coating. Shot blasting, grinding, polishing or powder coating of castings in the RAL color of your choice.
8. Inspection and documentation. A measurement report, inspection certificate, non-destructive testing or leak tests are priced depending on scope.
9. Packaging and transport. Dividers, returnable packaging, protection of machined surfaces.

Batch size and technology selection

Quantity is one of the main criteria for choosing a technology, alongside required accuracy, wall thickness, properties and surface finish. The handbook "Odlewnictwo" gives approximate break-even thresholds:

Technology	Economical batch size (approximate)	Impact on price
Sand molds	any batch size, including single pieces	low-cost tooling, but molding and cleaning for every piece
Permanent mold (metal mold, gravity-poured)	above approx. 400 pcs for simple castings, above approx. 1,000 pcs for complex ones	higher tooling cost, lower cost per piece, better repeatability
Die casting	above approx. 2,500 pcs	most expensive mold, lowest cost per piece in large batches

In the example analyzed there, an aluminum alloy bracket with a planned production run of approx. 3,000 pieces turned out cheapest by high-pressure die casting. This illustrates a principle, not a rule for every part: the thresholds shift depending on weight, shape and requirements. For an overview of the technologies we use, see the foundry's production offer.

Why the "price per kilogram" is misleading

A rate per kilogram makes sense for simple castings in large batches. In other cases it hides what actually drives the cost:

• Same weight, different work. A mounting plate without holes and a housing with three cores may weigh the same, but the housing requires making and assembling the cores, longer cleaning and carries a higher risk of rejects.
• Small castings have a high price per kilogram. For a part weighing a few dozen grams, the operating cost per piece outweighs the cost of the metal.
• A cheaper raw casting can result in a more expensive finished part. Foundry literature recommends calculating the cost of the entire process, including machining, heat treatment and assembly, because the casting technology determines machining allowances and the properties of the semi-finished part. A larger allowance means more machining on every piece.

That is why you should ask for the price of the finished part within an agreed scope and treat the rate per kilogram at most as a point of reference.

How to compare foundry quotes

Quotes differ not only in the amount but also in scope. Before you compare the numbers, check whether they cover the same things:

Quote item	What to ask
Tooling	Is it a separate line item, or is it spread across the price per piece? How many castings is it based on? Who pays for corrections after samples?
Unit price	What batch size does it apply to? Does it include gate removal and cleaning?
Alloy and temper	Which grade per PN-EN 1706, and in what temper (as-cast F or T6)?
Machining	Which surfaces, with what tolerances and roughness? Is thread cutting included in the price?
Finishing	Shot blasting, polishing, painting: what color and what coating thickness?
Samples and acceptance	How many trial parts, what measurement report, what quality documents?
Packaging and delivery	Packaging type, delivery terms (Incoterms), dates for subsequent batches
Quote validity and metal price	How long is the price valid, and is it linked to aluminum market prices?

A common reason for large differences between quotes is incomplete input data: one foundry assumes machining, another does not; one prices an alloy with copper, another without. We have collected the information that eliminates guesswork in a guide on how to prepare a complete request for quotation for a foundry.

Where to look for savings before you ask for a discount

Design itself accounts for only about 7% of a product's cost, yet it determines about 65% of its final level, because that is when decisions on material and technology are made. These decisions cannot be renegotiated later. The biggest gains usually come from:

• reviewing the model with a process engineer before the drawing is frozen: eliminating undercuts, reducing the number of cores, evening out wall thickness (more in the article on how to design aluminum castings),
• specifying tolerances only where they are needed, because tight requirements on as-cast surfaces raise inspection costs and the scrap rate,
• choosing the process based on actual annual demand, not on the size of the first order,
• checking whether casting is the right route at all for a small series: sometimes a part machined from solid material is the more sensible choice (see when casting beats milling from solid).

Frequently asked questions

A casting quote based on your drawing

Send the 3D model (STEP), 2D drawing (PDF), alloy grade and planned quantities, annual and per batch, using the casting quotation form. We will prepare a quote broken down into tooling and unit price, and we will point out features in the model that raise cost without affecting function before production starts.

Sources and standards

• M. Perzyk (ed.), Casting, WNT, Warsaw – ch. 2.1 (classification of casting processes, pp. 106–107), 3.2.1 (principles of design for manufacturability, fig. 3.28, pp. 163–164), 3.3 (table 3.23 – economic production volume, p. 188), 3.4 (selection of casting process, fig. 3.34, pp. 190–195), 5.3.1 (molding labor intensity, p. 289).
• PN-EN 1706:2020+A1:2021 – Aluminium and aluminium alloys – Castings – Chemical composition and mechanical properties.