1. The price of PCBs is often a source of confusion for many buyers.
2. People frequently wonder about the calculation process when they place orders online.
3. Let’s delve into the components that make up the PCB price.
1. Various factors affecting the price of a PCB board
1. Diversity in PCB Material:
Different materials used in PCBs lead to price variations. For instance, a standard double-sided board typically uses FR4 (Shengyi, Kingboard, Guoji, with prices descending). Sheet thickness ranges from 0.2mm to 3.0mm, and copper thickness varies from 0.5oz to 3oz. These differences significantly influence material costs. Additionally, variations in solder mask ink—from ordinary thermosetting oil to photosensitive green oil—also contribute to price diversity.
2. Diversity in Surface Treatment:
PCB surface treatment processes greatly affect prices. Common methods include OSP (anti-oxidation), lead spray tin, lead-free tin spray (environmentally friendly), gold plating, immersion gold, and combined processes. Costs escalate with more advanced treatments.
3. PCB Complexity:
Price variations arise from the complexity of PCBs themselves. For example, two PCBs with 1000 holes each—one with holes above 0.2mm and another below—will differ in drilling costs. Variations in trace widths (greater than vs. less than 4mil) also impact production expenses. Non-standard designs like half-holes, buried blind vias, edge holes, and carbon oil printing for button boards incur additional costs.
4. Copper Foil Thickness:
Differences in copper foil thickness (e.g., 18um to 140um) affect pricing, with thicker foils commanding higher costs.
5. Quality Standards:
Customer acceptance criteria (e.g., IPC2, IPC3, military standards) influence pricing; higher standards correlate with higher costs.
6. Tooling and Testing Fees:
(1) Tooling costs vary; for prototypes and small batches, drilling and milling suffice, but large quantities require costly punching molds, generally priced above RMB 1,000.
(2) Testing fees differ; prototypes use flying probes (typically RMB 100-400), while batch testing requires fixture opening (quoted between RMB 1,000-1,500).
7. Payment Terms:
Prices vary with payment timing; faster payments like cash generally secure lower prices.
8. Order Quantity and Delivery Time:
(1) Smaller quantities increase costs as fixed engineering and setup processes are essential regardless of batch size.
(2) Prompt delivery hinges on complete data provision (e.g., GERBER files, layer count, board thickness, surface treatment specifications, ink and character colors, special requirements).
From the above, it’s evident that PCB processing prices vary due to inherent factors. This article provides a general price range for reference; specific pricing should be obtained directly from manufacturers.
2. Quotation of Various Factors
For PCB pricing, we employ a formula based on board utilization. Assuming a 1 square meter board (1020mm * 1020mm), with board dimensions L and H:
Quantity of boards that can be produced = (1020/L + 5) * (1020/H + 5) = Z (typesetting quantity)
Unit price = X / Z, where X is determined by:
– FR-1: 130RMB per square meter (including processing)
– 2L FR-4: 430RMB per square meter (including processing)
– 4L FR-4: 720RMB per square meter (including processing)
– 6L FR-4: 1200RMB per square meter (including processing)
– 8L FR-4: 1800RMB per square meter (including processing)
– 10L FR-4: 3500RMB per square meter (including processing)
– 12L FR-4: 5500RMB per square meter (including processing)
2. People frequently wonder about the calculation process when they place orders online.
3. Let’s delve into the components that make up the PCB price.
1. Various factors affecting the price of a PCB board
1. Diversity in PCB Material:
Different materials used in PCBs lead to price variations. For instance, a standard double-sided board typically uses FR4 (Shengyi, Kingboard, Guoji, with prices descending). Sheet thickness ranges from 0.2mm to 3.0mm, and copper thickness varies from 0.5oz to 3oz. These differences significantly influence material costs. Additionally, variations in solder mask ink—from ordinary thermosetting oil to photosensitive green oil—also contribute to price diversity.
2. Diversity in Surface Treatment:
PCB surface treatment processes greatly affect prices. Common methods include OSP (anti-oxidation), lead spray tin, lead-free tin spray (environmentally friendly), gold plating, immersion gold, and combined processes. Costs escalate with more advanced treatments.
3. PCB Complexity:
Price variations arise from the complexity of PCBs themselves. For example, two PCBs with 1000 holes each—one with holes above 0.2mm and another below—will differ in drilling costs. Variations in trace widths (greater than vs. less than 4mil) also impact production expenses. Non-standard designs like half-holes, buried blind vias, edge holes, and carbon oil printing for button boards incur additional costs.
4. Copper Foil Thickness:
Differences in copper foil thickness (e.g., 18um to 140um) affect pricing, with thicker foils commanding higher costs.
5. Quality Standards:
Customer acceptance criteria (e.g., IPC2, IPC3, military standards) influence pricing; higher standards correlate with higher costs.
6. Tooling and Testing Fees:
(1) Tooling costs vary; for prototypes and small batches, drilling and milling suffice, but large quantities require costly punching molds, generally priced above RMB 1,000.
(2) Testing fees differ; prototypes use flying probes (typically RMB 100-400), while batch testing requires fixture opening (quoted between RMB 1,000-1,500).
7. Payment Terms:
Prices vary with payment timing; faster payments like cash generally secure lower prices.
8. Order Quantity and Delivery Time:
(1) Smaller quantities increase costs as fixed engineering and setup processes are essential regardless of batch size.
(2) Prompt delivery hinges on complete data provision (e.g., GERBER files, layer count, board thickness, surface treatment specifications, ink and character colors, special requirements).
From the above, it’s evident that PCB processing prices vary due to inherent factors. This article provides a general price range for reference; specific pricing should be obtained directly from manufacturers.
2. Quotation of Various Factors
For PCB pricing, we employ a formula based on board utilization. Assuming a 1 square meter board (1020mm * 1020mm), with board dimensions L and H:
Quantity of boards that can be produced = (1020/L + 5) * (1020/H + 5) = Z (typesetting quantity)
Unit price = X / Z, where X is determined by:
– FR-1: 130RMB per square meter (including processing)
– 2L FR-4: 430RMB per square meter (including processing)
– 4L FR-4: 720RMB per square meter (including processing)
– 6L FR-4: 1200RMB per square meter (including processing)
– 8L FR-4: 1800RMB per square meter (including processing)
– 10L FR-4: 3500RMB per square meter (including processing)
– 12L FR-4: 5500RMB per square meter (including processing)
