Key Factors Affecting PCB Manufacturing Costs

The primary factors that influence the cost to fabricate and assemble PCBs include:

1. Board size and shape
2. Number of layers
3. Materials
4. Surface finishes
5. Soldermask color
6. Silkscreen color and text
7. Hole sizes
8. Quantity
9. Turnaround time
10. Assembly components and complexity

Let’s dive deeper into each of these PCB cost drivers.

1. Board Size and Shape

The physical dimensions and geometry of the PCB have a significant impact on manufacturing costs. Most PCB fab houses price boards based on the overall panel area, measured in square inches. Larger PCBs require more raw materials and take up more panel space, increasing the cost.

Here’s a table showing example pricing based on board size:

Board Size (in)	Approx. Cost (1-2 layer)
1 x 1	$5
2 x 3	$10
3 x 5	$25
5 x 7	$50

Prices are for example purposes only and will vary by manufacturer, specs, and quantity.

Smaller boards are generally more cost-effective. Odd-shaped boards with curves or intricate cutouts also cost more than standard rectangular PCBs due to the extra time and specialized tooling required. If possible, stick to standard sizes and simple rectangular outlines to minimize costs.

2. Number of Layers

The layer count of a PCB refers to the number of conductive copper layers laminated within the board. PCBs can range from simple single-sided or double-sided boards up to complex multilayer stackups with 8, 10, 12 or more layers.

Each additional layer increases the manufacturing cost and lead time as it requires more materials, processing steps, drilling, and press cycles. Here are some general price ranges based on layer count:

Layers	Cost Multiplier
1-2	1x (baseline)
4	2-3x
6	3-4x
8	4-5x
10+	5-10x

Whenever possible, try to minimize the number of layers in your design. Use double-sided boards instead of single-sided to double the available routing space. Careful component placement, trace routing, and via usage can help avoid jumping to the next layer count and keep costs down.

3. Materials

The base material, or substrate, used to construct the PCB affects its physical properties, performance, and price. The most common PCB material is FR-4, a glass-reinforced epoxy laminate. Lower-cost PCB materials include synthetic resin bonded paper (FR-1) and phenolic cotton paper (FR-2).

For high-frequency or impedance-controlled designs, specialized PCB materials like Rogers or Isola may be necessary. These high-performance materials offer superior electrical properties but come at a steeper price.

Here are some relative costs of different PCB substrates:

Material	Relative Cost
FR-1, FR-2	$
FR-4 (Standard)	$$
FR-4 (High Tg)	$$$
Rogers / Isola	$$$$

If your design can use standard FR-4 material, that will be the most economical option. Avoid specialty materials unless your application specifically requires them.

4. Surface Finishes

The solderable surface finish applied to the exposed copper pads on a PCB serves to protect the copper from oxidation and enhances solderability. Some common PCB surface finishes include:

• HASL (Hot Air Solder Leveling)
• Lead-free HASL
• ENIG (Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold)
• IAg (Immersion Silver)
• OSP (Organic Solderability Preservative)

HASL is the most economical and widely available surface finish. Lead-free HASL may cost slightly more. ENIG provides excellent flatness, gold wire bonding compatibility, and shelf life but costs significantly more than HASL.

Finish	Relative Cost	Shelf Life	Flatness	Wire Bonding
HASL	$	Good	Poor	No
LF HASL	$$	Good	Poor	No
IAg	$$ – $$$	Fair	Good	No
OSP	$	Poor	Excellent	No
ENIG	$$$$	Excellent	Excellent	Yes

For prototypes or non-critical applications, using HASL or lead-free HASL can help reduce costs. If your design requires a flatter surface, gold fingers for edge connectors, or long shelf life, it may be worth paying more for IAg or ENIG.

5. Soldermask Color

Soldermask is the coating applied to the PCB that covers the copper traces and leaves only the exposed pads to be soldered. It protects the traces and prevents short circuits. The most common and cost-effective soldermask color is green.

Other standard colors like red, yellow, blue, black, and white may cost slightly more. Custom colors or matte/glossy finishes can add significant costs and lead time.

Color	Relative Cost
Green	$
Red	$$
Yellow	$$
Blue	$$
Black	$$
White	$$$
Custom	$$$$

If color doesn’t matter for your application, stick with standard green soldermask. Choosing other standard colors only adds marginally to the cost. Avoid custom colors unless absolutely necessary to minimize costs.

6. Silkscreen Color and Text

Silkscreen is the ink printed onto the PCB to label components, show part outlines, logos, and text. Like soldermask, the default and most economical silkscreen color is white.

Silkscreen is usually applied to just the top side of the board, but can be printed on the bottom as well if needed. More text, finer pitch, and tighter registration can add to the silkscreen costs.

Option	Relative Cost
White (Top only)	$
Black or Yellow	$$
Double-sided	$$
Fine pitch / registration	$$$

Minimize the amount of silkscreen text to keep costs low. Use concise reference designators and omit unnecessary text, outlines, and logos. Most PCB software can optimize silkscreen text to maintain readability while using a larger font to reduce costs.

7. Hole Sizes

The holes drilled in a PCB for through-hole component leads or vias come in various sizes. The most common sizes are 0.8mm, 1.0mm, and 1.2mm. Smaller drill holes, like those under 0.5mm, require more precise and expensive drilling tools. Larger holes over 6mm may require secondary drilling operations.

The number of drill sizes used in a design also affects cost. Each drill size requires a tool change during fabrication, so minimizing drill sizes helps reduce costs.

Hole Size	Relative Cost
0.8 – 1.2mm	$
<0.5mm	$$$
>6mm	$$
Multiple sizes	$$

Where possible, standardize drill holes to 0.8, 1.0, or 1.2mm sizes to keep drilling costs low. Avoid small vias unless absolutely necessary for dense BGA breakouts. Minimize the number of different hole sizes in your design.

8. Quantity

Like most manufacturing processes, higher quantities of PCBs cost less per-unit than smaller quantities due to economies of scale. Setup time, tooling, and overhead costs can be amortized over a larger number of boards.

Here’s a table showing typical quantity price breaks:

Quantity	Price per Board
1-5	$$$$
10-50	$$
100-250	$
500+	$

If you need large production quantities, it’s best to get quotes from several PCB manufacturers to find the best pricing. For smaller prototype runs, it’s often more economical to order a few extras to reach the next quantity price break.

9. Turnaround Time

Faster turnaround times command a premium over standard lead times. Here are some common industry lead times and their relative costs:

Turnaround	Relative Cost
24 hour	$$$$
3-5 day	$$$
1-2 week	$$
2-3 week	$

Plan ahead and choose longer lead times if your project timeline allows. You can save significant costs by avoiding expedited turnarounds. If you do need fast turnaround, consider smaller board sizes and lower layer counts to minimize the additional cost.

10. Assembly Components and Complexity

If you need PCB assembly (PCBA) services in addition to bare board fabrication, the component BOM, assembly complexity, and testing requirements factor heavily into the total cost.

More unique part numbers, finer pitch components like BGAs, tight tolerances, and secondary processes like conformal coating all increase PCBA costs. Testing requirements like flying probe, ICT, X-ray, or functional testing add further costs.

Here are some general guidelines for PCBA cost adders:

Aspect	Relative Cost Impact
High part count	$$
Fine-pitch (BGA, QFN)	$$
Tight tolerances	$$$
Mixed SMT/THT	$$
Single-sided	$
Double-sided	$$
Secondary ops	$$ – $$$
Testing	$$ – $$$

To minimize PCBA costs:

• Reduce unique part count and use common values
• Avoid fine-pitch components if possible
• Specify achievable tolerances
• Prefer single-sided placement
• Combine SMT and THT parts on the same side
• Opt for just visual inspection if feasible

Getting accurate PCBA quotes requires a complete BOM, CAD files, and assembly drawings. Consult with your CM early in the design process to optimize DFM and keep assembly and testing costs in check.

FAQ

What’s the best way to reduce PCB costs?

The most effective ways to reduce PCB fabrication costs are:

1. Minimize board size
2. Reduce layer count
3. Use standard materials and finishes
4. Avoid tight tolerances and small features
5. Order larger quantities
6. Choose standard lead times

Basically, keeping your design as simple as possible while still meeting requirements will result in the lowest cost PCBs.

Is it cheaper to assemble PCBs myself?

For very small quantities or simple designs, it may be more economical to hand assemble PCBs yourself. However, for most designs, manual assembly quickly becomes impractical.

PCB assembly services have the equipment, expertise, and volume pricing to offer much lower assembly costs than could be achieved in-house. They can also handle more complex designs and offer higher quality and consistency.

So while it’s possible to save on assembly costs for the simplest boards, in most cases it’s well worth outsourcing PCBA to a professional facility.

What’s more important for reducing cost – routing strategy or component selection?

Both PCB routing and component selection play important roles in controlling manufacturing costs. However, component selection typically has a larger impact on the total cost of a PCBA.

Using smaller, finer-pitch components can significantly increase assembly costs and defects compared to larger, more common packages. Reducing the overall part count is one of the most effective ways to decrease PCBA costs.

Routing can affect costs in more subtle ways – excessive use of vias, dense BGA breakouts and thin traces can drive up layer counts and costs. But in general, component optimization should be the priority for cost reduction.

How much do specialty materials like Rogers or FR-408 add to PCB costs?

Specialty PCB substrate materials can easily double the cost of a PCB compared to standard FR-4. The raw material cost is higher and the processing requires tighter controls.

For example, a 4-layer Rogers PCB may cost 2-3 times as much as the same design on FR-4. The price premium is even higher on thicker boards that use more material.

So while these high-performance materials are essential for many RF and high-speed digital boards, it’s important to factor in the added cost. If FR-4 can meet your needs it will be much more economical.

What about PCBs with multiple Tek-layers or blind/buried vias?

Designs incorporating blind and buried vias, along with multiple sequential lamination cycles (Tek-layers), represent some of the most complex and expensive PCB fabrication processes.

These features are typically used only in the most dense PCB designs where cutting-edge signal integrity and miniaturization are critical. The specialized processes, multiple lamination cycles, and extensive drilling can multiply the cost of these PCBs many times over vs. standard designs.

If your design calls for blind/buried vias or Tek-layers, be prepared to pay a substantial cost premium. Make sure to budget accordingly and optimize other design factors to control the total cost.

Conclusion

We’ve seen that a wide range of factors contribute to the total cost of fabricating and assembling a PCB, from design decisions to material choices and manufacturing specs. By understanding how your design choices affect the downstream processes and costs, you can optimize your PCB to meet your budget and performance goals.

The PCB design phase is the best time to keep manufacturability and cost in mind. Work closely with your fabrication and assembly partners to identify the most cost-effective options and avoid over-specifying requirements that add unnecessary costs.

By starting with the most economical options – standard materials, medium scale designs, achievable tolerances, and lower part counts – you can reduce the cost of realizing your electronics projects. Then you can invest your budget where it really counts to meet your design requirements.