Raw material calculators

I am looking to find data on current raw material pricing sourced in china. Specifically ABS, Aluminum, and Zinc. Are there any websites out there that provide updated pricing data? Also, are there any excel spreadsheets that calculate how much a specific part would be based on raw material costs, tooling costs and assembly time? I realize this is pretty broad but I would like to atleast ballpark a cost before submitting it over to manufacturing so that we can optimize the design if we find its way off target.

Resin pricing, http://www.plasticsnews.com/resin-pricing/all-resins.html

London Metal Exchange, http://www.lme.com/home.asp

Commodity pricing is global.

iab,

Those are great but can you recommend anything else that is a bit more user friendly? I couldnt find price per ton…really looking for something that converts it to price per kg. I guess a guy could just do the math but…

If I wanted this kind of info I’d speak with my guys in purchasing or logistics.

I would bet there is no such thing as “the price” for these materials; it’s dependent on volume, vendor relations, size and duration of contract, etc. Usually we get this info from our suppliers, and validate them against each other.

Simply speaking, mild steel < zinc < aluminum < titanium…

Try this, http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/

Try this …

or, just do the math… you’d be done by now.

Jeez, I’m starting to sound like my mum. :wink:

Are you saying use a spread sheet in excel? I know there are people out there that calculate this information but when you are a designer without the ability to outsource those efforts what can you do…do you have an example of a spread sheet that allows for this type of calculation?

You asked for prices in kg. Converting pounds or tons to kg is a simple algebraic equation you should have learned in 7th grade. You can enter that equation into Excel so when you put the price of HDPE by the pound into one cell, it will be converted automatically into price per kilo in another cell.

Being a designer, I have no need to outsource the ability I received in 7th grade.

I know there are people out there that calculate this information but when you are a designer without the ability to outsource those efforts what can you do…

Use one of the many on-line “converters”; Online Conversion - Common Weight and Mass Conversions

Funny. Thanks for that…

Finally just went to online spreadsheet. Injection Molding Cost Calculator
Also found current market pricing on the raw materials. And yes I was able to use my very small math brain to convert the numbers to cost per gram.

I swore I could see smoke while I was doing the math.