The plastic fastener cost can reach 0.01 USD per piece or even lower for high-volume products, and 0.5 USD per piece or even higher for low-volume products.
This article will introduce in detail what the plastic fastener process is and some of the factors that affect the plastic fastener molding cost.
And finally, fastener molding cost examples to let you know to calculate fastener molding costs.
This article will help you decide whether plastic fastener molding manufacturing processes are the right choice for your next project.
What is the plastic fastener molding process?
Plastic fastener molding is a process for making plastic products by filling a fastener mold with molten thermoplastic material and then pumping it into the mold cavity.
It is also referred to as “thermoforming” or “fastener molding”. The process involves injecting material, usually at high pressure, into a closed mold, which gives the product its shape.
This allows large production quantities of fastener molded parts to be made cheaply and efficiently.

Why can plastic fastener molding costs be very low or very high?
Plastic fastener molding requires fastener molds to achieve, and we have to consider the plastic fastener molds’ cost because they are usually very expensive.
For product sizes within 100mm and simple structures, the price of injection molds is usually 1000-3000USD, for larger sizes and more complex structures, the price of fastener molds can reach 10000USD or more.
When the quantity of plastic fasteners is large, the price of the plastic fastener mold manufacturing is very little when it is divided equally to each product, and when the quantity of products is relatively small, the price of the plastic fastener mold is a lot when it is divided equally to each product. This is why the fastener molding costs can be very low or very high.

What other factors also affect fastener molding costs?
The quantity of the product is one of the factors affecting the cost of fastener molding.
The fastener molding cost also depends on the material of the product, the number of cavities of the fastener mold used to make the product, the size of the product, the complexity of the structure of the product, the appearance and precision requirements of the product, etc.
How does the raw material of plastic products affect the fastener molding costs?
The raw material of the product will have a great impact on the manufacturing fastener molding cost because the price of raw materials accounts for nearly half of the overall product cost.
In the design of products, we should consider the use of the product scenario, different products have different requirements for materials.
For example, food touch needs food-grade plastic materials, medical supplies, and medical-grade plastic materials, electrical products need flame-retardant plastic materials, outdoor products need cold, heat, and UV resistance requirements, building structure products need load-bearing requirements, indoor appliances need to look beautiful requirements, etc.
After understanding the plastic material requirements of plastic components, we need to know the classification of plastic materials to determine the price and cost of plastic materials. Plastic materials can be classified according to the application of the resin.

GENERAL PURPOSE PLASTICS
General-purpose plastic materials refer to a class of resins with large production, a wide range of applications, good fastener molding and processing, and low cost.
Specific varieties include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, phenolic resin, amino resin, unsaturated polyester, epoxy resin, etc. General plastics are mainly used in packaging, construction, agriculture, and daily use.
ENGINEERING PLASTICS
Engineering resin materials refer to a class of plastics with good mechanical properties, and high dimensional stability, and can be used at higher temperatures.
It has properties close to those of metals and can be used in structural products such as machinery, electronics, automobiles, and aviation.
GENERAL PLASTICS
General plastic materials refer to a class of plastics with a low dosage, low application range, and general performance.
Mainly including polymethyl methacrylate, polyurethane, fluoroplastics, chlorinated polyether, etc.
SPECIAL PLASTICS
Special plastic materials refer to a class of plastics with unique performance, high price, low production, and narrow application range.
Mainly including heat-resistant plastics, barrier plastics, conductive plastics, etc., specific varieties of polyphenylene sulfide, polysulfone, polyimide, polyaniline, and vinyl alcohol copolymer, etc.
How does the number of fastener mold cavities affect the cost of fastener molding?

For example, for a 100T fastener molding machine, the fastener molding processing cost is 15 USD per hour, and the fastener molding machine cycle is 30 seconds. The fastener molding manufacturing cost is 0.0078 USD per product for a 16-cavity plastic injection mold.
For projects with a large production volume of products, the fastener mold cavities can be considered to be as large as possible, but the fastener mold cavities are not the more the better.
However, it is not better to have more fastener mold cavities, because for the same product, the more fastener mold cavities, the higher the manufacturing fastener molding tooling cost, and the more the average price of each fastener molded product. 
There is also a limit to the mold size that each fastener molding machine can accommodate.
Therefore, for large quantities of fastener products, it is better to make as many cavities as possible within the size of the fastener molding machine, so as to reduce the injection cost, it’s a cost-effective solution.
How does the size of the product affect the cost of fastener molding?
The larger the product, the more raw materials are used, so the higher the cost of raw materials.
The larger the product, the larger the size of the fastener mold, the higher the fastener mold costs, and the higher the average price spread to each product.
The larger the product, the larger the fastener mold, the larger the tonnage of the fastener molding machine required, and the higher the processing cost.
The larger the product, the longer the fastener molding cycle, and the higher the processing cost.
In addition, the larger the product, the higher the packaging cost and the higher the transportation cost, all the factors will affect the cost of the product.

Conclusion
Now that you know what aspects affect the fastener molding cost, you can save your injection molding product cost by optimizing these aspects when designing fastener molding products.
If you are not very professional in this area, you can get Ofasteners to help you with product design to finalizing the whole fastener molding project.
With Ofasteners, you can have your project come true in a matter of days. With more than 6 English speakers and 7 experienced engineers on hand to support the process from idea to reality – let us help turn your dream into a reality! Contact us for great support.