Injection molding vs vacuum forming: cost comparison
Short answer: Vacuum forming tooling costs 5-10x less, making it the budget path for large, simple shell shapes (trays, covers, enclosures) in hundreds to low thousands. Injection molding wins on detail, tolerances, and true high volume.
Cost comparison at a glance
| Injection Molding | Vacuum Forming | |
|---|---|---|
| One-off part | n/a (mold $2k-20k) | mold $500-3k |
| Batch of 100 (per part) | $1-5 | $3-10 |
| Production volume (per part) | $0.3-3 | $1-5 |
| Typical lead time | 3-8 weeks first part | 1-3 weeks |
| Tolerance | ±0.1 mm | ±0.5 mm |
| Materials | PP, ABS, PC, nylon, TPE and hundreds more | ABS, PETG, HIPS, PC sheet |
These are indicative service-market ranges for a palm-sized part — your own costs depend on your machines, rates and region. Both calculators below let you price the same part both ways with your numbers and see the crossover for yourself.
Choose Injection Molding when…
- complex features, bosses, ribs, threads
- tight tolerances
- tens of thousands of units
- small dense parts
Choose Vacuum Forming when…
- large shallow shells and trays
- hundreds to low thousands of units
- tooling budget under $3k
- packaging, covers, simple enclosures
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