A free estimator for rigid, flex, rigid-flex and metal core boards. Enter your stack-up, read a transparent cost breakdown, then get an exact PCB Price when you're ready to build.
Production panel · 12-up array
Directional estimate for early trade-off work. Final pricing depends on your Gerbers, panel strategy and current capacity. Metal core figures assume an aluminium base; copper core typically runs 3–4×.
The substrate decides most of the cost. Standard rigid FR-4 is the baseline every other type is measured against — here is what drives the price of each, and where each one earns its premium.
The workhorse. Standard FR-4 rigid boards make up roughly two-thirds of all PCBs, and they are the cheapest way to get a reliable circuit built. Cost climbs with layers, area and finish.
Bends, folds and fits where rigid can't. Polyimide costs far more than FR-4, fabrication runs 40–50 process steps, and lower yields push a flex board to roughly 3–8× a comparable rigid one.
Rigid sections and flex ribbons fused into one stack-up — no connectors, no cables. The 20-plus lamination steps and flex-to-rigid transitions push it 50–200% above a complex flex board.
A metal base — usually aluminium — pulls heat away from high-power parts. Pricing tracks the substrate alloy and the dielectric's thermal conductivity; copper core runs 3–4× aluminium.
Every quote is the same handful of variables in different proportions. Knowing which ones dominate lets you trade cost against performance before you commit a design.
Usually the biggest lever. Each added layer multiplies lamination, drilling and registration work — a 6-layer board costs well above a 2-layer of the same size.
↑ Largest single driverPrice scales with square inches. Bigger boards use more material and fewer fit per panel, so trimming outline and nesting efficiently both help.
↑ Linear with sizeFR-4 is the cheap baseline. Polyimide, Rogers, ceramic and metal substrates carry steep premiums for flex, RF or thermal performance.
↑ 2–30× over FR-41 oz is standard. Heavier copper for high-current traces adds roughly 10–18% per step and needs wider spacing.
↑ ~15% per ozHASL is the economical default. ENIG gives flatter pads and longer shelf life at a premium; OSP and immersion silver sit in between.
↑ HASL → ENIG +12%Fixed tooling spreads across the run. Five pieces are tooling-dominated; a few hundred drops the per-unit price sharply.
↓ Volume cuts unit costStandard build is the cheapest slot. Express and rush orders jump the queue and typically add 20–50% for the same board.
↑ Rush +20–50%Controlled impedance, blind/buried vias, microvias, tight trace/space and sub-6-mil drills each add setup, process steps and risk.
↑ Adds per featureA quick reference for the relative cost and the job each board type does best. Per-square-inch figures are directional 2026 ranges for typical 2-layer builds.
| Attribute | Rigid | Flex | Rigid-Flex | Metal Core |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical price / in² | $0.50–$5 | $1.80–$3.50 | $3.50–$12 | $0.50–$3 |
| Relative to rigid | 1× (baseline) | 3–8× | 5–12× | 1–3× |
| Base material | FR-4 | Polyimide | FR-4 + polyimide | Aluminium / copper |
| Flexibility | None | Full / dynamic | Flex zones only | None |
| Thermal handling | Low | Low | Low–medium | High |
| Tooling / NRE | Low | Medium | High | Low–medium |
| Sweet spot | Most electronics | Wearables, sensors | Aerospace, medical | LED & power |
Most cost lives in decisions made early. These trade-offs keep the bill down without quietly hurting reliability.
If the routing closes on fewer layers, take it. Dropping from 6 to 4 layers can shave a large slice off every board.
Rectangular boards nest tightly on the panel. Odd shapes and internal cut-outs waste material and add routing time.
FR-4, HASL and 1 oz copper cover most designs. Reserve ENIG, heavy copper and exotic laminates for where they're truly needed.
Tooling is a fixed cost. Nudging quantity into the next price band often lowers the per-unit price more than it raises the total.
One finish, one stiffener type, one copper weight. Every extra variant adds a setup the factory prices into the quote.
A DFM review before fabrication catches the expensive problems — tiny drills, tight spacing, registration risk — while they're still cheap to fix.
You've sized the estimate — now turn it into a real number. Upload your Gerbers and get a precise quote with DFM review from PCBSync.
Get your PCB Price →FREE QUOTE · DFM REVIEW INCLUDED · RIGID · FLEX · RIGID-FLEX · METAL CORE
