Aligner Fabrication Cost Calculator
Per-tray cost for in-house clear aligner production.
About this calculator
In-house clear aligner production builds each tray from a thermoformed PETG or Zendura sheet over a 3D-printed model, then trims and polishes it before delivery. This calculator totals four cost components per tray -- thermoform sheet, model resin, trimming/polishing labor, and an overhead percentage applied on top of the direct costs -- then scales that per-tray figure up to a full case and a monthly production volume. Within the typical ranges this calculator's own help text documents ($3-8 sheets, 8-15 minutes of trimming/polishing), labor time is usually the bigger swing factor on per-tray cost, since it compounds with the technician's hourly rate and then gets marked up again by the overhead percentage; sheet cost can outweigh it only if pushed toward the input's outer allowed range, well above what real sheet pricing typically runs.
The number of trays in a case and the number of cases run per month do not change the per-tray or per-case cost figures at all -- they only scale the monthly totals, since case size and monthly volume are pure multipliers applied after the per-tray economics are already fixed. Overhead here is a flat percentage markup on direct costs (sheet, resin, and labor combined), not a separately tracked fixed-cost allocation, so raising the overhead percentage raises every cost category proportionally rather than adding a flat dollar amount per tray.
Medical Disclaimer
This calculator is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about your health. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of results from this tool.
Inputs
Results
Total cost per tray ($)
$17.70
Total cost per case ($)
$354.00
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the Thermoform Sheet Cost and Model Resin Cost per mL.
- Input Resin per Model (mL) and the number of Trays per Case.
- Set Labor per Tray (min) and Lab Tech Rate ($/hr) to capture labor cost.
- Enter Overhead Allocation (%) and Cases per Month for volume costing.
- Review Cost per Tray to compare in-house fabrication against outsourced aligner services.
How the result changes with Labor per tray (min)
| Labor per tray (min) | Total cost per tray ($) | Total cost per case ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | $13.33 | $266.50 |
| 9 | $15.51 | $310.25 |
| 18 | $22.08 | $441.50 |
| 30 | $30.83 | $616.50 |
What each input means
- Thermoform sheet cost ($)
- Cost per PETG/Zendura sheet (typically $3-8 for 0.030"-0.040" thickness).
- Model resin cost ($/mL)
- Cost per mL of model resin for 3D printing (standard dental model resin ~$0.08-0.15/mL).
- Resin per model (mL)
- Volume of resin used per arch model (typically 15-25 mL depending on hollowing).
- Trays per case
- Number of aligner trays in a typical treatment case (10-40+ stages).
- Labor per tray (min)
- Minutes for trimming, polishing, and QC per tray (typically 8-15 min).
- Lab tech rate ($/hr)
- Hourly rate for dental lab technician.
- Overhead allocation (%)
- Percentage for equipment depreciation, utilities, QC supplies, etc.
- Cases per month
- Number of aligner cases started per month.
What each result means
- Total cost per tray ($)
- All-in cost per individual aligner tray.
- Material per tray ($)
- Sheet + model resin cost per tray.
- Labor per tray ($)
- Trimming and polishing labor cost per tray.
- Overhead per tray ($)
- Allocated overhead per tray.
- Total cost per case ($)
- Full case fabrication cost (all trays).
- Material per case ($)
- Total material cost for one full case.
- Labor per case ($)
- Total labor cost for one full case.
- Trays per month
- Total trays fabricated monthly.
- Monthly fabrication cost ($)
- Total monthly cost for all aligner production.
- Monthly labor (hrs)
- Total technician hours for monthly production.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersThermoform sheet cost ($) = 5, Model resin cost ($/mL) = 0.12, Resin per model (mL) = 18, Trays per case = 20 = 8 input(s) provided
- Calculate Total cost per trayTotal cost per tray = directCostPerTray + overheadPerTray17.7 = $17.7
- Calculate Total cost per caseTotal cost per case = totalCostPerTray * traysPerCase354 = $354
- Calculate Material per trayMaterial per tray = round((sheetCost + modelCost) * 100) / 1007.16 = $7.16
- Calculate Labor per trayLabor per tray = (laborMinPerTray / 60) * laborRatePerHour7 = $7
Engine last updated . Checked against 1 independently-derived test — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does labor time move the per-tray cost so much?
Labor cost is minutes converted to a fraction of the hourly rate, so raising trimming/polishing time raises the per-tray labor dollar figure directly. It is also the one direct-cost component that then gets marked up again by the overhead percentage along with the materials, compounding its effect on the final per-tray total -- within this calculator's own typical $3-8 sheet range, that compounding usually makes labor time move cost more than sheet cost does.
Does adding more trays per case change the cost of each tray?
No -- the per-tray cost is calculated first from sheet, resin, labor, and overhead, and trays-per-case only multiplies that fixed per-tray figure to produce the case total. A 10-tray case and a 40-tray case cost exactly the same per individual tray; only the case total and monthly volume scale with tray count.
How is the overhead percentage applied?
Overhead is a flat percentage markup applied to the sum of direct costs -- sheet, model resin, and labor -- not a separate fixed dollar amount per tray. Raising the overhead percentage from, say, 25% to 50% roughly doubles the overhead dollar figure and raises the total cost per tray proportionally, since it scales with whatever the direct costs happen to be.
Why doesn't cases per month affect the per-tray cost?
Cases per month is purely a volume multiplier used to project monthly fabrication cost and monthly labor hours -- it has no role in the per-tray or per-case cost formulas themselves, which depend only on sheet cost, resin cost, labor time and rate, and overhead percentage. Running more cases per month changes total spend, not the unit economics of a single tray.
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