How do you calculate the cost per metre cut?
Add up the hourly cost of the crew and the machine, divide by output in m²/h, then add the tool price divided by the number of metres it will cut. The cost per metre calculator does this automatically.
Knowledge · Costs and retipping
Cutting costs and retipping.Count the cost per metre, not the blade price.
The cost per metre cut is the sum of labour, machine and tool costs divided by output. In most companies the tool is a smaller part of this cost than people's and machines' time – so more metres per tool and fewer changes lower the cost more than a cheaper blade. Retipping the core lowers the cost of the tool itself.
The key points in 30 seconds
- Cost per metre = (people + machine) / output + tool price / metres per tool.
- Every change means downtime + service – at 45 min and €280/h that is about €245 including service (model example).
- In a model scenario for granite, +60% metres per blade gives about €50,000 lower costs per year, despite a more expensive blade.
- Retipping makes sense when the core is straight, without cracks and with sound segment seats.
What gives more: a cheaper blade or faster cutting?
Usually faster cutting and longer life. The tool is often less than a third of the cost per metre, so +10% output lowers the cost more than a lower blade price.
When does retipping a blade pay off?
When the core is straight, without cracks and with sound segment seats. Retipping costs a fraction of a new blade, and the core goes back to work with new segments.
Is retipping as good as a new tool?
With good retipping, yes – the new segments come from the same production as those for new tools, and the joint and run-out are checked and recorded in a report.
How much does downtime cost when changing a tool?
Change time multiplied by the hourly cost of line or crew downtime, plus the cost of service. With frequent changes this is often more than the cost of the tools themselves.
Articles in “Costs and retipping”
- New
Diamond tool retipping – methods, costs and benefits
Brazing or laser, what it costs, when it pays off, and retipping with a bond correction.
- Coming soon
Cost per metre cut – formula and a step-by-step example
People, machine, tool and output.
- Coming soon
What line downtime costs when changing a tool
How to calculate it and how to reduce it.
- Coming soon
Custom formulation – how we measure the effect
Comparison test: metres, changes, downtime.
- Coming soon
ESG report: reuse of cores
How to calculate and report a closed loop.
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