A benchmark index of real, publicly listed factory-direct price bands — by product, spec and order quantity — so you can tell a sharp quote from a cheap tool.
Every number on this page is a price a Chinese carbide plant has publicly listed, or a reference FOB band published by a Chinese tooling exporter. Nothing here is invented, and nothing here is a quotation. The point is to give you a benchmark you can hold up against the quote you have already been given — most buyers we talk to are working blind, and a 5× spread between quotes is normal, not a sign that one supplier is lying.
Prices are per piece in US dollars, FOB China, excluding freight, duty and VAT. Where a range is wide, the spread is real and explained further down the page.
Where these numbers come from. Ranges are compiled from publicly listed supplier prices on Made-in-China.com, EC21, Alibaba and manufacturer product pages, observed September 2026, plus reference FOB bands published by Chinese tooling exporters for the Q1 2026 market. They are market observations, not a quotation — a real price depends on your drawing, grade, tolerance class and lot size. Freight, duty and VAT are excluded. Send us a drawing and we will replace every range here with one firm number within 48 hours.
| Product | Typical spec | Observed price | Observed at | HS code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNMG / WNMG / TNMG turning insert | P20–P30, CVD, standard chipbreaker | $0.65 – 2.20 | 10 pcs | 8209.00 |
| VNMG / DNMG / VBMT finishing insert | 35° / 55° rhombic, PVD | $1.33 – 3.70 | 10 pcs | 8209.00 |
| CCMT / DCMT boring insert | 80° / 55°, PVD | $1.40 – 1.65 | 10 pcs | 8209.00 |
| MGMN grooving insert | 2–6 mm groove width | $0.85 – 1.50 | 10 pcs | 8209.00 |
| ZCC·CT branded turning insert | P20–P30, same geometry as above | $2.50 – 4.88 | 10 pcs | 8209.00 |
| PCBN insert | hardened steel above 45 HRC, coated | $3.00 – 15.00 | 10 pcs | 8208.10 |
| APMT / APKT milling insert | P20, PVD | $0.80 – 1.80 | 10 pcs | 8209.00 |
| SPMT / WNMU / RDMT milling insert | universal, PVD | $0.28 – 1.52 | 10–100 pcs | 8209.00 |
| SPMT / WCMX drill insert | P25 / M25, universal | $1.50 – 4.00 | 10 pcs | 8209.00 |
| TPMX / R424.9 deep-hole drill insert | PVD, gun-drill heads | $0.65 – 1.90 | 10 pcs | 8209.00 |
| Solid carbide end mill, Ø4–6 mm | HRC55, 4-flute, AlTiN | $2.00 – 9.60 | 10–100 pcs | 8207.70 |
| Solid carbide end mill, Ø8–12 mm | HRC55, 4-flute, AlTiN | $5.30 – 17.50 | 5–100 pcs | 8207.70 |
| Micro end mill, Ø1–3 mm | HRC55–65, 2–4 flute | $2.80 – 12.00 | 10 pcs | 8207.70 |
| PCD end mill, Ø6–20 mm | aluminium, mirror finish | $15.00 – 120.00 | 1–10 pcs | 8207.70 |
| Solid carbide drill, Ø3–12 mm, 5×D | coolant-fed, AlTiN | $1.47 – 5.70 | 5–10 pcs | 8207.50 |
| Deep-hole drill, 20×D and above | coolant-fed, step or gun drill | $5.00 – 40.00 | 1–10 pcs | 8207.50 |
| ER collet, DIN 6499 | ER11–ER40, 0.008–0.015 mm | $1.00 – 7.50 | 5–100 pcs | 8466.10 |
| BT40–ER32 collet chuck | 70L, AT3 taper, G2.5 | $7.80 – 18.00 | 1–10 pcs | 8466.10 |
| HSK63A–ER20 tool holder | high-speed, balanced | $51.00 – 110.00 | 1–10 pcs | 8466.10 |
| Pull stud, BT40 M16 | 20CrMnTi, case-hardened | $1.15 – 3.50 | 10 pcs | 8466.10 |
| Carbide rod, ground h6 | 10–20 mm × 330 mm | $5.00 – 200.00 | 1 pcs | 8101.94 |
Prices reflect MOQ 1–100 unless the observed column says otherwise. Higher volume moves every line down; see the tier table below.
Buyers usually compare products. Factories compare variables. Two quotes for "an Ø10 end mill, HRC55" can differ fivefold and both be honest, because the two quotes are not for the same object. These six variables account for almost all of it.
| What moves | Effect on price | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Substrate: cobalt content and grain size | ±25–40% | Cobalt is the single biggest material cost line. Going from 6% Co to 12% Co buys toughness on a roughing tool and costs money. Ultrafine grain powder needed for HRC60+ tools is more expensive again, and sinters on a longer cycle. |
| Coating architecture | uncoated → single-layer PVD → multi-layer CVD adds 30–60% | Each additional layer is another deposition cycle and more furnace time. Multi-layer CVD (MT-TiCN + Al2O3 + TiN) is the expensive end and the right answer for roughing steel. |
| Tolerance class | M-class → G-class adds 20–40% | Tighter blank tolerance means more grinding passes, more gauging and a higher scrap rate. You only pay for this where the part needs it. |
| Brand on the box | private label → ZCC·CT adds 20–30% | Published exporter pricing puts the Chinese market leader 20–30% above a private-label plant for comparable geometry. You are buying a name and a paper trail, not a different substrate. |
| Lot size | 10 pcs → 5,000 pcs cuts unit price 45–70% | Grinding programs, fixture set-up and first-article inspection are fixed costs. The rod is also bought at container volume instead of by the box. |
| Geometry and depth ratio (rotary tools) | 5×D → 20×D roughly 1.8–2.5× | More carbide, a longer flute grind, coolant holes drilled deeper through a slimmer core, and a much higher breakage rate during grinding. Deep-hole tools are where cheap plants lose money and quality falls apart. |
This is the one place where we can show real tier pricing rather than a range, because these four products publish their quantity breaks.
| Product | Order quantity | Price per piece | Change vs first tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNMG 120408 turning insert | 10–99 | $1.28 – 1.48 | — |
| CNMG 120408 turning insert | 5,000+ | $0.70 – 0.72 | −48 to −51% |
| Ø10 mm 4-flute HRC55 end mill | 500 | $8.20 – 10.50 | — |
| Ø10 mm 4-flute HRC55 end mill | 1,000 | $6.80 – 8.40 | −16 to −21% |
| Ø10 mm 4-flute HRC55 end mill | 5,000 | $5.30 – 6.60 | −32 to −38% |
| Ø5 mm 5×D coolant-fed carbide drill | 10–499 | $1.74 | — |
| Ø5 mm 5×D coolant-fed carbide drill | 500+ | $1.55 | −11% |
| BT40–ER32 collet chuck, 70L | 1–99 | $15.87 | — |
| BT40–ER32 collet chuck, 70L | 100–499 | $15.50 | −2% |
| BT40–ER32 collet chuck, 70L | 500+ | $15.10 | −5% |
The insert moves most because almost all of its cost is grinding set-up and coating furnace time, both of which are amortised across the run. The tool holder barely moves because its cost is the steel body and the taper grind, which do not get cheaper with volume. This is a useful rule: the more grinding a part needs, the more volume helps you; the more material it is, the less it helps.
Both numbers are real listings for a Ø10 mm 4-flute HRC55-class end mill with a TiAlN-type coating. The gap comes from four places, in this order of importance:
None of this is visible in a photograph. All of it is measurable, which is the whole reason a sourcing agent who measures is worth more than a trading company that forwards emails.
Every range on this page collapses to a single firm figure once we have your drawing, your material, your tolerance and your annual quantity. Quotes go out within 48 hours and we state the inspection method in writing before you order.