How Much Does Plastic Injection Moulding Cost in Pakistan?

Tooling cost — the one-time investment

The mould is a steel block machined to the exact shape of your part. It is built once and used to make thousands or millions of identical parts. Tooling cost in Pakistan depends on five things:

Part size and complexity. A small smooth cap is far cheaper to tool than a large mudguard with curves, holes and inserts. Complexity in the mould geometry translates directly into machining hours.

Cavity count. A single-cavity mould produces one part per cycle. A four-cavity mould produces four parts per cycle and quadruples your output, but the mould itself costs roughly 2.5× to 3× more. For high-volume parts, multi-cavity tooling pays for itself within weeks.

Mould material. Pre-hardened P20 steel is the standard for production runs in Pakistan. Tool steel (H13) lasts longer but costs more. For low-volume trial runs, aluminium tools are cheaper but wear faster.

Surface finish. Polished cavity surfaces produce glossy parts — that polishing takes hours and costs money. Matte finishes are cheaper but show fewer cosmetic defects.

Tooling supplier location. Locally-built moulds in Pakistan (Gujranwala, Karachi, Lahore) are typically 40–60% cheaper than imported tools, with shorter lead times. Rehman Industry builds tooling in-house, which keeps cost down further.

As a rule of thumb: a simple single-cavity production mould in Pakistan starts around PKR 80,000–150,000. A medium-complexity four-cavity mould lands around PKR 350,000–600,000. Large or precision multi-cavity tools can run into the millions.

Per-part cost — what each piece actually costs to make

Once tooling is built, the per-part cost is determined by:

Material cost. This is the biggest variable. Polypropylene (PP) is cheapest. Engineering plastics like Nylon (PA) and Polycarbonate (PC) cost 2–3× more per kilogram. Part weight × material price per kg = your raw material cost per piece.

Cycle time. Each part takes a certain number of seconds to mould. Faster cycles = more parts per shift = lower cost per part. Cycle time depends on part wall thickness, cavity count and cooling.

Machine rate. Larger presses cost more per hour to run than smaller ones — so where possible, parts are run on the smallest press that can clamp them.

Secondary operations. Pad printing, assembly, trimming or labelling add cost. If your part is ready to use straight from the mould, you save here.

Volume. Long runs are cheaper per piece because setup costs amortise. A 50,000-piece run is significantly cheaper per part than a 500-piece sample run.

For a typical Pakistani moulded part, per-piece cost ranges from PKR 3–10 for small caps and closures, PKR 25–80 for medium parts like jugs or bottle bodies, and PKR 100–400+ for large housings or assemblies.

What pushes the price up

Tight tolerances (snap-fit parts, threaded features) require slower cycles and tighter QC.

Complex geometry (undercuts, side actions, multi-shot) needs more advanced tooling.

Premium materials (food-grade, medical-grade, high-temperature) cost more both in raw form and in handling.

Small order quantities — tooling cost spread over fewer parts hurts unit economics.

Cosmetic requirements — glossy A-class finishes, custom colour matching, no parting lines visible — all add cost.

What brings the price down

Larger order quantities — every extra thousand pieces amortises tooling further.

Standard materials — PP, HDPE, ABS in standard colours are the cheapest.

Multi-cavity tooling — if you have the volume, it pays back fast.

Local tooling — sourcing the mould in Pakistan instead of importing from China saves 40–60%.

Letting the moulder advise on DFM (design for manufacturability) — small design tweaks can dramatically simplify tooling.

How to get a realistic quote

A good Pakistani injection moulder will need the following from you to quote accurately: a drawing or 3D file of the part, the material you want (or a description of the use case so they can recommend), the estimated order quantity per run, and any cosmetic or tolerance requirements. With those four things, a quote should land within a business day.

If you have a physical sample, bring it. A real reference part eliminates 80% of the back-and-forth on quoting.

At Rehman Industry we typically reply with tooling cost, per-part cost at 3–4 volume tiers, and a lead time estimate — usually within a business day.

Bottom line

Plastic injection moulding in Pakistan is mature, cost-effective and accessible — but only if you understand the two-tier cost structure. Budget for tooling as a capital investment that pays back over thousands of pieces, then enjoy very low per-part cost once production runs. Source locally where possible, work with a moulder who can advise on DFM, and you'll land at competitive Pakistani manufacturing prices.

Need a quote? Send us your part details — drawing, sample or just a description. We'll reply within a business day with real numbers.