The real PCBA cost stack in 2026
People asking "what does PCB assembly cost in Europe?" want a number. The honest answer is a stack of numbers because different things drive different cost lines.
Setup fee — €150-250 per job
Fixed regardless of how many boards. Pays for stencil, feeder load and verification, first-article inspection, reflow profile calibration, pick-and-place program writing.
If you order 1 board, setup divides by 1. If you order 1 000, it divides by 1 000. This is why prototype runs feel expensive per board.
SMT placement — €0.012 to €0.020 per component
- Best case (€0.012): simple passives, 0805/0603, no fine-pitch, single-sided
- Typical (€0.020): mixed passives + ICs, 0402/0201 included, single-sided
- +12% surcharge: BGA or fine-pitch QFN
- +60% surcharge: double-sided (two passes through the line)
A 200-component single-sided board: 200 × €0.020 = €4.00 per board.
Through-hole insertion — €0.45 per insertion
Hand insertion + selective wave or hand soldering. A board with 6 THT components: 6 × €0.45 = €2.70 per board.
AOI inspection — €0.25 to €0.55 per board
- Class 2 (commercial): €0.25
- Class 3 (medical/aerospace/defense): €0.55
Class 3 costs more because tolerances are tighter and operators spend more time reviewing AOI flags.
Functional test — sourced, +10-25%
FCT runs on a per-board fixture through partner test houses. Not in-house. Typical cost: +10% to +25% of base PCBA cost.
Lead-time surcharge
- Standard 10-15 working days: no surcharge
- Fast 5-9 working days: +15% on labour
- Express 3-4 working days: +35% on labour
Shipping — €25-200
- Small order (under 50 boards): €25-60 inside Europe
- Medium (50-500 boards): €60-90
- Large (500+ palletized): €90-200
Outside EU adds €30-80 customs broker plus duty/VAT.
BOM cost — 60-80% of total
Where most of the money goes. Two boards of identical design can vary by 30% in BOM cost if a passive went obsolete and needs a brokered alternative.
For a 200-component mid-complexity board with €15-25 in components:
| Qty | BOM | Labour+AOI | Setup amortized | BOM share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | €200 | €50 | €200 | 44% |
| 500 | €10 000 | €2 500 | €100 | 80% |
Worked example: 500-unit production run
200-component mid-complexity board, Class 2 inspection, single-sided, standard lead time, shipped to Germany:
- Setup: €200 (€0.40 per board)
- Placement: 200 × €0.020 × 500 = €2 000
- AOI: €0.25 × 500 = €125
- THT: 6 × €0.45 × 500 = €1 350
- Shipping: €120
- Subtotal: €3 795
- BOM (€20 per board) × 500 = €10 000
- Total: €13 795 (€27.60 per board)
Live indicative range
Try our PCBA quote estimator. Binding quote needs gerbers and BOM — send via the RFQ form for a one-business-day response.
Frequently asked questions
Why is European PCBA more expensive than Chinese? Higher labour rates, stricter compliance documentation, real per-board AOI, and lower amortization. Gap on landed cost is 10-20%, not the 50-100% headline.
What is the minimum order quantity for PCBA in Europe? 1 unit at prototype shops; 50-100 at production-tier EMS.
How much does a single prototype board cost? Setup dominates: €200-300 for the first board, €30-80 for the next 9.
Does the price include shipping and customs? Inside the EU, yes. Outside the EU (UK, Turkey, Switzerland, Norway), shipping is included but customs is on the buyer side.