Cost guide
How Much Does Product Design Cost?
2026 ranges for concept design plus technical design and engineering
Product design with our team means Concept Design (stage 2) plus Technical Design & Engineering (stage 5). Together they typically cost $4,000 to $12,000 for a basic product, $10,000 to $20,000 for a simple product, $21,500 to $40,000 for a moderate product and $30,000 to $60,000 for a complex product, after a fixed $800 Stage 1.
- Fixed quote per stage
- Labor only
- Typical, not a quote
Free tool
Estimate your product design cost
Pick your product complexity. The range for Concept Design (stage 2) plus Technical Design & Engineering (stage 5) appears immediately, no email required.
Typical labor by stage, B Simple
| 2 Concept Design | $5,000 to $10,000 |
| 5 Technical Design & Engineering | $5,000 to $10,000 |
| Design (stages 2 and 5) | $10,000 to $20,000 |
Typical timeline for a full program: 5 to 9 months. Timelines exclude tooling, certification, pilot runs and client review time between stages. Custom circuit boards can add 3 to 7 weeks.
Not included: materials and parts (billed at cost), production tooling, certification and lab fees, patent and attorney fees (stages 4 and 8), marketing materials (stage 10), licensing or venturing (stage 11), app or cloud software. Ranges are typical, not a quote; your price may come in below or above.
What product design costs in 2026
Short answer
Design with LA NPDT is stages 2 and 5: $4,000 to $12,000 for a basic product, $10,000 to $20,000 for a simple product, $21,500 to $40,000 for a moderate product and $30,000 to $60,000 for a complex product. Ranges cover labor only.
Concept Design + Technical Design & Engineering, by product complexity
| Product complexity | Definition | Stage 2 | Stage 5 | Design total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Basic | One part, no moving parts, no electronics | $2,000 to $6,000 | $2,000 to $6,000 | $4,000 to $12,000 |
| B Simple | One mechanism or simple electronics | $5,000 to $10,000 | $5,000 to $10,000 | $10,000 to $20,000 |
| C Moderate | Several mechanisms, medium electronics and firmware | $9,500 to $15,000 | $12,000 to $25,000 | $21,500 to $40,000 |
| D Complex | Multi-subsystem, firmware, hydraulics, app or custom tech | $15,000 to $25,000 | $15,000 to $35,000 | $30,000 to $60,000 |
A Basic
- Definition
- One part, no moving parts, no electronics
- Stage 2
- $2,000 to $6,000
- Stage 5
- $2,000 to $6,000
- Design total
- $4,000 to $12,000
B Simple
- Definition
- One mechanism or simple electronics
- Stage 2
- $5,000 to $10,000
- Stage 5
- $5,000 to $10,000
- Design total
- $10,000 to $20,000
C Moderate
- Definition
- Several mechanisms, medium electronics and firmware
- Stage 2
- $9,500 to $15,000
- Stage 5
- $12,000 to $25,000
- Design total
- $21,500 to $40,000
D Complex
- Definition
- Multi-subsystem, firmware, hydraulics, app or custom tech
- Stage 2
- $15,000 to $25,000
- Stage 5
- $15,000 to $35,000
- Design total
- $30,000 to $60,000
Labor only, including equipment and machine time. Materials, tooling, certification, patent fees and app or cloud software are extra. Ranges are typical, not a quote; your price may come in below or above. Large automated systems and regulated medical devices often run above Class D.
How pricing works
Stage 1 is a fixed $800, paid up front, with results within 10 business days of receiving your files and intake form. It is optional: simple products with clear CAD, sketches or a spec can start at stage 2, and our team sends a fixed quote within 48 hours of your call. Every later stage gets its own fixed quote before it starts, billed 50% to start and 50% on delivery. Ranges are typical, not a quote; your price may come in below or above.
Products above Class D
Regulated medical devices, connected products with app and cloud backends, and large automated or industrial systems often run above Class D, because certification, regulatory documentation and software sit outside these ranges. Our team quotes them stage by stage after Stage 1.
What is not included
- Materials and parts (billed at cost)
- Production tooling
- Certification and lab fees
- Patent and attorney fees (stages 4 and 8)
- Marketing materials (stage 10)
- Licensing or venturing (stage 11)
- App or cloud software
- Product development costThe whole program, idea through first production run.
- Prototype cost calculatorWhat it costs to build the first working unit.
- Concept design costWhat the sketching and direction-setting stage costs on its own.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does product design cost?
Design with our team is Concept Design (stage 2) plus Technical Design & Engineering (stage 5): $4,000 to $12,000 basic, $10,000 to $20,000 simple, $21,500 to $40,000 moderate and $30,000 to $60,000 complex. Ranges cover labor only.
How does pricing work?
Stage 1 is a fixed $800, paid up front, with results within 10 business days of receiving your files and intake form. It is optional: simple products with clear CAD, sketches or a spec can start at stage 2, and our team sends a fixed quote within 48 hours of your call. Every later stage gets its own fixed quote before it starts, billed 50% to start and 50% on delivery. Ranges are typical, not a quote; your price may come in below or above.
Is the $800 Stage 1 fee credited toward later stages?
No. Stage 1 is a standalone, fixed-price deliverable: a technical feasibility analysis, the key risks, and a staged plan with the recommended next step. It is not credited toward later stages, and the plan is yours to use with any team.
What is not included?
Not included: materials and parts (billed at cost), production tooling, certification and lab fees, patent and attorney fees (stages 4 and 8), marketing materials (stage 10), licensing or venturing (stage 11), app or cloud software.
What about products above Class D?
Regulated medical devices, connected products with app and cloud backends, and large automated or industrial systems often run above Class D, because certification, regulatory documentation and software sit outside these ranges. Our team quotes them stage by stage after Stage 1.
Where to go next
- Product development costThe whole program, idea through first production run.
- Prototype cost calculatorWhat it costs to build the first working unit.
- Concept design costWhat the sketching and direction-setting stage costs on its own.
- Industrial design servicesForm, ergonomics, CMF and surfaced CAD: scope and pricing.
- The product development processEvery stage explained, in order, with what you get from each.