How to Compare Screen-Printing Ink Prices by Unit
Compare ink prices on the same quantity basis before entering them into an estimate. A container’s purchase price alone does not tell you the cost of the material used.
Convert the pack price to a usable rate
A 1 kg container priced at $32 has a $32/kg rate. A 5 kg container priced at $140 has a $28/kg rate. The larger pack has the lower material price per kilogram under these example prices, but it also requires more cash and storage.
A job needing 280 g corresponds to 0.28 kg. At $32/kg, that prepared quantity is valued at $8.96; at $28/kg, it is $7.84. The difference for this quantity is $1.12, not the $108 difference between the two container purchase prices.
Do not compare mass with volume without density
Grams and kilograms measure mass. Milliliters and liters measure volume. A fluid ounce is also a volume unit, while an ounce specified as weight is a mass unit. Check the package label and unit system before calculating a conversion.
For an illustrative ink with a verified density of 1.2 kg/L, a 1 L container contains 1.2 kg. If it costs $36, its mass-based price is $30/kg. That density is invented for the example; obtain the value for the exact product rather than applying it to other inks.
NIST’s references explain the distinction between mass units and volume units. They do not supply ink-specific density or performance data.
Choose whether the rate includes purchasing expenses
If you allocate a $10 delivery cost to the 5 kg pack, the combined cost is $150 and the rate is $30/kg. Use that rate only if the same delivery cost is not also charged elsewhere in the job estimate. Keep taxes and recoverable charges under the cost convention appropriate to your records; this article does not determine tax treatment.
Record the date and source of the price. A saved quote based on an old pack price is not automatically valid after the supplier price changes.
Price is only one input to job cost
Two products at the same price per kilogram can still have different measured consumption in your application. Use the actual product’s measured rate in the ink calculator. Do not assume interchangeability from price or density alone.
Read how to define the consumption measurement before comparing jobs. Then use purchased versus consumed materials to reconcile unused inventory and recovered ink with the job’s material cost.
Compare usable rates, not container prices
Copy these fields into the record for your next comparable job.
- Pack evidence
- Product, pack price, net mass or volume, price date, and separately allocated delivery cost.
- Rate basis
- Normalize to one mass unit; use product-specific density only when conversion from volume is necessary.
- Purchase decision
- Compare required prepared quantity and likely usable remainder. A lower price per kilogram need not mean a lower cash purchase today.
Put this into practice
Open the ink consumption calculator with your own job values.
AI-assisted educational content. Examples are illustrative; arithmetic is checked against the stated methods. This is not a field-tested production specification. Read our editorial policy.
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