I. National Standard Formula
The national standard formula for fees. According to the “Regulations on the Administration of Engineering Survey and Design Charges” (Document Ji Jia Ge [2002] No. 10), the design fee for non-standard equipment is calculated by multiplying the billing amount (based on the preliminary design budget estimate) by the applicable design fee rate.
The rates are tiered: 10%–13% for general equipment, 13%–16% for relatively complex equipment, and 16%–20% for complex equipment. A 1.3 adjustment factor applies to newly developed equipment entering industrial production for the first time, while a 0.3 factor applies to identical units starting from the second unit. This serves as the official pricing benchmark, and industry quotes often use it as a reference.
II.
Three Common Industry Pricing Methods
Three common pricing methods in the industry.
Based on market quotes, there are three mainstream ways to calculate design fees for non-standard assembly lines: charging a percentage of the total equipment price (design fees for custom equipment are usually included in the total price, typically accounting for 5%–10%, while full-machine R&D projects are charged at 1.5%–4.5%); billing by man-days (800–1,500 RMB/day for mechanical structure design, 1,000–1,800 RMB/day for electrical control design, and 1,200–2,200 RMB/day for PLC and HMI programming—suitable for complex projects requiring on-site collaboration); and charging per drawing sheet (200–600 RMB per A0 sheet—suitable for detailed design work where a clear plan already exists).
III.
Cost Proportion
The proportion of design fees within the total cost.
Industry analysis indicates that R&D and design costs represent the core value—and a significant expense—of non-standard equipment. These costs encompass preliminary research and feasibility studies, 3D modeling and simulation (using software like SolidWorks and Ansys to verify structural integrity and motion paths), and prototype testing. Typically, R&D and design account for 10% to 20% of total equipment costs, though this figure is higher for development-oriented projects. In quotes for non-standard equipment development, hardware costs usually make up about 30%, R&D and design can exceed 50%, and risk reserves account for around 20%. Since design capability determines the success or failure of the equipment, this is an area where cutting corners is not an option.
IV.
Boundaries Between Proposal and Design
Distinguishing between proposal fees and design fees is crucial in industry practice.
Many manufacturers do not charge separately for proposal design—which includes requirements analysis, conceptual drawings, and preliminary plans used for quoting—but instead embed these costs into the total price. However, commissioning detailed design drawings separately typically costs between 3,000 and 20,000 RMB. Structural design projects often carry a fixed fee of 15,000 to 50,000 RMB, or are billed based on labor (1,200 to 3,000 RMB per person-day) or a percentage of the product’s selling price (1% to 5%). A “free proposal” does not equate to “free design”; contracts should clearly define the fee boundaries for each stage: proposal, design, and detailed engineering.
V.
Reasonable Fee Expectations
Determining reasonable charges relies on industry experience.
For non-standard assembly lines, reasonable design fee expectations are as follows: for simple lines (standard accumulating chain conveyors with conventional controls), design fees account for 5% to 10% or are included in the total price; for lines of moderate complexity (multiple workstations plus robots), the fee is 10% to 15% of the total price; and for complex development projects (involving machine vision or multi-axis coordinated motion), it ranges from 15% to 20% or higher. Key negotiation points include requesting itemized quotes that list design fees separately, clarifying the delivery and copyright ownership of drawings and programs, and establishing a per-instance billing rate for subsequent modifications. A lack of transparency regarding design fees is often where hidden costs—or “landmines”—are buried in low-ball quotes.
Conclusion
How are design fees for non-standard assembly lines charged? There are three mainstream methods: by percentage, by man-day, and by drawing. National benchmarks calculate the fee as a percentage of the project value—typically 10%–13% for standard projects, 13%–16% for complex ones, and 16%–20% for highly complex ones. Industry practice sees most equipment manufacturers bundling design fees into the total price (accounting for roughly 5%–10%), while standalone design commissions range from 3,000 to 20,000 yuan; man-day rates range from 800 to 2,500 yuan; and drawing-based pricing ranges from 200 to 600 yuan per A0 sheet. For development-oriented projects, design fees can exceed 50% of the total cost.
Industry conventions dictate that conceptual design fees and detailed design fees should be distinguished, design fees itemized in quotations, and drawing copyrights stipulated in contracts. There is no one-size-fits-all approach;
selecting the right method—whether applying rates based on complexity, charging by man-day based on workload, or pricing by drawing based on deliverables—ensures a fair and transparent process.
