Two numbers, four assumptions
Tooling and piece price are priced differently
Tooling is a one-off: die design, steel, machining, heat treatment, tryout. Piece price is a rate: metal, cycle time, labour, energy, consumables, margin. Suppliers mix the two in presentations, which makes comparisons misleading.
Ask for them separately. A low piece price with a high tooling charge and a short tool life is a different offer from the reverse, and only the split shows which one you are looking at.
What sits inside the piece price
Metal is usually the largest variable and is normally quoted against an alloy price basis with an adjustment clause. Cycle time follows, driven by wall thickness, die thermal design and the number of cavities.
Secondary operations, machining, tapping, deburring, leak testing and coating, are often quoted as adders. If they are missing from a quote, they are not free; they will appear later as a change order.
The assumptions worth confirming
Four assumptions move a quote more than the number itself: annual volume and batch size, alloy and its price basis, the drawing revision quoted against, and the Incoterm and packaging scope.
A quote without those four written down is not comparable to another quote, whatever the totals say.
FAQ
Why do two suppliers quote such different tooling costs?
Different cavity counts, die steel grades, tool life commitments and whether tryout samples are included. Compare on the drawing and the stated tool life, not on the total.
Should the metal price be fixed?
Usually it is quoted against an alloy basis with an adjustment mechanism. Ask what index is used and how often it is reviewed.
Are secondary operations always included?
Often priced as adders. A quote that omits machining or leak testing should be read as excluding them.
What volume assumption is behind a piece price?
Ask explicitly. Piece price usually falls with annual volume and batch size, so an unstated assumption makes the number unusable for comparison.
All figures above refer to standard product data sheets; final confirmation is subject to written quotation.