Why is 12k carbon fiber tow more expensive than 12k Woven Carbon Cloth on a per kilo basis?

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Why is 12k carbon fiber tow more expensive than 12k Woven Carbon Cloth on a per kilo basis?

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drivingsouth	drivingsouth posted 10 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 1, Visits: 8	I'm comparing - 12k carbon fiber 4,5kg tow - Carbon Fibre 2/2 Twill 12k 650g On a per kilo basis, using the best price on bulk, tow is 37.7 GBP Kg per kilo and cloth 32 GBP. This doesn't seem to make make sense since cloth is tow cost + cloth making costs (machinery,etc..). Am i seeing anything wrong? Tags carbon fiber cloth cost tow
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ajb100	ajb100 posted 10 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 346, Visits: 4.4K	Probably down to demand, they sell more fabric so can keep the cost down
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brainfart	brainfart posted 10 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 198, Visits: 1.4K	It's only illegal if you want to export to IRANSYRIASUDANNORTHKOREA, because that would make you an EVIL TERRORIST SUPPORTER (TM)
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ajb100	ajb100 posted 10 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 346, Visits: 4.4K	Why is it illegal?
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brainfart	brainfart posted 10 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 198, Visits: 1.4K	Because then freedom-hating Al-Kai-Duh would use the carbon fiber to built INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILES and TERRORIST FIGHTER JETS threatening PEACE and FREEDOM in GODS OWN COUNTRY. More serious version: carbon fibers can be used to built aircraft and missile parts and parts for uranium enrichment centrifuges, and therefore a certain unnamed government which asserts the right to have universal jurisdiction tries to control who has access to these (and lots of other) materials on this planet. Can't have Kim Jong-un drive around Pyongyang in his pimped out carbon ride, that wouldn't be cool. > Why is it illegal? Almost every business activity involving IRANSYRIASUDANNORTHKOREA is considered illegal these days. Even if it involves totally harmless goods. Edited 10 Years Ago by brainfart
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brainfart	brainfart posted 10 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 198, Visits: 1.4K	drivingsouth (19/07/2014) I'm comparing - 12k carbon fiber 4,5kg tow - Carbon Fibre 2/2 Twill 12k 650g On a per kilo basis, using the best price on bulk, tow is 37.7 GBP Kg per kilo and cloth 32 GBP. This doesn't seem to make make sense since cloth is tow cost + cloth making costs (machinery,etc..). Am i seeing anything wrong? Is it actually the same fiber? If the fibers are different then this comparison makes no sense. Otherwise: basic business practice. You charge as much as you can get away with. Price is also dictated by how much the product is in demand, bulk discounts you can pass on etc. Edited 10 Years Ago by brainfart
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Warren (Staff)	Warren (Staff) posted 10 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Administrators Posts: 2.5K, Visits: 7.9K	I imagine it is based on supplying it. Not being a "standard" product will make it awkward to supply and hence that cost gets passed down the chain. Also its a volume issue, normally the customers buying tow will be buying hundreds if not thousands of spools to feed thier weaving machines so a user only buying a few spools at a time wont get the same rate. Warren Penalver Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant
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brainfart	brainfart posted 10 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 198, Visits: 1.4K	> 37.7 GBP per kilo for 12K carbon fiber is expensive though.. > In China, Toray T700 12k 50c costs about 27 GBP per kilo. What amounts? Directly from Toray? How many middlemen/businesses are involved? What's the sales tax rate in China? How high are all the other taxes? What are the costs for employees? This involves work hours per year, paid vacation, health and accident insurances, retirement, unproductive paid time, sick leave (= temporary or longer lasting), inability to fire employees when there's not much business, and so on. What are costs for facilities? Rent, energy, taxes, interest rates... All that differs from country to country. There's are many reasons lots of stuff is currently produced in China, because the average worker in Europe costs an employer roughly 10 times as much as the average Chinese worker. So who ultimately pays all that money? The business? NO, of course not, the customer has to pay all these expenses.
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