No serious catalogue price exists in custom-built equipment, but the factors that set the price are perfectly predictable. Power, copper, losses, options, logistics: the full tour, straight talk.
A distribution transformer is a custom product: voltage, power, losses, vector group, options; every specification yields a different machine. Add a market reality: the active materials (copper, magnetic steel) are indexed on world prices that move every week. A "displayed price" without a specification is therefore either a misleading average or bait. The factors that set the price, on the other hand, are perfectly predictable; that is what this guide is about.
Price follows power, but not linearly: a 1 000 kVA does not cost twice a 500 kVA, because part of the cost (tank, bushings, tests, transport) grows more slowly than the active material. The practical consequence: targeting the right power with the right margin (see the sizing guide) is more profitable than oversizing "to be safe"; every unnecessary kVA step is paid for.
Active material weighs heavily in a transformer's cost. Copper is indexed on the LME; the core's grain-oriented steel follows its own market. Two effects follow: a quotation has a limited validity period, and the copper vs aluminium choice for the windings is a genuine lever: aluminium trims the bill, copper gains in compactness and thermal endurance. Both can be priced side by side.
Fewer losses = more active material = higher purchase price, lower total cost of ownership. The Ecodesign regulation makes Tier 2 the legal floor in the EU; going beyond it (reduced losses) is justified by arithmetic: a transformer runs for 20 to 30 years, and every kW of avoided losses compounds over that whole span. For a data center or a site running around the clock, the premium pays back; for a lightly loaded substation, standard Tier 2 is often enough.
At equal power, the usual price hierarchy runs from mineral-oil oil-immersed (the most economical) to ester (dielectric premium, justified by fire safety and the environment), then to cast resin dry-type (a costlier encapsulation process, imposed by indoor use and public buildings). The right choice is not made on purchase price alone: it follows the installation site and the risk analysis.
Some pointers from experience: off-circuit tap changers (DETC) are near-standard and weigh little; an on-load tap changer (OLTC) is a different budget altogether. A DGPT2 protection relay, reinforced C4/C5 paint for coastal sites, a higher IP rating, KEMA / TÜV witness tests: each is priced, none is exorbitant, but the accumulation shows. The useful reflex: separate in your specification what is required from what is desired; we price both columns.
An "ex-works" price is not a price. Between the workshop and your site sit transport (an exceptional convoy above certain masses), insurance, customs and taxes. That is why our quotations are delivered to site, on the lead times described in the lead time guide: the comparison stays honest, and there is no surprise line at the end.
General cost structure, with no figures on purpose: a firm price only exists against a specification. Send yours and get one within 5 working days.
Because the active materials are indexed: copper on the LME, magnetic steels on their own market. That is also why a quotation has a limited validity period; ours is stated on every quote.
Not necessarily, but always check three things: real Tier 2 compliance (test report to back it), the EU Declaration of Conformity, and what the price covers (ex-works or delivered). A large price gap almost always has an explanation in one of those three.
Yes, and it is even recommended: for example copper vs aluminium, Tier 2 vs reduced losses, with and without witness tests. State the variants you want in the comments field of the configurator.
Delivered to site. Between the workshop and your site sit transport (exceptional convoy above certain masses), insurance, customs and taxes. Our quotations are delivered-to-site so the comparison is honest.