Palletizer ROI calculator
Estimate what a robotic or gantry palletizer costs, how much manual palletizing labor it replaces and how many months it takes to pay for itself. Built on our published prices, with every assumption in plain view and editable.
- Sheet
- ROI-01
- Prices
- Odecopack published
- Horizon
- 60 months
- Currency
- USD
- Rev.
- Sep 2026
Count the hands stacking cases today. Use 0.5 for a shared role.
Paid hours on the line.
Calculated over 50 operating weeks a year.
Wage plus benefits, payroll tax and overhead. Use your own figure.
Not included in our starting prices. Varies with conveyors, guarding and site work.
Spare parts, service visits and planned downtime per year.
Used only to check the gantry payload limit.
- Robotic palletizer
- Gantry palletizer
View as table
| End of | Robotic palletizer | Gantry palletizer |
|---|---|---|
| Today | -$198,000 | -$118,800 |
| Year 1 | -$90,950 | -$9,770 |
| Year 2 | $16,100 | $99,260 |
| Year 3 | $123,150 | $208,290 |
| Year 4 | $230,200 | $317,320 |
| Year 5 | $337,250 | $426,350 |
Estimate only, not a quote. Equipment figures are Odecopack published starting prices and exclude installation. Your summary is added to the request form so the engineer starts from your numbers.
How the palletizer ROI calculation works
Five steps, no hidden weighting. The example uses the calculator's default inputs for a robotic palletizer, so you can check every number against the tool above.
- 01Labor hours freed per year= people/shift × shifts × hours × days/week × 50 weeks1 × 2 × 8 × 5 × 50 = 4,000 h
- 02Labor cost avoided per year= hours freed × fully loaded hourly cost4,000 × $28 = $112,000
- 03Net savings per year= labor cost avoided − yearly maintenance$112,000 − $4,950 = $107,050
- 04Total investment= equipment price + installation & integration$165,000 + $33,000 = $198,000
- 05Payback period= total investment ÷ monthly net savings$198,000 ÷ $8,921 ≈ 23 months
How much does a palletizer cost?
Our robotic palletizer starts at $165,000 and the gantry palletizer at $99,000. Those are real published starting prices, not ranges pulled from a survey, and neither includes installation.
What moves the final number is the line around the machine: how cases arrive, how many stacking patterns you run, the guarding and safety your site needs, and how much conveyor and integration work connects it to the rest of the line.
Full palletizer specifications| Spec | Robotic | Gantry |
|---|---|---|
| Published starting price | $165,000 | $99,000 |
| Installation | Not included | Not included |
| Payload | Higher payload capacity | Up to 65 lb (32 kg) |
| Best suited to | Flexible, higher-speed lines | Low-to-medium speed lines |
| Payback at example inputs | 23 months | 14 months |
Robotic price includes standard safety, USA only. Example payback uses the calculator defaults: one person per shift, two 8-hour shifts, five days, $28/h loaded cost, 20% installation.
What this estimate leaves out
A payback number is only as honest as its scope. Here is what the model deliberately doesn't price, in both directions.
Costs not counted
- Conveyors and infeed
- Accumulation, case orientation and pallet dispensing change with your layout.
- Site preparation
- Floor anchoring, power, air and any relocation of existing equipment.
- Training and ramp-up
- The first weeks run below full rate while operators learn changeovers.
- Financing and tax
- Interest, leasing and depreciation treatment are specific to your business.
Benefits not counted
- Fewer lifting injuries
- Stacking cases by hand is repetitive, heavy work with real injury exposure.
- Lower turnover
- Palletizing roles are hard to keep staffed; hiring and training cost money too.
- More consistent pallets
- The same pattern every time means steadier loads and fewer damaged shipments.
- Room to grow
- Adding a shift adds hours, not headcount, once the cell is running.
Turn the estimate into an installed scope
A calculator gives you a range. A decision needs your case weight, rate, pallet pattern and layout checked against the real installation. Send what you have and an engineer will tell you which palletizer fits and what the installed project includes.
