There is no flat figure for an injection molding machine: its value follows shot count, condition of barrel and screw, control generation, clamping force and drive type. Send us manufacturer, type, year, shot count and control and you get a first assessment. The basic logic of a machine tool valuation (brand, age, condition, market comparison) applies here too and is explained under What is my CNC machine worth?, How we value your machine and Industrial machinery valuation. This guide covers only what is different for injection molding machines. We buy injection molding machines directly, with no commission on a direct purchase.
Shot count instead of spindle hours
Anyone who has valued a CNC machine knows spindle hours as the central wear indicator. On an injection molding machine, shot count takes exactly that role. It measures how often the plasticising unit has actually run a cycle under load, and so is the most direct indicator of mechanical wear on the injection unit, rather than the plain running time of the machine. As with spindle hours: the number alone says little without maintenance history and material type. A machine with a high shot count but documented maintenance and gentle materials can be in better condition than one with a lower shot count and an unknown past.
Barrel, screw and non-return valve: the most expensive wear parts
The most important difference from CNC valuation is the kind of wear. On a milling machine it is mainly the spindle and guideways that wear through mechanical load. On an injection molding machine, barrel, screw and non-return valve are in direct, continuous contact with the molten plastic. Glass-fibre or mineral-filled materials act abrasively, and certain additives and flame retardants are also corrosive. Over millions of shots the screw geometry wears, the barrel loses its fit, and the non-return valve no longer closes cleanly. The result is inaccurate dosing, fluctuating shot weights and rising scrap.
Replacing this assembly is not a small item: depending on size, a new screw set is a considerable cost. For buyers and sellers this means that the condition of barrel and screw is as central a value driver on an injection molding machine as spindle condition on a CNC machine, and it should be described concretely in your enquiry, even if only a visual assessment is possible.
Clamping force class as market segmentation
On injection molding machines, clamping force is not just a technical figure but the primary segmentation of the buyer market. Smaller classes up to roughly 200 t mainly serve electronics and consumer goods parts with short cycle times. Mid classes between 300 and 800 t appeal to automotive suppliers and technical parts makers. Large classes from 800 t are reserved for large automotive parts, containers and pallets and serve a separate, smaller group of buyers with correspondingly different price levels. For the valuation of your machine this means: demand in exactly your clamping force class at the time of sale is often more telling than a general industry trend.
Control generation as a value factor
As with CNC machines, the control is a strong single indicator. The relevant current generations in this market are SELOGICA EXPERT (Arburg), MC6 (KraussMaffei), CC300 (Engel) and UNILOG B8 (Wittmann Battenfeld). Machines with these generations appeal to a wider, better-informed group of buyers than those with the earlier generations: the classic SELOGICA, MC5 or older proprietary controls. That does not make older control generations unsellable, but it moves the machine into a different price segment. What remains decisive is whether spare parts and software updates are still available for the specific version.
Electric, hydraulic or hybrid
Drive type is an especially strong price factor on injection molding machines: fully electric machines are often valued higher than comparable hydraulic machines of the same age. We have already set out the reasons for this, and how to place hybrid designs in which only some axes are electrified, under Sell injection molding machines, and do not repeat them in detail here. As a rule of thumb for your own assessment: the more axes work electrically, and the tighter the manufacturing tolerances of your previous application, the more likely your machine sits in the upper price range of its drive class.
Multi-component units and validation as value enhancers
Two equipment features raise the resale value of an injection molding machine above average. Multi-component units, such as a second injection unit, a rotary table or a co-injection set-up, extend the uses considerably, because they allow multi-component parts and insert parts that cannot be made on a standard machine. Such units are specialised and expensive when bought new, which is why a working used unit earns a clear premium.
A documented validation or qualification, for example for medical technology or automotive applications (IQ/OQ documentation), works in a similar way. Such a machine has a smaller but more willing-to-pay group of buyers, because revalidation costs the buyer time and money, which a machine that is already demonstrably qualified saves. Keep the relevant documents and submit them with your enquiry.
Both features have one thing in common: they make the machine harder to replace for a particular group of buyers than a comparable standard machine, and that is exactly what buyers are willing to pay more for. A machine without a multi-component unit or validation is therefore not less sellable; it simply meets a broader but less specialised group of buyers at a correspondingly different price level.
A typical situation
A mid-sized plastics processor with several hydraulic machines in the 150–200 t clamping force range invests in a new fully electric machine because a major customer demands tighter tolerances and a better energy balance in the supply chain. The old hydraulic machine runs mechanically without fault, but is no longer needed in full for the remaining range of parts and blocks hall floor space needed for the new line. Instead of leaving it idle as a reserve, the company has it valued independently. With the shot count, the condition of screw and barrel and the control version, it gets a realistic assessment and decides on that basis whether selling or continued use is more economical. A scenario like this is typical enough that at the first assessment we ask specifically whether a replacement investment is the reason for the sale.
A second, equally common pattern is a complete plant closure: a plastics processor closes a production line and has to release several machines of different clamping force and drive type at once. Besides the individual valuation of each machine, what counts most here is a realistic joint schedule for dismantling and pickup, so that the hall can be cleared on time. See Plant closure and machinery liquidation.
Applied to the main brands
How these factors work out in practice is shown on our brand pages, with brand-specific series, control generations and, where a reliable public price range exists, market values: Sell Arburg, Sell Engel, Sell KraussMaffei, Sell Sumitomo Demag, Sell Wittmann Battenfeld, Sell Netstal and Sell Haitian. An overview of the whole market and all models is under Sell injection molding machines.
Request a free valuation
If you want to know what your injection molding machine is worth today, we need: manufacturer, type, year, clamping force, control, shot count (as far as the control reads it out) and an honest assessment of the condition of barrel and screw. You receive the first assessment, non-binding and free of charge. On a direct purchase, payment is made by bank transfer before pickup, and we organise dismantling and transport; whether the costs are included is stated in the offer upfront. The whole process usually takes 7–15 working days.