Skip to content

Cost estimate

Project overview · Project log

Cost estimate · 20 gates

Tube prices were checked on 27 October 2026; the LED figure is an owner-observed price, with delivered price and VAT unverified. Printed parts are PETG.

Item Quantity for 20 gates 20 gates Per gate
Tube 15 × 15 × 1 mm, cut to 900 mm (DOLD); each piece sawn once into a 600 mm frame tube and a leg 80 pieces €188.65 €9.43
DOLD shipping, one parcel of about 11 kg (rates) 1 €8.90 €0.45
WS2812B ECO, 60 LEDs/m, IP30, 5 m reel 10 reels €117.00 €5.85
Estimated AliExpress order charges 1 order, provisional €6.00 €0.30
PETG filament about 14 kg €140–210 €7.00–10.50
Wire, heat shrink, solder lump sum €20–40 €1.00–2.00
Total €480.55–570.55 €24.03–28.53

What makes up the estimate?

€525.55Illustrative midpoint · 20 single gates

  • Tube + shipping €197.55 · 38%
  • LED strips + estimated charges €123 · 23%
  • PETG €175 · 33%
  • Wire and consumables €30 · 6%

Midpoints of the PETG and consumables ranges; percentages rounded. The estimated range is €480.55–570.55, including a provisional €6 order-charge allowance. Separate LED shipping, power, controllers and optional hardware are excluded.

Gate quantity comparison

Estimated total and per-gate costs for single gates, using the same materials as the 20-gate plan. Smaller orders are indicative: the tube unit price is extrapolated from the 20-gate quote, although the supplier's 50-piece price tier does not apply to 5 or 10 gates. Tube shipping is provisionally held at €8.90 for every quantity; check the actual cart before ordering.

Show estimated totals and calculation
Single gates Tube pieces LED reels Estimated total Estimated per gate
5 20 3 €137.16–159.66 €27.43–31.93
10 40 5 €247.73–292.73 €24.77–29.27
15 60 8 €369.99–437.49 €24.67–29.17
20 80 10 €480.55–570.55 €24.03–28.53

Each gate uses four 900 mm tube pieces, 2.4 m of LED strip, about 0.7 kg of PETG and a consumables allowance. The calculation uses €188.65 ÷ 80 per tube piece, €8.90 tube shipping per order, €11.70 per 5 m LED reel, €6 provisional LED-order charges, €7–10.50 PETG and €1–2 consumables per gate. Reels are rounded up, assuming two 2.4 m lengths can be cut from each reel. Totals are rounded to cents; per-gate figures use unrounded totals.

The €6 is an illustrative allowance, not a verified customs bill. The EU's temporary €3 duty for qualifying low-value imports depends on the goods and import arrangements; the actual charge and any additional fee are unconfirmed. Check the checkout total and avoid counting fees twice. European Commission: low-value parcels.

Separate LED shipping, controller, power supply and optional hardware are excluded. Cutting waste and defective parts may increase quantities. For 15 gates, the purchased strip includes one extra gate's worth under the stated cutting assumption.

  • Tubes: each gate needs four 600 mm frame tubes and four legs of about 300 mm (30 mm in the bracket, about 250 mm free, 20 mm in the end cap). The saw cut comes off the leg, so it ends up about 297 mm long; the exact leg length does not matter. Prices are DOLD cart prices for 50 or more pieces of one length, including cutting and logistics.
  • LEDs: 4 × 0.6 m = 2.4 m (144 LEDs) per gate, so one 5 m reel covers two gates. €11.70 per reel was observed by the project owner on 27 October 2026 for the linked ECO/IP30 variant. Variant price, VAT, availability for ten reels, order charges and shipping could not be independently verified. A provisional €6 order-charge allowance is included; separate LED shipping is excluded. Datasheet: Worldsemi WS2812B.
  • Filament: 4 corners, 2 foot brackets, 4 end caps and 12 diffuser segments add up to about 545 cm³ of solid part volume per gate, roughly 0.7 kg of PETG. Infill lowers the real amount somewhat. The price assumes €10–15 per kg.
  • Small parts: short wires to solder the strip across each corner, plus heat shrink and solder. Rough estimate.
  • Not included: controller, power supply, cables between gates, and the optional M3 screws and inserts.
Tube ordering options compared · 20 gates

DOLD cart totals including shipping to Germany, 27 October 2026. Every option needs 80 frame tubes of 600 mm and 80 legs. Leftover is only the saw cut.

Order Own saw cuts Leg length Tubes + shipping
80 × 600 + 80 × 300 mm, cut by DOLD 0 300 mm €232.55
80 × 600 + 80 × 250 mm, cut by DOLD 0 250 mm €224.01
80 × 900 mm, cut into 600 + leg 80 ≈ 297 mm €197.55
40 × 1800 mm, cut into 2 × 600 + 2 legs 120 ≈ 297 mm €194.16
80 × 850 mm, cut into 600 + leg 80 ≈ 247 mm €189.01
40 × 1700 mm, cut into 2 × 600 + 2 legs 120 ≈ 247 mm €185.54
80 × 1000 mm, cut into 600 + leg 80 ≈ 397 mm €214.62
80 × 600 mm + legs in 10 × 10 mm tube, 20 × 1000 mm cut into 4 60 ≈ 247 mm €183.75

Pieces up to 1 m ship as a normal parcel; 1.2–1.8 m pieces cost €12.90–18.90 to ship, which cancels most of the saving. 10 × 10 mm legs save only a few euros and would need a new foot bracket and end cap.

Other shops were more expensive per metre: Hornbach €3.85 per 1 m tube (product), the eBay seller metalexpres €4.25 per 1 m or €7.57 per 2 m plus €8.90 shipping (listing), Pegnitz-Schrauben €4.02 per 1 m (product). At those prices the 80 one-metre tubes alone cost more than €300.