What's the price of developing a new Product Category Rule?

Creating a fresh PCR can add $3k–$10k on top of the LCA and verification bill. If a valid PCR already exists, the low end of the $15k–$50k range is more realistic.

How often will I pay these costs?

A Type III EPD is valid for five years. Renewal can come at a discount as the model already exists.

Can software alone cut the price below $10k?

Pure self-service tools can drop the cash outlay, but they shift the labor back onto your team. Opportunity cost usually wipes out the savings.

What share of the total goes to third-party verification?

Around 5–15 percent, typically $1k–$3k, depending on complexity and the verifier’s hourly rate.

EPD Cost in 2025: Expect About $15k–$50k

The headline numbers, inflation adjusted

The most-cited cost study surveyed 15 operators and pegged a EPD price at $13k–$41k in 2017 (Tasaki et al., 2017). Apply roughly 25 percent cumulative CPI growth and the 2025 equivalent lands near $15k–$50k. Recent operator fee disclosures cluster in the same corridor, with a median tag of $22k for single-product declarations. With technology evolving, the LCA process has become more efficient, an with demand skyrocketing, economies of scale have been introduced, likely lowering this price somewhat

Five levers that push price up or down

Product complexity (single-layer panel vs. multi-material composite).
Facility count feeding the same SKU.
Data maturity: metered utilities beat Excel estimates every time.
Verification market: veteran verifiers move faster and bill less rework.
Program-operator fee sheets, which still vary by 3× across regions (Olanrewaju et al., 2024).

Same product, different plants, bigger bill

Each additional manufacturing line usually needs its own life-cycle inventory. Expect the quote to rise 10–20 percent per extra site. A gasket pressed in three plants potentially looks like three LCAs sitting behind one EPD cover page.

Bundle products, slice the unit cost

Families that share most inputs can ride the same model. Analysts duplicate the baseline, swap material shares, and verify once. Suppliers of color variations often see per-SKU costs fall below $10k when ordered in batches of five or more.

Your invoice hides only half the story

Internal data hunts can eat 40–120 engineer hours. A partner who shoulders that lift trims soft costs and the payback clock. You product teams could focus on R&D instead of scraping utility portals.

Read through our article on the cost structure of creating an EPD for more details on which parts cost how much, from LCA to verification and publishing.

Need a tailored ballpark?

Every scope is different. If you want a quick read on where your next EPD might land, drop me a note on LinkedIn and I’ll reply with a rough estimate.