Each die casting machine and its attendant control system represent a substantial capital investment. Therefore the economics of the process are largely a function of production rates. Production rates are determined by interdependent factors such as machine size, cycle time, component weight, the number of components produced per cycle, and the scrap rate.

Although production factors are primarily the concern of the die caster, they are also significantly affected by the design of the product. For instance, a casting may have a relatively massive, thick-walled feature which is the last to solidify, affecting solidification time. Where possible, such features should be redesigned to reduce the mass of metal and/or increase the area available for heat transfer to improve the cycle time.

The cost of operating a die casting machine, per component cast, is frequently a tradeoff of machine size, die complexity (e.g. core slides), number of pieces cast per cycle, and scrap rate. When a given design is submitted to several die casters for price quotations, one may base cost on a single cavity die in a relatively small, high-speed, highly automated machine with low labor intensity. A second source may base cost on a four, eight or twelve cavity die, fitted to a larger, more expensive machine, which operates on a longer and more labor-intensive cycle. Variations of this nature can contribute to wide variations in quotations submitted by equally capable die casters.