How a Spur Gear Is Made and What It Costs

A spur gear is primarily made by Gear Hobbing. Gear cutting (hobbing and shaping) generates gear teeth with a rotating cutter timed to the blank, then often grinds them for quality. Below is the full route to make a spur gear, the materials it suits, the tolerances to expect and the main design points. The route is free, from the finder.

Step by step

How a spur gear is made

The usual route, raw material to finished part. The amber step is where the spur gear gets its basic shape.

Stock
Start from bar, plate or billet sized for the spur gear.
Gear Hobbing (roughing)
Rough out the main shape, leaving stock on the critical surfaces.
Tooling Medium (hob) Tolerance tight (gear grade) Lead 2 to 8 weeks
Finish machining
Take the finishing passes that bring the spur gear to tolerance.
Tooling Medium (hob) Tolerance tight (gear grade) Lead 2 to 8 weeks
Holes and features
Drill, ream and tap, and where needed broach splines or cut gear teeth.
Tooling None Tolerance ±0.05 to 0.2mm Lead hours to days
Heat treatment
Harden and temper if the spur gear must resist wear or load, then finish-grind.
Tooling n/a Tolerance can distort Lead days
Grinding
Where the spur gear has bearing or sealing surfaces, grind them to the tightest tolerance and finish.
Tooling Low (wheel) Tolerance ±0.002 to 0.02mm Lead days
Surface finish
Anodise, plate or coat for wear and corrosion resistance.
Tooling Low Tolerance adds microns Lead days
Inspection
Measure the spur gear against the drawing, on a CMM for close work.

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Precision

Tolerances to expect

TYPICAL TOLERANCE IT CAN HOLD

Where this process typically lands. Tighter is possible with extra operations like grinding, at higher cost.

Materials

Materials for a spur gear

Grade	Why it suits this
20MnCr5 / 8620	Case-hardening gear steel, tough core
Sintered FC-0208 (PM)	Net-shape at volume, some porosity

Design

Design tips

General pointers. The full design-for-manufacturing list for a spur gear is in the dossier.

Higher gear class than the application needs. Relax one DIN grade.
Thin rim under the root. Thicken the rim.

Cost

What a spur gear should cost

Example for a mid-size steel spur gear. Powder-metal sintering beats cut gears above ~10k if the grade allows.

PER-PART COST vs VOLUME

Per-part cost drops as volume spreads tooling and setup over more parts. The exact figures for a spur gear at your volume, in your currency, are in the dossier.

MODEL EST.

$60 to 160 per part at 1 off

A rough ballpark only. The dossier gives should-cost at your exact volume and currency, with the full breakdown.

GET THE FULL DOSSIER

Everything you need to quote and source it

The free route above is yours. To actually put a number on a spur gear and buy it well:

Should-cost at your exact volume in 12 currencies, with the material, processing, tooling and overhead breakdown
Who to source from, typical MOQ and lead time, and the exact RFQ checklist to send
A quote checker that tells you if a supplier quote is fair, and the red flags to watch
The full DFM list and a ready-to-send RFQ draft

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Related parts made the same way

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See also: How Gear Hobbing works and the full route for a spur gear in the finder.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How is a spur gear made?

A spur gear is primarily made by gear hobbing. The route is: Stock; Gear Hobbing (roughing); Finish machining; Holes and features; Heat treatment; Grinding; Surface finish; Inspection.

What does a spur gear cost?

It depends on size, tolerance and volume. As a rough ballpark it starts around $60 to 160 per part at 1 off and falls with quantity. The dossier gives should-cost at your exact volume and currency. A model estimate, not a quote.

What material is a spur gear made from?

Common choices are 20MnCr5 / 8620; Sintered FC-0208 (PM).

What is the main process for a spur gear?

Gear Hobbing. Precision gears, splines and sprockets.

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