Free tool
Your dental lab's startup budget
One sheet with every cost, in the order it comes up. Tick what you will buy, replace each price with the quote you get, and keep the result.
Free, no account. Listed US prices checked November 2026. Totals are planning estimates, not what real labs spent. Not legal or tax advice.
Your sheet
Every cost, in the order it comes up.
Pick your lab, then set your space and runway. Each line says where its price comes from. Type over it when you get a quote, and tick it when it is done.
Home-based: check ventilation, 220V circuits and zoning.
3–6 months is a common cushion.
Median US technician pay is about $4,100 a month.
01 Before you spend
—Prove the lab can work before you commit money.
Talk to 10 dentists
How many practices are within 30 miles? How many labs already serve them?
Write the business plan
Assume half the cases you expect in months 1–6, and double the time you think it will take to get paid.
Check your state dental board
A minority of states regulate labs directly, and some also require a CDT or a dentist.
Licensing requirementsConfirm your FDA position
Many labs rely on the dental laboratory exemption, which has limits. Confirm with a regulatory attorney.
Secure funding
Savings, SBA 7(a) loans and equipment financing.
02 Your space
—Check the rules and the ventilation before you sign.
Check zoning or home-occupation rules
Some cities allow dental labs at home and others ban them.
Build-out and ventilation
Dust extraction, fume ventilation, 220V circuits and light for shade matching.
No listed price
Add more (1)
- Security depositIf you lease commercial space.Get a quote
03 Equipment
$21,430Buy what you need to produce your first 50 cases.
Handpieces and rotary
New $1,070–$1,730, used from $400.
Listed priceModel trimmer
New $1,070–$2,100, used $250–$650. Wet trimmers reduce dust.
Listed priceArticulator system
New $830–$2,150. Match what your referring dentists use.
Listed pricePorcelain furnace
New from about $4,500, used $1,000–$4,000. Test used units thoroughly.
Listed priceDesktop scanner
New $4,800–$7,000, used from $2,000. Check the licence on used units.
Listed priceCAD software
One-time price. Exocad Flex starts at $2,660 for the first year.
Listed priceMaterials, benches and small equipment
Starting materials, benches, instruments, compressor and computer have no verifiable listed price.
Estimate
Add more (4)
- Milling machineNew from $21,000, used from about $8,500. Outsource until roughly 15–20 units a week.$8,500
- Sintering furnaceNew from $5,600, used $3,200–$6,250. Only if milling zirconia in-house.$4,725
- 3D printerNew from $7,700, used $1,500–$8,000. Add post-processing.$4,750
- Press systemNew by quote, used $2,400–$5,000. For pressable ceramics.$3,700
04 Legal and insurance
$420Confirm each one with your state and a professional.
LLC or S-Corp filing
Midpoint of $40–$800, depending on the state.
EstimateLiability insurance
Get a broker quote.
No listed priceAttorney and accountant
Ask for a fixed price for the setup.
No listed price
Add more (2)
- State lab registrationMidpoint of $50–$300 a cycle, in the states that require it.$175
- FDA registrationThe FY2027 fee, only if you must register.$13,785
05 Before your first case
$16,000The money that carries you while accounts build.
Living money and rent
4 months at $4,000 a month. Less if you keep a job or bring accounts with you.
Your numbersSet up invoicing
Send invoices the day a case ships.
Offer your first sample cases
2–3 cases at cost, not free.
How it is calculated
Where each number comes from.
Nobody publishes what real labs spent to open. So each line says what kind of figure it is, and anything without a price stays out of the total.
US dollars. International labs will see different numbers. Sales tax is not included.
- Listed priceA dealer or reseller listing at entry level. Used prices are asking prices. Confirm with a dealer.
- Official feeThe FDA registration fee for FY2027, only if you must register.
- EstimateA planning figure where no listing exists. Replace it with a quote.
- Your numbersWorked out from the rent, living money and runway you set.
- No listed priceInsurance, build-out and professional fees. Not in the total until you type a figure.
Before you spend
Start with the requirements.
Some countries require a licence before you make anything. In others, a notice is enough. See what applies before you sign a lease or buy a machine.
- Who can run the lab.
Some US states require a CDT or a dentist.
- Who you register with.
It depends on your state and on what you make.
- Where you can work.
Check zoning and home-occupation rules first.
When the first case arrives
Review on arrival.
When the case arrives, the lab reviews each file: it approves it or asks for a resubmit. The clinic gets the request in TrazaChat, on the same case.
Common Questions
Startup budget: frequently asked questions
Straight answers, using the numbers on this sheet.
With one technician, about $10,000 to $65,000 for equipment, setup, legal and insurance, depending on what you make, plus your own living costs. These are planning estimates from listed US prices, and nobody publishes what real labs spent to open. This sheet recalculates it with your rent, your runway and your quotes.
Build my budgetBecause there is no reliable listed price. Insurance, build-out and professional fees depend on your state and your broker. We leave them blank instead of inventing a figure. Get a quote and type it into the line.
Where each number comes fromUsed equipment often saves 40–60%, and the sheet starts with used prices wherever a listing exists. Used prices are asking prices. Run a firing cycle on any used furnace and check the licence on used scanners.
Equipment essentialsMany labs filling US dentists' prescriptions rely on the FDA's dental laboratory registration exemption, which has limits. If you must register, the FY2027 fee is $13,785. Confirm with a regulatory attorney.
Licensing requirementsUse Save as PDF or Download CSV, no account needed. Until then the sheet stays in this browser, so it starts empty on another device.
Go to the summaryReady to launch your dental lab?
Start with the right software foundation. TrazaLab handles clinic coordination, case tracking, and file management — so you can focus on what you do best: making great restorations.
Free plan. Clinic from $29 / €29 a month. Lab from $49 / €49 a month.