Ask for a proximity sensor price list and you will usually get either silence or a number that turns out not to apply to you. That is not evasion. It is that “proximity sensor” describes a family where two units of the same thread size can legitimately differ in price several times over.
Here is what actually sets the figure, so you can ask for a quotation that comes back right the first time.
1. Body size and sensing distance
These move together, and they are the largest single factor. A larger coil senses further and costs more to build. Across our D30C range the span runs from M8 at the small end through M12, M18 and M30 up to M36 and M50 at 30 mm sensing.
The practical point for a buyer: do not over-specify sensing distance because it feels safer. Each step up costs money. But do not under-specify either, because a sensor mounted at the limit of its range fails in service and gets replaced, which costs more than the step up would have.
2. Sensing technology
Inductive is the cheapest, because the principle is simple and the volumes are highest. Capacitive costs more because the electronics must be more sensitive and adjustable. Photoelectric varies widely depending on mode, and a through-beam pair costs more than a diffuse unit because it is two devices. NAMUR sits above standard inductive because the volumes are lower and the application is specialised.
Specify the technology the target actually requires. Paying for capacitive to detect a steel plate is money spent for nothing.
3. Protection rating and housing
A sensor that only has to survive a dry panel is cheaper than one that has to take a high-pressure hot washdown. Sealing, housing material and cable gland construction all carry cost. Our note on IP67, IP68 and IP69K explains what each rating actually tests, which is worth reading before specifying the highest number available.
4. Quantity, and how you take delivery
This moves price more than most buyers expect, and in two ways.
Order quantity. Production is scheduled against an order, so a hundred of one variant costs less per piece than five.
Variant spread. Ten pieces each of ten different variants is a more expensive order than a hundred of one, even though the total is the same. If your plant can standardise on fewer part numbers, the saving is real and it also makes your spares holding work.
5. Cable, connector and length
Frequently overlooked and frequently the difference between a tidy installation and an extra junction box per machine. A sensor supplied with the cable length you actually need costs marginally more than the standard two metres and removes an assembly operation. On an OEM build that is a saving, not a cost.
6. Imported or made here
An imported sensor arrives carrying customs duty, freight, clearance charges and an exchange rate agreed weeks earlier. Those line items are not small, and on a bulk order they frequently exceed any difference in the unit price itself.
Accent manufactures in Mumbai to IEC 60947-5-2, so none of those costs sit in the price. See our comparison of what separates a manufacturer from an importer.
Why the cheapest quotation is often the expensive one
Two things reliably turn a low unit price into a high total cost.
The wrong variant. An unshielded sensor quoted where a shielded one was needed will trigger on its own bracket. A nominal sensing distance quoted against mild steel will fall short on an aluminium target. Both get diagnosed as faulty sensors and replaced more than once before anyone reads the datasheet.
No support behind it. When a sensor fails in month fourteen, the question is who replaces it and how fast. On a line that is down, the sensor price is irrelevant next to the hour.
What to send us for a real number
A quotation that comes back right the first time needs:
- Target material and the distance you need to sense it at
- Body size your mounting allows, and whether the sensor can stand proud of the metal
- Output your input card expects, PNP or NPN, normally open or normally closed
- Supply voltage at the sensor
- Environment: washdown, dust, temperature, chemicals
- Cable length and whether you want a connector
- Quantity, and how many variants it splits across
If you are replacing something, the existing part number and a photograph of it installed will answer most of the above in one go.
Need a price, a drawing or a stock check?
Send us the part number, or just describe the application and the target you need to sense. We will come back with the right model, a dimensional drawing and a quotation. Accent Controls has built proximity switches in Mumbai since 1985 to IEC 60947-5-2.
Request a quotation · +91 98673 64004 · info@accentsensors.com
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