How Much do Sunglasses Cost to Make?
It is a bright sunny day on the beach. You have your suit, towel, chairs and maybe a few adult sodas. What are you missing here? A high quality pair of polarized sunglasses. Why is this a necessary item to bring?
Well for one, it will help to relax your eyes and put less strain on them throughout the day. They also reduce the harmful UV rays that can actually lead to different types of cancer. This is how important protection is.
Okay so we have a problem and a solution right? Well, lets browse through any sunglass store and find various prices from $20-$400+. So what are we looking for? How much does it actually cost to produce sunglasses?
Well let’s start with the frames. There are various materials used to produce sunglasses.
There are many plastics used to make sunglass frames such as TR90, Cellulose Acetate & Nylon. Many of these can be produced fairly inexpensive. Cellulose Acetate is the most expensive and typically runs $10-$30/frame. Many of the other plastic frames actually cost less than $10/frame. These, I remind you, are the same frames many companies will charge you $250+. The metal frames vary from aluminum, stainless steel & Titanium. These frames are actually typically in the same price range of $10-$30 a frame.
Now we move on to the lenses. The cheapest sunglasses you typically find at drug stores are made with TAC lenses and are typically put into lenses for a couple bucks at the most. From there, there are nylon lenses and polycarbonate. These typically are stronger and used in many sport frames. The cost of these lenses typically range from $6-$14. Then we move onto the highest quality lenses with Trivex & Crown Glass materials. Crown glass is the most optically clear but it is typically heavier and easily scratched or broken. Trivex gives you great optical clarity but also is just as strong, if not more, as crown glass. The cost of Trivex ranges from $12-$20/pair. Pricing is similar with crown glass.
What is the bottom line?
Even the most expensive combination cost $50 at the most to produce. Take these into account when looking at sunglasses online and try to vet the companies and see if it is actually a good deal.
At GG Optix we provide Trivex Lenses, with stainless steel, TR-90 or Cellulose Acetate and always promise to be under $100 retail price.
