Per-Unit EPR Fee Calculator

Estimate the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fee for a single SKU from its packaging bill of materials. Enter each component, its format, its material and its weight, and the calculator prices it against the selected state, shows which component is driving the cost, and compares a redesign side by side.

Free. One short form unlocks this and Ask Atlas.

Facts on this page were last verified against primary sources on August 3, 2026. The EPR Atlas is re-checked weekly; this stamp moves only when a verification pass actually runs, not when the site rebuilds.

Need total annual or portfolio-level exposure instead of per-unit? Use the Total EPR Fee Estimator.
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You are previewing the Unit EPR Fee Calculator. Add your details to unlock per-SKU fee modeling across all 7 enacted states, eco-modulation credits, and side-by-side redesign comparison.

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Per-Unit EPR Fee Calculator
Enter a SKU's packaging to estimate the per-unit EPR fee by state, see what's driving the cost, and compare design changes that lower the fee.
How the rates work. Oregon and Colorado use their actual published 2026 rates (Oregon's Fee Schedule and Colorado's Dues Schedule), and California uses CAA's draft 2027 schedule (Table 5 of the program plan REVISED June 18, 2026; midpoint of the low-to-high range with the plastic surcharges folded in; final rates publish October 2026), all mapped to the format and material options below. The other four states (Maine, Minnesota, Maryland, Washington) have no published schedule yet, so their figures are estimated from Oregon's rates. Because programs aren't harmonized and use dozens of fine-grained categories, some real categories are collapsed into these dropdowns, and the after-credit (net) number is approximate since eco-modulation dollar caps aren't modeled. Use this for design comparisons and directional planning, not as a compliance figure.
Total annual EPR fee
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For budgeting. Enter annual units to project total fee for the active design. Does not affect per-unit cost below.
Baseline
Alternative
πŸ”© Packaging Components - editing: Baseline
Component
Format
Material
Weight (g)
πŸŽ›οΈ Eco-Modulation Levers - Baseline

Toggle credits that apply to this design. Each lowers the net fee. Grayed-out credits aren't confirmed for the selected state.

πŸ’΅ EPR Fee Per Unit
Base β†’ Eco-Mod β†’ Net (Baseline)
Design Comparison
Per unitBaselineAlternativeΞ”
Ξ” is Alternative minus Baseline. A negative net Ξ” (green) is an EPR saving per unit to weigh against any material cost change in the alternative.
🧩 Fee by Component - Baseline
Per-unit fee each component contributes in the selected state. The biggest contributor is your first redesign target.
πŸ’‘ Design Recommendations - Baseline
β›” Material Risk & Sale Restrictions

Flags components whose material faces a design-based fee penalty (malus / top-tier fee) or could be restricted from sale in the selected state. Catching these in development avoids a forced redesign and lost market access later.

Want a plan to lower a SKU's fee? I help teams prioritize the design changes that pay back. Let's talk →

How the per-unit calculation works

An EPR fee is charged on the packaging placed on a state's market, so the honest unit of analysis is the SKU, built up from its bill of materials. For each component the calculator takes the material and the weight, applies that state's rate for the material, and sums the components into a base fee. Any eco-modulation the design qualifies for is then applied to get the net per-unit fee, which is multiplied by annual units to give annual exposure.

Per-Unit Fee = Σ (Component Weight × Material Rate) × Eco-Modulation Multiplier

Because the calculation is per component, it shows which part of the pack is actually generating the fee, which is where redesign pays back first. Model a change in the alternative design column to see the difference side by side.

For portfolio-level or annual exposure across many SKUs, use the Total EPR Fee Estimator instead. To check whether you are an obligated producer in the first place, start with the scope screener.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate an EPR fee per unit?
Build a packaging bill of materials for the SKU: list every component (primary container, closure, label, film and any secondary packaging) with its material type and weight in grams. Multiply each component weight by that material's state rate, add the components together, then apply any eco-modulation adjustment the SKU qualifies for. The result is the per-unit EPR fee. The calculator on this page runs that for every component at once.
Which component usually drives the fee?
Not always the heaviest one. Fees are mass-based, so a heavy component matters, but rates rise sharply for hard-to-recycle materials, so a light multi-layer laminate, metallized film or expanded polystyrene component can cost more than a much heavier aluminum or clear PET one. The contribution table on this page ranks components by net fee so the real driver is visible rather than assumed.
Is the per-unit estimate official?
No. Oregon and Colorado use their actual published 2026 rates. California uses CAA's draft 2027 schedule, and Maine, Minnesota, Maryland and Washington are estimated from Oregon's published rates until each state publishes its own schedule. Estimates are for planning, not for compliance reporting. Confirm final figures with the Circular Action Alliance producer portal or the relevant state agency.
Why does the calculator ask for a lead form?
The per-unit calculator and Ask Atlas are the two gated tools on EPR Atlas. One short form unlocks both, and the unlock is remembered in your browser, so you fill it in once. The fee calculator, the scope screener, the state guides and every comparison page are ungated.