A new industrial-grade robot arm costs roughly $30,000 to $60,000 for a cobot and more for large industrial arms, and a 2019 Boston Consulting Group estimate (below) put a complete working system at roughly three times the robot’s price, a rough industry figure rather than a rule for any particular cell. The big makers (FANUC, ABB, KUKA, Yaskawa, Universal Robots) don’t publish list prices, but some sellers do: UFACTORY’s Lite 6 starts at $3,349, Standard Bots’ cobots start at $29,500, Vention lists a FANUC CRX-10iA at $51,433.73 (the listing doesn’t say whether the controller is included), and a complete Lincoln Electric CRX welding cart lists at $97,298.56. All prices were checked October 23, 2026.
Published robot arm prices (October 2026)
| Arm | Class | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| UFACTORY Lite 6 | Desktop arm | $3,349 | UFACTORY US store |
| UFACTORY xArm | Light cobot | from $5,799 | UFACTORY US store |
| UFACTORY 850 | Light cobot | $9,899 | UFACTORY US store |
| Standard Bots Spark / Core / Thor | Industrial cobots | from $29,500 / $39,500 / $49,500 | Standard Bots |
| FANUC CRX-10iA | Cobot, 10 kg | $51,433.73 (arm) | Vention store |
| Lincoln Cooper CRX-10iA/L cart | Complete welding cobot | $97,298.56 | Arc Solutions |
| Hirebotics Cobot Welder (UR arm) | Complete welding cobot | from $105,000 | Hirebotics |
Sources: UFACTORY US store, Standard Bots, Vention’s CRX-10iA listing, Arc Solutions’ Lincoln Cooper listing and Hirebotics. Prices change; check the seller’s page before budgeting.
The light arms at the top of the table are fine for labs, education and light assembly, but they carry a few kilograms and aren’t built for multi-shift factory duty. For Dobot arms, from the $3,885 MG400 to a €16,940 CR5A, see our Dobot price guide. For a hobby or research arm under $300, see our SO-101 kit guide.
Why the big brands don’t publish prices
FANUC, ABB, KUKA, Yaskawa and Universal Robots sell mostly through integrators, who quote the whole job. The arm price depends on the exact variant, controller options, software packages and volume, and integrators bundle it with tooling and labor. Vention’s FANUC cost guide (October 2025) listed CRX arms from about $43,000 to $61,000, one of the few public references for a major brand. Large industrial arms from these makers are quoted case by case; payload and reach drive the price far more than brand. Our comparison of the big four covers how they differ.
The rule of three: what a working robot costs
By one widely cited estimate, the arm is a third or less of the bill. The Robot Report, citing Boston Consulting Group in November 2019, said to multiply a robot’s price by at least three to get the cost of a working system, and by four or five when conveyors and other machines are added. It’s a general estimate from 2019, not a FANUC or cobot-specific figure, so use it as a sanity check against real quotes. The rest of the bill goes to items such as:
- End-of-arm tooling: grippers, vacuum heads, welding torches, tool changers.
- The cell: base, fixtures, guarding or safety scanners, conveyors.
- Integration: programming, PLC and MES connection, vision setup.
- Safety work: risk assessment and validation, required for cobots too.
- Training and support: operator and maintenance training, service contracts.
The two complete packages in the table show this: a roughly $50,000 CRX arm becomes a $97,000 welding cart once the power source, wire feeder, torch, software, table and cart are added. Our quote checklist lists the lines to compare between bids.
Typical ranges by application
- Cobot machine tending: arm $30,000–60,000 plus gripper, base and programming.
- Cobot welding: about $79,000–105,000 as a published complete package; see our cobot welder comparison.
- Cobot palletizing: about $60,000–160,000 per cell by one seller’s estimate; see our cobot palletizer comparison.
- Industrial-robot cells (spot welding, heavy handling, high-speed palletizing): quoted per project, usually well above cobot cells because of guarding, larger arms and conveyors.
Ways to pay less
- Buy used or refurbished. KUKA and Yaskawa sell used and certified pre-owned robots on request, and FANUC reconditions robots you already own for a new job.
- Rent instead of buying. Some sellers offer robots as a service for a monthly or hourly fee, mostly for mobile robots and cobots.
- Use public support programs. Many governments subsidize automation for small manufacturers; check your national or state program before you sign.
- Size the robot correctly. A bigger arm costs more and needs more guarding; our guide to choosing an arm by payload and reach helps avoid overbuying.
For which makers sell what, see our industrial robot manufacturers list and the FANUC CRX price guide.
Palletizing arms are sold as cells rather than bare robots; our palletizing robot comparison splits a palletizer quote into its cost layers.
Seller pages checked October 23, 2026.