Why surface mount components are expensive when compared with the THT components?

Question

Why surface mount components are expensive when compared with the THT components?

Answer 1

Through hole components are easier to manufacture as the welding is done on the opposite surface of the board from where the components themselves are, and owing to the metallic leads going through the board, are more easily installed.

All those advantages go away with surface mount, which, on the other hand, allow for mounting on both sides of a card, with a higher density. The extra care needed to locate and bound SMT on a circuit board is what explains them to be more expensive.

Answer 2

My experience is that thru hole components are getting hard to come by, and cost more than SM components. They are larger, using more material, and are apparently being used in smaller quantities than the SMT one.

You might be buying some type of SMT component that is in short supply, and therefore expensive. Or, some people want to sell full reels, and charge a lot for a single component.

Answer 3

They may be when supplied in small quantities but at the amounts used in production with machines the smt components are cheaper.

There is also the matter of apparent costs which might make thru hole components appear cheaper but they may have been reduced to clear stocks which would make their costs not repeatable.

Answer 4

SM components are harder to test since it's harder to connect them temporarily to a testing breadboard before being sent off for packaging and distribution.

On the other hand, THT components are better suited for being temporarily connected to testing boards as they have bigger leads and/or sockets to which they can be attached.