Which raw materials have the greatest impact on connector cost?

Core raw material cost impacts:

Contact material: The largest cost factor. Precious metals (gold, silver, palladium alloys) offer high performance but are expensive. Copper alloys (brass, phosphor bronze, etc.) are cost-effective and commonly used. Ordinary metals (iron, steel) are cheap but suitable only for low-requirement applications.

Plating material: Gold and palladium-nickel plating are costly (thicker plating increases cost) and used for high-reliability applications. Tin and nickel plating are much cheaper (1/5–1/10 of gold) and suitable for mass production in consumer electronics.

Insulating housing material: High-performance engineering plastics (PPS, LCP, PEEK) cost 2–5 times more than ordinary plastics (PA, PC, ABS), suitable for high-end or harsh environments. Ordinary plastics are easy to process and low-cost, suitable for general or consumer electronics applications.