Compact ball-screw linear modules exported from China landed between US$500 and US$1,800 FOB per piece in the May 2026 reference listing for the TIAYO Compact Linear Module Unit, with 1944×220×138 mm envelope, ISO 9001:2000 quality management, and a published repeatability of ±0.01 mm [S2].
The same listing ties price to two physical limits: maximum horizontal payload of 150 kg and maximum vertical payload of 55 kg, with servo-motor drive and an effective stroke window common to compact stages [S2]. Light-load linear modules sized for warehouse cranes, shipboard cranes, and building cranes sit on the lower end of the negotiation band and are typically quoted at MOQ of 1 piece on Made-in-China [S4].
What a Linear Module Actually Costs in 2026
Reference transactions place a single-axis compact ball-screw linear module in the US$500–US$1,800 FOB band, with branded compact units (TIAYO or OEM) most often clearing between US$900 and US$1,400 at small quantities [S2]. For light-load configurations, the entry price undercuts the mid-band because the carriage, screw diameter, and bearing stack are downsized to match a few-hundred-newton working load [S4].
Bulk pricing inverts the usual assumption that industrial automation is a high-ticket purchase: a 1-piece MOQ is standard for the light-load segment on Made-in-China, and a 50-piece factory order typically negotiates another 10–20% off the single-piece list [S2][S4]. Cross-check on Alibaba's medical-rail-system supplier index shows C7-grade ball-screw modules with 50–4000 mm effective stroke still quoting in a similar band, indicating the published range reflects the market rather than a single brand premium [S3].
Selection Criteria That Move the Quote
Five specification gates lock the part before RFQ: effective stroke length, repeatability class, payload (horizontal vs vertical), drive type (servo stepper pneumatic), and the required linear guide profile. Stroke is the dominant cost lever: each 500 mm of added effective length on a ball-screw module pulls in another linear guide rail segment, a longer screw, and a longer bellows cover, all of which scale roughly linearly with the 50–4000 mm range seen in the supplier index [S3].
Repeatability is the second lever: the compact TIAYO unit publishes ±0.01 mm, which corresponds to a ground C7-class ball screw in a 20 mm or 25 mm diameter format. Buyers who need ±0.005 mm or tighter should expect a price uplift of 30–60% over the compact benchmark, and a lead-time penalty because the screw has to be selected and pre-loaded rather than off-the-shelf [S2]. For a deeper look at how the guide profile inside a module changes its price/load ratio, the linear guide reference walks through the rail-width and block-length trade-offs that sit under every module spec sheet.
Comparing the Main Linear Module Types
Three architectures dominate 2026 sourcing: ball-screw modules (the TIAYO pattern, 150 kg horizontal / 55 kg vertical, ±0.01 mm) [S2]; belt-driven modules for long stroke and high speed at lower precision; and linear motor modules where the published benchmark is stroke length and force density rather than payload mass. The ball-screw version is the only one of the three with a published FOB band on the reference listings [S2][S3].
On four decision criteria, the comparison reads: cost (ball-screw compact is lowest at US$500–US$1,800 [S2], linear-motor is highest), repeatability (ball-screw ±0.01 mm [S2], belt-drive typically ±0.05 mm or wider, linear-motor ±0.005 mm with closed-loop encoder), stroke (ball-screw practical limit around 2 m in compact form, linear-motor extends further with stacked rails), and maintenance (ball-screw needs periodic lubrication and bearing audit, belt-drive needs belt-tension checks, linear-motor is essentially maintenance-free on the drive element). For buyers who already use a linear actuator architecture, the module simply packages the same drive and guide elements inside a pre-engineered frame.
Real Use Cases and Sourcing Reality
Compact ball-screw modules of the type priced in the reference listing are specified into PC, LCD, PCB, and PDP assembly cells, plus biotechnology and semiconductor front-end equipment where the 150 kg horizontal payload envelope is sufficient [S2]. Medical rail systems on Alibaba's supplier index use the same C7 ball-screw format at 50–4000 mm stroke, indicating the part family is interchangeable across factory automation, medical imaging gantries, and pick-and-place cells [S3].
Light-load modules (a separate SKU class) are aimed at warehouse cranes, shipboard cranes, goods-yard cranes, building cranes, and workshop cranes, where the carrying capacity is sized for tooling positioning rather than primary structural lifting [S4]. Order pattern: 1-piece MOQ is normal for evaluation units, with engineering samples typically shipped within 7–15 days ex-China and production runs of 50+ units moving to 25–35 day lead time [S2][S4].
Limits, Failure Modes and Standards to Watch
The published TIAYO specs do not declare an IP rating, cleanroom class, or ATEX/IECEx zone rating, so any buyer pushing the module into wet, dusty, or explosive atmospheres needs to request a sealed bellows option and verify certification documents lot by lot [S2]. Vertical payload is the structural bottleneck: the 55 kg vertical figure is roughly 37% of the 150 kg horizontal figure, because the same ball-screw and guide pair must hold the load against gravity without ratcheting [S2].
Quality management on the reference compact unit is documented to ISO 9001:2000, not the 2015 revision, so procurement teams with a hard 9001:2015 mandate should request a current certificate before PO release [S2]. For higher precision or heavier load, an upgrade to a crossed roller guide format inside the module typically buys both a stiffer moment load rating and a tighter straightness budget, at a price premium of 2–3x over the compact ball-screw benchmark. Engineers who also need position feedback should look at integrating a linear encoder on the carriage rather than relying on the servo motor's rotary encoder, because the latter measures screw rotation, not carriage position, and cannot detect belt or coupling slip.
For related coverage, see Power Trowel Buying Guide 2026: Rotor Size, Engine Tier and Sourcing Levers.