What Is a Good Cold-Call Answer Rate for B2B Manufacturing? (2026)
In this data the answer rate was 7.7%: of 439,358 prospecting calls to manufacturers in the 12 months to October 2026, 33,856 were answered, about 1 in 13 dials.
Treat 7.7% as a baseline for cold calls into manufacturers rather than a target. 35% of calls reached voicemail and 41% rang out, and answered calls fell 31% on the year before while calls made fell 9%. If your rate is far below it, check the list first: 4% of calls here hit a wrong or bad number. Calls rarely start a deal on their own: they were the lead source of 28 of 1,271 quotes, against 1,046 for email sequences, so their job is to support an email sequence.
The numbers
| How the call ended | Calls | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Answered | 33,856 | 8% |
| Voicemail left | 154,389 | 35% |
| No answer | 182,001 | 41% |
| Wrong or bad number | 18,241 | 4% |
| No result recorded | 50,871 | 12% |
| All calls | 439,358 | 100% |
Download the data (CSV): Prospecting activity: calls, voicemails, emails, meetings. Notes on the files are on the findings page.
How we measured it
Calls and their results as logged in the CRM (call tasks and their call result), across all of Factur’s prospecting, not only U.S. accounts. “Answered” is a live conversation logged (33,856 ÷ 439,358 = 7.7%); calls with no result recorded stay in the total. Source: section 13 of the study.
From Factur’s outbound prospecting for U.S. manufacturing suppliers: every opportunity that reached a quote, its amount, and whether it became a purchase order, plus the calls and emails logged in the CRM, over the 12 months November 2025 – October 2026 compared with the 12 before, by opportunity close date. See the full study for what is and isn’t counted.
Related findings
- Cold calling manufacturers: answer rates and outcomes
- Which prospecting channel produces quotes
- Touches per quote
- Prospecting calculator
Questions
What is a good cold-call answer rate for B2B and manufacturing prospects?
In this data the answer rate was 7.7%: of 439,358 prospecting calls to manufacturers in the 12 months to October 2026, 33,856 were answered, about 1 in 13 dials.
How many dials does it take to reach someone at a manufacturer?
About 13: 439,358 calls produced 33,856 answered calls (7.7%) in the 12 months to October 2026.
Does cold calling still work for manufacturers?
As a supporting touch. Calls were the lead source of 28 quotes in 12 months (against 119 the year before), while email sequences produced 1,046. Calls and voicemails (154,389 left) work best alongside email.
Cite this
Factur (2026). What Is a Good Cold-Call Answer Rate for B2B Manufacturing? (2026). 2026 U.S. Manufacturing Sales Study. https://data.facturmfg.com/reports/answers/good-cold-call-answer-rate-b2b-manufacturing.html
License: CC BY 4.0. Free to cite, quote, embed and reuse with attribution to Factur and a link to this page. Data: November 2025 – October 2026; full study.
Read the full 43-page studyDownload the PDF
More answers
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Factur runs outbound prospecting for U.S. manufacturers · facturmfg.com · More free data on U.S. companies by state: Insights