In the present work, economic analysis of the production of extracts and essential oils of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and anise (Pimpinella anisum) by supercritical fluid extraction and steam distillation are discussed. The manufacturing cost (COM) was determined considering that the COM can be obtained in terms of the costs of investment, operational labour, raw materials, waste treatment and utilities. The manufacturing cost was also estimated considering that the essential oil content in SFE extracts varies (50-100%). The analysis showed that the supercritical fluid extraction is economically viable to obtain these vegetable extracts and essential oils. The higher costs of essential oils obtained by steam distillation were mainly caused by the lower yield and the higher energy consumption of this process. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.225407413