Abstract: To address the problems of high copper consumption and persistently high costs of busbars in high voltage switchgear amid the rapid rise in copper prices, this paper proposes design and manufacturing strategies that balance cost effectiveness and reliability. Based on the operating characteristics of busbars in high voltage switchgear, the performance differences among busbars with different cross sections, the optimization of busbar system layout, and the rational selection of grounding busbars are analyzed. The feasibility of the proposed strategies is verified through data comparison and calculations based on relevant standards. The results show that tubular busbars can reduce additional power loss by 40% compared with rectangular busbars. For 4,000 A switchgear, the use of tubular busbars can save CNY 6,270 in copper cost per unit. Rational design of grounding busbars can avoid copper waste. For example, a 3 × 20 mm copper busbar in the grounding circuit can meet safety requirements. By optimizing the busbar cross section, improving the layout, and accurately selecting grounding busbars, copper consumption and manufacturing costs can be significantly reduced while ensuring the operational reliability of switchgear, making the design suitable for the current high copper price environment.