How to quote a machining job
Every machining quote comes down to the same five ingredients. Get honest numbers for each and the price defends itself:
- Setup and programming time. The fixed cost of the job — fixturing, tool setting, CAM work, and proving out the first article. On small quantities this often dominates the price, which is why a 1-piece job can cost nearly as much as a 10-piece job.
- Cycle time. Minutes of spindle and operator time per part, including load and unload. Multiply by your shop rate to get run cost.
- Material. Stock cost per part, plus a scrap allowance — if you expect 3% fallout, you're buying and running 3% more parts than you ship.
- Tooling, consumables, and outside services. Special cutters, inserts you'll burn up, and anything you send out (anodizing, heat treat, plating) with its handling time.
- Margin. Applied to the price, not the cost. A 30% margin means cost ÷ 0.70 — not cost × 1.3. Confusing the two quietly gives away profit on every job.
What's a typical shop rate?
Most U.S. job shops run somewhere between $60 and $150 per hour depending on the machine, region, and overhead — a 3-axis mill at the low end, 5-axis and Swiss work at the high end. Your rate should be burdened: machine cost, operator wage, benefits, rent, power, insurance, and software all divided by realistic billable hours. If you haven't calculated yours from actual overhead, most shops discover their true burdened rate is higher than what they've been charging.
Frequently asked questions
Is this calculator really free?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser — nothing you type is sent to a server, stored, or shared. Your inputs are saved locally on your own device so they're still there next visit.
What's the difference between margin and markup?
Markup is a percentage added on top of cost; margin is the percentage of the final price that is profit. A 30% markup on $100 of cost gives a $130 price (23% margin). A 30% margin on $100 of cost gives a $142.86 price. This calculator uses margin, because that's how profitability is actually measured.
Why does price per part drop so much at higher quantities?
Setup and programming are fixed costs. At quantity 1 the part carries all of it; at quantity 100 each part carries 1% of it. That's the whole story behind quantity price breaks — and why the price-break table above is useful to put right on your quote.
Should I quote hourly or per part?
Customers almost always want a per-part price with quantity breaks. Build it from your hourly numbers internally (like this calculator does), but present it per part — it's easier to compare, and it doesn't invite negotiation over your shop rate.