QuotedPartAnswers · Updated 2026-10-30
A customer wants a cost breakdown of my quote — should I give it?
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Give the customer a scope breakdown that explains the price without automatically handing over your internal wage, utilization, supplier and margin data. A useful response names material, setup/programming, machining, inspection, outside processing, freight, lead time and exclusions. Worked example: a $1,200 lot can be explained as $180 material, $240 setup/programming, $600 machining, $120 inspection and $60 packaging; your internal hourly rate and margin can remain confidential unless the contract says otherwise.
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Start with what the buyer needs to compare
Ask what “breakdown” means. A purchasing buyer may need line-item scope for a bid tab; an engineer may want to know whether anodize or inspection is included; a government contract may require a specific cost or pricing data format. Do not answer all three with the same spreadsheet. Confirm the part revision, quantity and requested delivery before explaining a number from an old quote.
A good external breakdown separates one-time and per-piece work, identifies purchased services and states assumptions. It lets the buyer compare offers without exposing your payroll, machine lease, supplier discounts or quoting formula. Mark the document as an offer and keep the detailed cost sheet internal under your document-control rules.
| Line shown to buyer | Amount | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Material and stock | $180 | 6061 stock and stated yield |
| Setup and programming | $240 | Example part, tools and first-piece prove-out |
| Machining | $600 | Milling and operator time for the lot |
| Inspection | $120 | Dimensional check and requested report |
| Packaging | $60 | Protective pack-out; freight excluded |
| Quoted total | $1,200 | Scope stated above |
Keep the arithmetic consistent with your internal quote
The example totals $180 + $240 + $600 + $120 + $60 = $1,200. If the buyer asks for 10 more pieces, do not add ten times every line: setup and programming may stay $240 while material and machining change. If the quote has a $125 anodize minimum, show “outside finish, vendor minimum” rather than burying the lot charge in machining.
Explain what changes the price: quantity, revision, tolerance, finish, inspection, delivery and freight. If a line is an allowance, label it. Never invent a supplier invoice or claim a published cost you did not verify.
Set a boundary around confidential detail
Your internal rate, wage, utilization, tool life assumptions and profit are usually commercial information. You can say, “Our price includes setup, run time, inspection and the outside process listed; we do not provide internal labor rates or margin.” If a contract or public-sector bid requires open-book support, follow that clause and involve the person responsible for commercial compliance.
If a buyer says a competitor is lower, ask whether the scopes match. Offer options such as a longer lead time, a different inspection package or a larger quantity break when those options are real. Do not race to the bottom by deleting required work from the description.
What to do next
Prepare a reusable customer-facing breakdown template with scope, assumptions, quantities, lead time, validity and exclusions. Keep the internal estimate linked to that template so an updated revision cannot leave stale line items in an email. A clear explanation earns more trust than a raw dump of sensitive numbers.
Illustrative lot assumptions
- • One lot of 10 parts; no markup shown in the customer-facing lines.
- • Material $180; setup/programming $240; machining $600; inspection $120; packaging $60.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Line total | $1,200 |
| One-time setup share | $240 ÷ 10 = $24/part |
| Machining share | $600 ÷ 10 = $60/part |
| Displayed price | $1,200 for the stated lot |
Price one of your own parts
Drop a PDF drawing or a STEP file. QuotedPart reads the print, measures the model and prices it in seconds, on default shop rates you can change.
Your STEP file or PDF drawingDrop a PDF drawing, a STEP file or both
Free. No account, no email. Priced at our default US rates until you set yours.
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