QuotedPartAnswers · Updated 2026-10-30
How do I estimate deburring and bench time in a quote?
Price one of your own parts: Drop a STEP model or PDF drawing — about 90 seconds, no account.
Your part priced in about 90 seconds, no account.
Estimate deburr from what the part has: a base time, so many minutes per hole, and so much per square inch of machined surface. Our pricing engine uses 1 minute + 0.15 minutes per hole + 1 minute for every 30 in² of machined area on a milled part, which is 2.3 minutes on a 4 × 2 × 0.5 in bracket with six holes: $2.11 at a $55 an hour bench rate. A laser-cut bracket takes 0.5 minutes + 0.05 per hole. Those are formulas to start from; time a part on your own bench and replace the constants.
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Formulas by process
The catalog's deburr operation reads the part's geometry. It changes with the process because the work does: a turned part is chamfered on the lathe, a laser-cut edge has dross to knock off, and a milled part has burrs on every cut edge and hole.
| Process | Minutes per part | Setup min per lot |
|---|---|---|
| Milled part | 1 + 0.15 × holes + machined area ÷ 30 | 5 |
| Turned part (chamfered on the lathe) | 0.5 + 0.15 × holes + area ÷ 150 | 5 |
| Swiss turned part | 0.2 + 0.03 × holes + area ÷ 100 | 5 |
| Laser or waterjet cut part | 0.5 + 0.05 × holes | 5 |
What it costs on four parts
At the $55 an hour bench rate and 25 pieces, deburring is under a dollar on a turned part and a few percent of the price on a milled one. The share is the number to watch: when bench time is a tenth of the price, the estimate matters.
| Part | Deburr min (part) | Bench cost each | Price each | Deburr share of price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 × 3 × 1 in 6061 bracket, pocket and six holes (milled) | 2.8 | $2.57 | $59.59 | 4% |
| 4 × 2 × 0.5 in 6061 bracket, six holes (milled) | 2.3 | $2.11 | $35.27 | 6% |
| 14 gauge steel L-bracket, four holes (laser cut and bent) | 0.7 | $0.64 | $8.42 | 8% |
| 12L14 stepped shaft, 3.5 in (turned) | 0.6 | $0.55 | $18.10 | 3% |
When to add a finishing line or tumbling
Hand deburr stops making sense when the lot is large and the burrs are the same on every part. Vibratory tumbling or a media blast charges a lot fee and a few cents a piece; as an assumption, a $60 lot charge plus $0.20 per part against hand work at $2.11 a part breaks even at 60 ÷ (2.11 − 0.20) = 31 pieces. Above that, tumbling is cheaper. Below it, hand work is. Those tumbling charges are examples, so replace them with your vendor's or your own machine's.
Tumbling doesn't reach everything. It rounds sharp edges, which is a problem on sealing faces and tight-tolerance edges, it can peen threads and mar soft aluminum, and it leaves parts that nest together. When the print says "break all edges 0.005–0.015" or "sharp edges removed," ask what the spec means before choosing. Some parts need both tumbling and a hand touch-up at deep holes.
Also watch the handling around the deburring: unloading, moving between stations, washing, bagging. A deburr line of 2.3 minutes on a part that moves through three stations is a lot more than a 2.3-minute cycle.
Hand deburr against tumbling
- • Hand deburr of the 4 × 2 × 0.5 in bracket: 2.3 min at $55/h = $2.11 each.
- • Tumbling: $60 lot charge plus $0.20 each (assumed).
| Pieces | Hand deburr | Tumbling |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $21.08 | $62.00 |
| 25 | $52.71 | $65.00 |
| 100 | $210.83 | $80.00 |
| 250 | $527.08 | $110.00 |
Sources and limits
Claims are dated where they can change. Product calculations are examples from the stated inputs, not a promise about a customer's quote. Competitor wording is attributed to the source shown.
- Formulas and prices are from QuotedPart's pricing engine, US starting catalog ($55/h bench, 30% markup). The tumbling lot charge and per-part charge are example assumptions.
Questions
Does deburr time fall with quantity?
In our pricing engine it starts to fall at about 100 pieces, as the operator gets faster and part of the work is done while machines run. Below that it is flat per part.
Should deburring be a separate line?
On a quote with a lot of hand work, yes. It lets the buyer see that a tolerance on edges adds cost.
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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