QuotedPartAnswers · Updated 2026-10-30
How do I quote an assembly with purchased parts and hardware?
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.
Quote an assembly as a bill of materials: each machined part at its own price, each purchased item at cost plus a markup and assembly and test labor at the bench rate. For a 25-set assembly of one aluminum bracket, one steel pin and a bag of hardware, our pricing engine plus the arithmetic below gives $83.50 per assembly, $2,087.40 for the lot. The machined parts are 59% of it; the rest is the part of the quote that buyers and shops most often leave out.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
Roll up the bill of materials line by line
The two machined parts are priced the way you would price them alone, at the assembly quantity, because the setup is split across 25 sets: the bracket is $35.27 each and the pin $14.27 each at 25 pieces. Hardware is bought from a catalog at its own cost: the engine's starting list has a screw at $0.40, a washer at $0.08, a dowel pin at $0.45 and a threaded insert at $0.90, which are 2026 small-lot ballparks and are editable. Use your supplier's current price.
Purchased items get a markup because you carry the cost of buying, receiving, stocking and the risk of a wrong item. We use 30% here, the same as the machined work. Some shops charge less on expensive purchased parts and a minimum handling charge on cheap ones; the right rule is the one your buyer will accept and your books support.
| Line | Quantity | Unit cost | Per assembly (selling price) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum 6061 bracket (machined) | 1 | $27.13 | $35.27 |
| 12L14 steel pin (turned) | 1 | $10.98 | $14.27 |
| Screw or bolt (socket head, 1/4-20) | 4 | $0.40 | $2.08 |
| Washer | 4 | $0.08 | $0.42 |
| Dowel pin | 2 | $0.45 | $1.17 |
| Threaded insert | 2 | $0.90 | $2.34 |
| Assembly labor, 18 min at $55/h and test, 4 min at $75/h | 1 | $21.50 | $27.95 |
| Assembly price | $83.50 |
Assembly and test hours
Time the assembly yourself with a stopwatch on a trial unit. The 18-minute figure here is an example for fitting two inserts, pressing two dowels, fastening the pin with four screws and washers, and wiping and bagging the result. A functional test or a torque check is a separate 4 minutes at the inspection rate. Neither is a number to copy; multiply your measured minutes by your bench rate, and let the 25th assembly be faster than the first.
Don't forget the small work: kitting the hardware, receiving it, a pick list, packing each assembly and the paperwork that goes with it. A flat per-assembly line for these keeps you from billing time you spent unwrapping parts.
What can go wrong, and what to write on the quote
The main risks are hardware that is out of stock or on a long lead time, parts that don't fit because the customer's tolerances stack up, and a shortage of one item that stops 25 assemblies. List the purchased parts by manufacturer's part number or specification, say whether the customer supplies any of them, and say what you do if an item is unavailable (substitute equivalent with approval, or wait).
Quote the lead time as the longest purchase plus the machining plus the assembly time, not the machining alone; the engine's lead time for the bracket at 25 pieces is 11 working days before hardware and assembly. Put the exclusions in writing: no thread locker unless specified, no lubrication, no calibration.
Roll-up inputs
- • Bracket: 4 × 2 × 0.5 in 6061, six holes (two tapped), two setups.
- • Pin: 2.0 in long, 12L14 steel, two diameters, ±0.002 in.
- • Hardware at the engine's starting prices; 30% markup on purchased items; assembly 18 min at $55/h; test 4 min at $75/h; 30% markup on assembly labor.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Per assembly | $83.50 |
| 25-set lot | $2,087.40 |
| Hardware share (selling) | $6.01 |
| Assembly and test (selling) | $27.95 |
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.
- Machined-part prices are from QuotedPart's pricing engine (US starting catalog, 30% markup). Hardware costs are the engine's editable starting list of 2026 small-lot ballparks; the assembly and test minutes and the 30% purchased-part markup are examples.
Questions
Should I mark up purchased parts?
Yes, if you carry the buying and the risk. Many shops use a lower markup on expensive items and a minimum handling charge on cheap ones.
How do I handle a customer who supplies the hardware?
Quote the assembly labor and the machined parts only, state that hardware is customer-furnished, and ask for 5% to 10% extra for lost or damaged pieces.
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.
Related QuotedPart guides
Answers
How do I quote a turned part on a CNC lathe? A worked 303 stainless shaft
Quote a CNC lathe part from bar stock: length of bar per part, setup, cycle time, secondary operations and quantity breaks, with a 1.0 in 303 stainless shaft priced at 1, 10, 50 and 250.
Answers
What should a machine shop quote include?
A line-by-line quote checklist covering revision, quantity breaks, scope, lead time, validity, freight, terms and exclusions.
Answers
A customer cancelled an order part-way through: what can I charge?
Charge for what you've spent and what you can't recover, stage by stage: material, programming and setup, machining done, finishing. A cancellation schedule on a 100-piece bracket order and the clause wording to put in your terms.
Answers
A customer compares your quote to Xometry's: how do you compete?
How to compare your price with a marketplace quote on the same basis, which jobs to stop chasing, and what a local shop can offer that an instant quote doesn't. With a priced 6061 bracket.