QuotedPartAnswers · Updated 2026-10-30
How do I quote a CNC machining job?
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.
Price every quote from the same five pieces: the material you have to buy, the setup and programming you do once per lot, the machine and bench minutes each part takes, any outside services such as anodize, and your markup. Price each quantity separately, because the one-time work is split over the lot. Worked through below, a 5 × 3 × 1.5 in 6061 housing with 10 holes and one pocket, anodized, comes to $687.17 for one, $134.08 each at 10 and $68.46 each at 100 at typical US small-shop rates ($95/h on a 3-axis mill) and a 30% markup. About 3.4 hours of programming and setup sit behind the first part; each part after that takes about 22 minutes of machine and bench time.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
1. Read the RFQ before you price anything
A quote is only as good as your reading of the print. Before you touch a number, write down the part number and revision, the material and temper, the quantities asked for, the tightest tolerance, threads, surface finish, coating, and any notes about certs, first article reports or marking. If the RFQ only has a model, you still need the tolerances and finish from somewhere: ask, or state your assumption on the quote.
The example is a fictional 6061-T6 aluminum housing, 5 × 3 × 1.5 in, with one 3.5 × 2 × 0.75 in pocket, four 1/4-20 tapped holes on top, four Ø.266 through holes from the bottom, two 8-32 tapped holes on one side, ±.005 in general tolerance, Type II clear anodize, quantities 1, 10 and 100. Nothing on it needs a CMM or a grind, so the routing stays on one 3-axis mill and the bench.
2. Price the material as you'll actually buy it
Size the blank first: the finished envelope plus enough to face it clean, rounded up to a plate or bar you can buy. For one part you rarely buy one blank. The distributor cuts a minimum piece, so the first housing carries a $63.01 piece of 6061 for the lot. At 10 the blanks outweigh that minimum and the material is $27.48 a part at a small-lot price per pound; at 100 the order is big enough for a better price per pound and it drops to $13.74 a part.
If you keep stock on the shelf, price it at replacement cost, not what you paid two years ago. If the customer supplies material, say so on the quote and still charge for handling and the risk of a scrapped blank.
3. Build the routing and estimate the minutes
List every operation the part goes through, with a one-time setup and a per-part run time for each. For the mill, run time comes from what you remove and what you finish: this housing removes about 12.8 in³ and finishes about 52 in² of walls and floors, plus 10 holes (6 of them tapped) over 3 setups, one for each face with features. Programming is a lot cost too: it takes as long for one part as for a thousand.
Setups are counted as the first one in full and each further one at half, since the tools and program are already in the machine. That is 90 minutes of mill setup for three setups on a 45-minute base.
| Operation | Work center | Rate | Setup min (lot) | Run min (part) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAM programming, 14 toolpaths | CAM programming | $95/h | 86.0 | 0.00 |
| Mill, 3 setups | 3-axis VMC | $95/h | 90.0 | 17.20 |
| Deburr | Deburr / bench | $55/h | 5.0 | 4.20 |
| Inspect | Inspection | $75/h | 20.0 | 1.00 |
4. Add outside services at the vendor's terms
Anodize, plating and heat treat are bought in, and finishers bill a lot minimum. Here the anodizer's $125 minimum covers the whole lot at 1 and 10 pieces ($125.00), and only at 100 does the per-piece price take over ($350.00 for the lot). That minimum is a big share of a one-piece price, and a buyer may not expect it, so name it on the quote.
Add the finisher's lead time to yours and decide who pays the freight both ways. A 5-day anodize turn on top of a 10-day shop queue is the difference between a two-week and a three-week promise.
5. Turn cost into a price at each quantity
Multiply each operation's minutes by that work center's hourly rate, add material and outside services, and apply your markup. A 30% markup on cost is a 23.1% margin on the price; don't confuse the two when you compare jobs. At one piece, setup and programming are $308.25 of the $528.59 cost, 58%. At 100 pieces they are 6% and the price is mostly machine time and aluminum.
| Quantity | Cost per part | Price per part | Lot price | Margin | Lead days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $528.59 | $687.17 | $687.17 | 23.1% | 16 |
| 10 | $103.14 | $134.08 | $1,340.80 | 23.1% | 17 |
| 100 | $52.66 | $68.46 | $6,846.00 | 23.1% | 21 |
Cost-plus or what the market pays?
Forum threads on quoting split between shops that price strictly from their rate and shops that price "what the job is worth". You need the cost number either way. Without it you can't tell a strategic low price from a job that loses money. Work out cost first, then decide whether this customer, this deadline or this capability justifies more than your standard markup, or whether you need to sharpen it to win a production run.
A practical test: if you win almost every quote, your markup is probably too low; if you win almost none, look first at whether the jobs fit your machines before you cut the rate.
What to do next
Put the assumptions on the quote: revision, material, finish, quantities, lead time, how long the price is valid, and anything the print didn't settle. Then keep the estimate. When the job runs, write down the real setup and run minutes next to the quoted ones; after ten jobs you'll know which of your numbers are optimistic. To run this method on your own parts at your own rates, QuotedPart measures the model or reads the PDF, builds the routing and prices every quantity; the example's numbers are its US starting rates, which every shop replaces.
Assumptions behind the example
- • Part: a fictional 6061-T6 aluminum housing, 5 × 3 × 1.5 in, with one 3.5 × 2 × 0.75 in pocket, four 1/4-20 tapped holes on top, four Ø.266 through holes from the bottom, two 8-32 tapped holes on one side, ±.005 in general tolerance.
- • Finish: Type II clear anodize at the catalog's $125 lot minimum and $3.50 a piece.
- • Rates and setup minutes: QuotedPart's US starting catalog (3-axis VMC $95/h, CAM programming $95/h, deburr $55/h, inspection $75/h). Every shop replaces these with its own.
- • Markup: the catalog default of 30% on cost, with a $65 minimum per line.
- • The part is fictional and stated on the page. The numbers are what the engine computes from these inputs, not a market average or a supplier quote.
| Quantity | Material | Setup and programming | Machine and labor | Anodize | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $63.01 | $308.25 | $32.33 | $125.00 | $528.59 |
| 10 | $274.75 | $308.25 | $323.40 | $125.00 | $1,031.40 |
| 100 | $1,373.89 | $308.25 | $3,233.86 | $350.00 | $5,266.00 |
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.
- Routing, minutes and prices are computed by QuotedPart's pricing engine from the stated fictional housing, the US starting catalog rates and a 30% markup. They are an example, not a market price.
Questions
How long should it take to quote a simple CNC part?
The arithmetic takes minutes once your rates are set. The time goes into reading the print, getting vendor prices for outside processes and building the routing. Keep a standard routing for each family of parts you make often, so a routine RFQ is a check of quantities and features rather than a rebuild.
Should I charge for programming on repeat orders?
Not the full programming time if the program is proven and saved. Charge the setup again, since the machine still has to be set, and keep a small allowance for program checks if the revision changed.
Do I quote a minimum charge?
Yes, for very small jobs. The example uses a $65 minimum per line, which only matters for tiny parts; the housing's one-piece price of $687.17 is set by its setup and programming, not by the minimum.
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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