QuotedPartAnswers · Updated 2026-10-30
How do I quote a welded steel fabrication 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.
Build the price from the cut list and the weld, not from the finished weight. Price the steel off the cut list with an allowance for drops; time the cutting per piece; time fit-up and welding from the inches of weld; add drilling, grinding and the finish; then mark it up. A welded A36 machine stand in 2 × 2 × 3/16 in square tube, with about 96 inches of weld and a powder coat, comes to $1,127.19 for one and $744.06 each for 20, at $90 an hour for welding and fabrication. Most of that is labor and steel: the stand takes about 4.3 shop hours for the first one and 3.0 each in a batch of 20.
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1. The cut list and material
List every piece with its section, length and quantity, and weigh each one. The stand is four 30 in legs and four 24 in top rails in 2 × 2 × 3/16 in tube, plus four 3/8 × 4 × 4 in foot plates with one anchor hole each. From the nominal section (square corners) the tube weighs about 4.6 lb a foot, and the whole stand is 90 lb of steel.
Price the steel as you'll buy it: add a drop allowance for saw kerf and the ends of sticks you can't use. Our pricing engine adds 15%. At the starting catalog's A36 price of $2.47/lb, that's $256.22 of steel per stand. Your service center's price for tube and plate will differ; it's the first number to replace.
2. Cut, fit, weld, drill
Cutting is a setup (find the stock, set the saw stop) plus time per piece: 2.5 minutes a piece for 12 pieces is 30 minutes a stand. Fit-up and welding are timed from the weld length. Eight rail-to-leg joints and four leg-to-plate joints, each welded all round a 2 in tube, make about 96 inches of weld. Our pricing engine allows 20 mm (about 0.8 in) a minute for fitting, tacking, welding, grinding and cleanup together, plus 15 minutes a frame for handling, and a 60-minute setup for the jig and the first-article check. That's 137 minutes of fit and weld a stand.
The four anchor holes are drilled on a drill press or mag drill: 10 minutes to set up, 1.5 minutes a hole.
| Operation | Setup min (lot) | Run min (each) |
|---|---|---|
| Cut 12 pieces (saw or burn) | 15 | 30.0 |
| Fit and weld, about 2438 mm of weld | 60 | 136.9 |
| Drill 4 holes | 10 | 6.0 |
3. Finish and price
Powder coat is bought in. For a frame this size the example assumes $45 a stand from the coater, with a $200 lot minimum and a 12% invoice fee: get your coater's real price, since frame size and color change it. At one stand the minimum applies; at 20 the per-piece price does.
| Quantity | Steel | Setup | Fab labor | Powder coat | Price each | Lead days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $256.22 | $127.50 | $259.35 | $224.00 | $1,127.19 | 16 |
| 5 | $1,281.10 | $127.50 | $1,296.75 | $252.00 | $768.91 | 18 |
| 20 | $5,124.40 | $127.50 | $5,187.10 | $1,008.00 | $744.06 | 24 |
Why fab shops price by the hour, not the pound
Price per pound is a useful check, but it isn't a method. The weld time follows the joints, not the weight. Build the same stand in 3 × 3 × 1/4 in tube with 1/2 in feet and it weighs 183 lb instead of 90, but it has the same twelve joints, only 50% more weld around the bigger tube. Its price per pound falls from $8.53 to $6.73 at five pieces. Quote a light, joint-heavy frame by the pound from a heavy one and you lose money on every stand.
| Stand | Steel weight | Weld | Each at 5 | Per lb at 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 × 2 × 3/16 tube | 90 lb | 96 in | $768.91 | $8.53 |
| 3 × 3 × 1/4 tube | 183 lb | 144 in | $1,229.74 | $6.73 |
What changes the number on a real job
Each of these is time, so put it in the operations rather than in a bigger markup.
- Weld type and size: a 1/4 in fillet all round is slower than a 3/16 stitch weld; a full-penetration groove weld with a bevel is much slower again.
- Tolerances: a frame that has to be square within 1/16 in over its length needs a better jig and may need straightening or post-weld machining.
- Grinding: welds ground flush for appearance can double the time on visible joints.
- Certification: AWS D1.1 work with a certified welder, procedures and inspection costs more; price the paperwork and inspection.
- Customer-supplied drawings with no cut list: you have to make the cut list, which is estimating time worth charging on large jobs.
What to do next
Time your next three frames by operation: cutting, fit and tack, welding, grinding, drilling. Divide fit and weld time by the inches of weld; that number is your own weld rate, and it's worth more than any rule of thumb. QuotedPart prices a weldment from the cut list on its drawing the same way, with each operation editable, so you can set your own rates and keep the method consistent from quote to quote.
Assumptions behind the example
- • Stand: four 30 in legs and four 24 in rails in 2 × 2 × 3/16 in A36 square tube, four 3/8 × 4 × 4 in foot plates, four Ø.56 anchor holes.
- • Weld: 12 joints welded all round, about 96 in (2,438 mm).
- • Fabrication: 2.5 min a cut piece; 15 min cut setup; 60 min fit and weld setup; 15 min plus 20 mm of weld a minute per frame; 1.5 min a hole.
- • Steel price: the starting catalog's A36 price plus 15% for drops.
- • Powder coat: $45 a stand assumed, $200 lot minimum, 12% invoice fee.
- • Markup: 30% on cost. A fictional stand, not a customer job.
| Quantity | Price each | Lot price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,127.19 | $1,127.19 |
| 5 | $768.91 | $3,844.55 |
| 20 | $744.06 | $14,881.20 |
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.
- Operations, minutes and prices are computed by QuotedPart's weldment pricing from the stated fictional stand, the US starting catalog ($90/h welding and fabrication; A36 at $2.47/lb) and a 30% markup.
- Tube weights are calculated from the nominal section with square corners and 0.2836 lb/in³ steel; published tube tables list slightly less because of corner radii.
- Powder coat at $45 a stand is a stated assumption for this example, not a vendor quote.
Questions
How do I estimate welding time?
From the inches of weld and the weld size, plus fit-up and grinding. Time your own jobs and divide by the inches welded; that rate, used consistently, beats any published figure for your shop.
Should I charge for the jig on a one-off frame?
Yes. A one-off still has to be laid out, squared and tacked; that's the setup line. On repeat batches, a saved jig shortens it.
Do I charge for consumables like wire and gas?
Include them in your welding hourly rate, the same way coolant and inserts sit in a machine rate, unless a job uses unusual filler metal such as stainless or aluminum wire, which you add as material.
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.
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Free. No account, no email. Priced at our default US rates until you set yours.
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