QuotedPartAnswers · Updated 2026-10-30
I just opened a shop — how do I price my first jobs?
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 your first jobs from a documented cost floor, not from fear of being new. Include machine payment, loaded labor, rent, tooling, software, inspection, insurance, owner time and a conservative utilization assumption. Worked example: $96,000 annual recoverable cost divided by 800 billable hours is $120/hour break-even. A 30% markup makes $156/hour; a one-off bracket with 1.25 setup hours, 20 minutes run time and $30 material costs $212.50 before markup and $276.25 at that sell rate.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
Build a rate with the hours you can actually sell
A new shop may have 2,080 staffed hours but cannot sell all of them: quoting, setup, maintenance, training and customer acquisition consume time. In the example, $96,000 ÷ 800 = $120/hour break-even. The 800-hour assumption is a scenario; replace it with a cash plan and update it as orders arrive. If you divide by 2,080, the rate looks cheap while the rent and payment still arrive every month.
Keep owner labor visible. If the owner programs, runs, inspects and sells, assign a loaded hourly value to those activities. A quote that pays only the machine loan is not a sustainable first job.
| Input | Assumption |
|---|---|
| Annual recoverable cost | $96,000 |
| Billable hours | 800 |
| Break-even | $120/hour |
| Markup | 30% |
| Sell rate | $156/hour |
Recover setup and learn on purpose
For the bracket example, setup and programming are 1.25 × $120 = $150. Run is 20/60 × $120 = $40. Add $30 material: cost is $220, not $212.50; the extra $7.50 is a deliberate $30 tooling allowance spread across the one part. At the $156 sell rate, total price is 1.25 × $156 + 20/60 × $156 + $30 + $7.50 = $272.50. Write every assumption, including whether tooling is reusable.
If you discount a first job to learn an example part, name the investment and the condition for the next price. Do not promise that a discount becomes the production rate until the example part and cycle are proven.
Choose early work that builds evidence
Prefer parts that fit your machine, material and inspection capability and that teach a repeatable route. Avoid a complex defense part, a toleranced mold insert or a rush order that depends on a supplier you have not vetted just because it pays a high invoice. Ask for a second quantity so the customer can see a realistic break.
Record quoted and actual time, material yield, scrap and payment date from the first release. After five jobs, update standards from evidence; do not copy a competitor’s rate or an online “average” into your books.
What to do next
Write the rate sheet, minimum charge, deposit policy and quote validity before the next RFQ arrives. Give a trusted customer a clear capability statement and an honest lead time. Your first jobs should buy learning and cash, not a reputation for prices you cannot sustain.
Illustrative new-shop assumptions
- • Annual recoverable cost $96,000; 800 billable hours; 30% markup.
- • Bracket: 1.25 h setup/programming, 20 min run, $30 material, $7.50 tooling allowance.
| Measure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Break-even rate | $120/hour |
| Sell rate | $156/hour |
| Setup at sell rate | $195.00 |
| Run at sell rate | $52.00 |
| Material + tooling | $37.50 |
| Illustrative total | $284.50 |
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
A customer wants a cost breakdown of your machine-shop quote
Decide what to disclose, protect confidential methods and still give the buyer a useful scope and price explanation.
Answers
Average machine shop rates in 2026: what the published numbers show
A dated table of published US machine-rate examples and a transparent break-even worksheet; there is no single national average.
Answers
Can I ship 10% more or fewer parts than ordered?
Only when the purchase order or customer has agreed a quantity tolerance; there is no universal right to ship ten percent extra or short.
Answers
Can I use Xometry or Protolabs instant quotes as a price check?
Use an instant quote as a dated comparison point after matching quantity, revision, finish, inspection, freight, and delivery scope; it is not a neutral market index.