QuotedPartAnswers · Updated 2026-10-30
Should I show setup as a separate line or bury it in the part price?
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Show setup as its own line when quantities are small, uncertain or likely to be released in pieces; build it into the part price when the buyer will order exactly the quoted quantity and compares suppliers on a single unit price. Both are honest if every quantity break carries the full setup. On a ground 4140 shaft, setup and programming are a $437.71 one-time charge (after markup). Quoted all-in, the shaft is $123.08 each at 10 and $44.54 at 100. Quoted with a separate line, it's $437.71 plus $79.31 each at 10, or plus $40.16 each at 100: the same totals, read very differently.
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The example and the two formats
The part is a fictional 4140 shaft, Ø1.5 × 8 in, with two Ø1.000 journals held to +.000/-.0005 in, a 1/4 in keyway, two grooves and a 3/8-16 tapped end, black oxide. It goes through CAM programming, two lathe operations, a mill setup for the keyway, a cylindrical grinder for the journals, deburr and inspection. $336.70 of its cost is one-time: programming and every setup. The rest grows with the quantity.
Format A puts that one-time cost inside each break's unit price. Format B prints it once, as "Setup and programming, one time per order", and gives a piece price per break. The totals match to within a few cents of rounding; only the layout differs.
| Quantity | A: all-in price each | A: lot total | B: setup (once) | B: price each | B: lot total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $123.08 | $1,230.80 | $437.71 | $79.31 | $1,230.81 |
| 25 | $72.25 | $1,806.25 | $437.71 | $54.75 | $1,806.46 |
| 50 | $52.98 | $2,649.00 | $437.71 | $44.22 | $2,648.71 |
| 100 | $44.54 | $4,454.00 | $437.71 | $40.16 | $4,453.71 |
How a buyer reads format A
If the buyer compares suppliers in a spreadsheet with one column per quantity, format A drops straight into it, which makes your quote easy to compare and hard to misread. It also hides the setup, so a buyer can't negotiate it away line by line.
The risk is the release that's smaller than the break. If the buyer takes your $52.98 price at 50 and then releases 20 at a time, each release still costs you the full setup. On this shaft you'd collect about $262.51 less per release of 20 than your own pricing says it's worth. Protect yourself in writing: "Prices are per release; each release ships in one lot."
How a buyer reads format B
Format B tells the buyer why one piece costs so much and lets them work out any quantity themselves. An engineer buying prototypes can see exactly what the second piece costs, and it makes repeat orders easy to price: drop the programming, keep the machine setup. It is also clearer when the buyer wants a quantity you didn't quote, such as 35, which is $437.71 plus 35 times the nearest break's piece price.
Its weakness is the comparison column. A buyer who only types your piece price ($79.31 at 10) next to a competitor's all-in $123.08 will think you're cheaper, then be surprised by the setup line, or will ask you to waive it. Make the lot total visible for every break so nobody compares the wrong numbers.
Which one to use
Mixing formats inside one quote confuses buyers more than either format alone. Pick one per quote and use it for every line.
- Prototypes and one-offs: format B. The setup is most of the price, and the buyer should see it.
- Production quotes against a known annual usage: format A, with the release terms stated.
- Repeat parts: format B, with programming dropped and the reason given ("program on file").
- Government and large OEM bid forms that ask for a unit price only: format A, because the form decides.
- Either way: every quantity break carries the whole setup, and the quote says what a release is.
What to do next
Look at the last five quotes you lost on price. If they were small quantities quoted in format A, try format B on the next similar RFQ, with the lot total printed beside each break. If you lost production quotes in format B, try format A. QuotedPart keeps setup and programming as their own cost line on every break, so you can print either layout from the same estimate.
Assumptions behind the example
- • Part: a fictional 4140 shaft, Ø1.5 × 8 in, with two Ø1.000 journals held to +.000/-.0005 in, a 1/4 in keyway, two grooves and a 3/8-16 tapped end, black oxide.
- • Setup and programming: CAM, lathe, mill, grinder, deburr and inspection setups, marked up 30% like the rest.
- • 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 | Setup per part (format A) |
|---|---|
| 10 | $43.77 |
| 25 | $17.51 |
| 50 | $8.75 |
| 100 | $4.38 |
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.
- Prices are computed by QuotedPart's pricing engine from the stated fictional shaft, the US starting catalog and a 30% markup; the two formats are the same totals laid out differently.
Questions
Will a separate setup line make me look more expensive?
Only if the buyer compares your piece price with someone else's all-in price. Print the lot total next to every break and the comparison is fair.
Can I waive setup on a repeat order?
Waive programming if the program is on file and unchanged. The machine still needs setting up, so the setup stays.
What about a minimum order charge?
A minimum is a floor for tiny jobs, not a substitute for a setup line. If a part needs two hours of real setup, show it; don't let a minimum charge hide it.
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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