Calculators · Updated 2026-10-30
Sheet metal cost calculator from blank through finishing
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.
Estimate sheet metal cost by purchasing the required sheets, adding laser and press-brake time, then hardware and finish. Divide the marked-up lot cost by the ordered quantity to get a selling price per part.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
Sheet metal: blank to finished part
Laser and brake time use US catalog formulas/rates. The illustrated material is a 0.063 inch blank at factor 1. Whole-sheet purchase cost belongs to this lot; change the allocation if usable remnants are credited. No true-shape nesting, bend allowance or cut-quality prediction.
| Cost driver | Result |
|---|---|
| Parts/sheet | 77 |
| Blank area utilization | 80.21% |
| Sheets purchased | 1 |
| Material/lot | $180.00 |
| Laser min/part | 0.68 |
| Setup/lot | $86.42 |
| Laser run/lot | $49.75 |
| Bend run/lot | $26.67 |
| Hardware/lot | $50.00 |
| Finish/lot | $212.50 |
| Total cost/lot | $605.33 |
| Selling price/part | $31.48 |
Price the flat blank and purchased sheets
Start from the developed blank dimensions, not the bent envelope. This tool compares a rectangular grid in both orientations, subtracting edge trim and keeping the entered spacing between blanks. It charges the full sheets required for this order. A useful remnant may justify a credit, but pretending every square inch is sold elsewhere understates the cash required for a short lot. The nesting result is an estimate for rectangles; irregular outlines, grain direction and common-line cutting require a real nest.
Inspect each operation’s assumptions
The laser minutes come from the US catalog formula: cut length divided by its material/thickness speed approximation, plus 0.03 minute per pierce and 0.3 minute handling. The brake uses 20 setup minutes plus 3 minutes per bend and 0.2 run minute per bend, at the catalog work-center rates. These are editable estimating defaults, not machine performance specifications. The calculator displays material, setup, laser, bend, hardware and finish separately so you can replace any weak assumption with a proven routing.
Keep purchased work and physical limits visible
The finish example is $125 per lot plus $3.50 per part, independent of actual rack capacity or coating area. The hardware input must include insertion labor if you intend it to represent installed hardware. Welding, deburr, inspection, packaging, freight and tax are excluded from this compact model. Add them before issuing a firm quote. Check bend access, minimum flange length, tool changes and cosmetic requirements against the actual drawing; this calculator does not unfold a part or prove it can be formed. Keep a copy of the flat pattern revision with the estimate so a later geometry change prompts a fresh nest and routing review.
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.
- All dollar amounts and operating inputs on this page are editable examples, not market averages or supplier offers.
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
Calculators
Laser cutting cost calculator with editable speed and setup
Laser cutting price starts with cut length divided by proven cutting speed, plus piercing and handling time.
Calculators
Material and outside-processing markup calculator
Price purchased items by applying a separate markup to material, outside processing, hardware and freight, then sum the selling prices.
Calculators
Quantity break calculator for setup, material and run time
Calculate a separate lot price at each quantity, dividing setup across that lot while keeping the per-part run and material costs.
Calculators
CNC machining time calculator with the published run formula
Estimate CNC milling time from removed stock, finished area, holes, and setups, with an example computed from QuotedPart's catalog formula.