QuotedPartComparisons · Updated 2026-10-30
Fabrication quoting software for a small mixed-work shop
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For a small welding and fabrication shop, choose software around the complete assembly: cut list, fit-up, welds, purchased parts, finish and outside services. Laser nesting matters if cut stock dominates; assembly structure matters if your jobs mix bought-in and fabricated pieces. Costimator, SecturaFAB, CutQuote and SigmaQUOTE document different parts of that workflow. QuotedPart can price drawing cut lists, but it does not provide nesting or ERP scheduling. The example here shows why 20 minutes of fit-up can cost more than the weld itself.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
Start with your job mix rather than the software category
A bracket shop repeating flat patterns needs different evidence from a repair shop working from field measurements. Pick three recent jobs: a cut-and-bend part, a welded frame and an assembly with purchased hardware. Record what arrived in the RFQ and what the estimator had to infer. Avoid forcing a sample-based repair into an automated CAD workflow just because that makes a tidy demonstration.
| Tool | Documented capability | Fit question |
|---|---|---|
| Costimator | Machining and fabrication cost models; optional 3DFX | Can it represent your joint types and process times? |
| SecturaFAB | True-shape nests, extra operations and configurable rules | Can your shop costs and assembly steps be inspected? |
| CutQuote | Nesting plus folding, welding, coating and machining | Which plan includes your assembly and office workflow? |
| SigmaQUOTE | Assemblies, plans, services and remnant-aware data | How does an accepted assembly become production work? |
A frame that makes fit-up visible
Consider a fictional mild-steel bench frame with $70 of cut tube and plates. Use 20 minutes cutting at $75/hour ($25), 20 minutes fitting and clamping at $75/hour ($25), 12 minutes welding at $90/hour ($18), and eight minutes cleanup at $60/hour ($8). The unfinished frame costs $146 before general lot setup, consumables outside the loaded rates, inspection or scrap.
Add $90 of workholding setup per order and $120 of powder coating with a five-frame lot minimum. For five frames, cost is 5 × $146 + $90 + $120 = $940. A 30% markup gives $1,222 total, or $244.40 each. These are assumed training numbers, not a market price or software benchmark. Fit-up alone costs $7 more per frame than arc time in this case.
Make revisions and outside work part of the trial
Ask the estimator to add a gusset, change tube wall thickness and specify a machined mounting pad. The new quote should expose the added material, handling, weld length and secondary machining. Increasing weld length alone does not capture an extra workholding requirement or a distortion-control requirement. Check that bought-in fasteners have quantities per assembly rather than quantities for the whole order.
Then quote one frame and 20 frames. Require explicit treatment of coating minimums, outsourced machining, freight and inspection. A low-quantity quote should not inherit a full production lot's unit finish price unless the supplier has agreed to it. Keep the supplier response attached to the cost assumption.
Choose how far beyond estimating you need to go
A standalone tool earns its place by producing a complete, reviewable price quickly. A production system earns its place by preserving that plan through purchasing, scheduling and actual-cost collection. Do not buy the latter solely because the former is slow. QuotedPart can help with drawing-led cut lists and editable shop-rate quotes; nesting and production-linked assembly workflows are stronger reasons to choose the specialized options above.
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.
- Costimator: Feature-based cycle-time and cost models cover machining, sheet metal, laser cutting and welding; optional 3DFX reads solid-model features. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- SecturaFAB: Parts-file upload, true-shape nesting, machine run-time calculation, material requirements and additional operations. — source (checked 2026-11-04)
- SecturaFAB: Configurable calculators and rules, customer/vendor CRM, inventory pricing, dashboards and implementation support. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
- CutQuote: Folding, welding, coating and machining priced in the same quote (their words: “Include folding, welding, coating and machining, with process settings for the way your shop works.”) — source (checked 2026-11-04)
- CutQuote: True-shape nesting on every plan (their words: “True-shape nesting uses your parts and sheet settings. It is unlimited on every plan.”) — source (checked 2026-11-04)
- CutQuote: Professional $249/month (annual $2,241/year): extra users $125/month each, up to 10 users; assemblies and BOM; vector PDF import; customer self-serve portal (their words: “1 user · extra users $125/mo each”) — source (checked 2026-11-04)
- SigmaTEK / SigmaQUOTE: SigmaQUOTE uses inventory, remnants, processing time and customer settings; supports parts, assemblies, stock and services. — source (checked 2026-11-04)
- SigmaTEK / SigmaQUOTE: Process plans and cost templates are configurable; quote history, work-order conversion and customer-supplied material costing are described. — source (checked 2026-11-04)
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