QuotedPartCost guides · Updated 2026-10-30
Is 7075 aluminum more expensive to machine than 6061?
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.
Barely more to machine, but noticeably more to buy. Our catalog prices 7075-T6 at $17.05/lb for a small lot against $9.50/lb for 6061, and it cuts at 95% of 6061's rate, so the gap is almost all material and grows with the part. On the same clamp-block design, 7075 adds $3.35 each on a 2 × 1.5 × 0.75 in part, $17.52 on a 5 × 3 × 1.5 in part and $100 on a 10 × 6 × 2.5 in part, at 100 pieces and a 30% markup. The medium part in 7075 is $568 for one, $138.92 each at 10 and $72.46 at 100.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
The part: one clamp block at three sizes
Each size is the same design scaled: a plate block with four through mounting holes, two tapped 1/4-20 holes in one side, and a pocket covering 60% of the length and half the width, cut to 60% of the thickness. That is a typical 7075 job: a structural mount or clamp where the customer picked 7075 for strength, not for looks. Tolerances are ±0.005 in. Three setups on a 3-axis mill: top, bottom and the side holes.
The design stays fixed so the only things that change are how much plate each part eats and how long the mill runs. The tapped holes and setups are the same on all three sizes, which is why the small part is still several hundred dollars for one piece.
What 7075 adds at each size
On the small block the alloy hardly matters: the material is a few dollars of either grade, and setup, programming and spindle time are the price. On the large block, 7075 plate is 69% of the cost at 100 pieces, and the 7075 part costs 54% more than the same part in 6061.
That is the rule to quote by: the heavier the part relative to its machining time, the more the grade matters. A thin, heavily machined part (most of the plate turned into chips) still buys the whole blank, so the material line stays large even when the finished part is light.
| Size | Stock per part | 7075 at 10 | 6061 at 10 | 7075 extra at 10 | 7075 at 100 | 6061 at 100 | 7075 extra at 100 | Material share of 7075 cost at 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small (2 × 1.5 × 0.75 in) | 0.4 lb | $66.87 | $63.12 | $3.75 | $29.42 | $26.07 | $3.35 | 23% |
| Medium (5 × 3 × 1.5 in) | 3.0 lb | $138.92 | $107.09 | $31.83 | $72.46 | $54.94 | $17.52 | 48% |
| Large (10 × 6 × 2.5 in) | 17.8 lb | $362.26 | $244.74 | $117.52 | $285.16 | $185.30 | $99.86 | 69% |
Medium part: where the money goes
For one 5 × 3 × 1.5 in block, the $117.71 of material is a cut piece of 1-5/8 in plate the shop buys for the lot, even though the part needs about 3.0 lb. Setup and programming are $293.08. By 100 pieces the shop buys whole lengths of plate bar, the price per pound falls toward the volume price, and the machine time ($26.22 a part) is close to the material line.
| Quantity | Material each | Setup + programming each | Machine + labor each | Outside services each | Cost each | Price each (30% markup) | Lead days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $117.71 | $293.08 | $26.22 | $0.00 | $437.01 | $568.11 | 11 |
| 10 | $51.33 | $29.31 | $26.22 | $0.00 | $106.86 | $138.92 | 11 |
| 100 | $26.59 | $2.93 | $26.22 | $0.00 | $55.74 | $72.46 | 15 |
Hardcoat and other things that change a 7075 quote
7075 parts often ship Type III hardcoat anodized. On the medium block, hardcoat takes the price to $161.02 each at 10 and $82.86 at 100, because the anodizer's $170 lot charge is spread over few parts at low quantity and the piece price takes over at volume. It also adds about a week of lead time.
- Thin walls: 7075 holds a thin wall better than 6061, but it still needs lighter finishing passes; price the extra minutes if the walls are under 0.06 in.
- Stress: 7075-T6 plate can move after heavy roughing. Rough, let it relax, then finish if the flatness callout is tight. That is an extra setup.
- 7075-T7351 for stress-corrosion resistance costs more than T6; quote it from your supplier, not from the T6 price.
- Certs: aerospace customers ask for mill certs and sometimes DFARS-compliant material, which narrows the suppliers you can buy from.
Engine assumptions
- • Part: fictional clamp block at 2 × 1.5 × 0.75, 5 × 3 × 1.5 and 10 × 6 × 2.5 in; 4 through holes, 2 tapped 1/4-20 side holes, one pocket; ±0.005 in.
- • Stock: plate 1/8 in over the finished thickness; at least one cut piece per lot.
- • Aluminum 7075-T6: $17.05/lb for a small lot, falling toward $8.50/lb from about ten full bars; removal rate 0.95 × 6061-T6.
- • Aluminum 6061-T6: $9.50/lb for a small lot, falling toward $4.50/lb from about ten full bars; removal rate 1 × 6061-T6.
- • 3-axis VMC: $95/h, 45 min standard setup (US catalog default, editable).
- • CAM programming: $95/h (US catalog default, editable).
- • Deburr / bench: $55/h (US catalog default, editable).
- • Inspection: $75/h (US catalog default, editable).
- • Hardcoat (medium part only): Type III, $8 a part on parts of about 46 in² and up, $170 lot charge, 7 days.
- • Markup: 30% on cost; $65 minimum line charge. No freight, tax, certs or expedite.
| Size | Stock per part | 7075 at 10 | 6061 at 10 | 7075 extra at 10 | 7075 at 100 | 6061 at 100 | 7075 extra at 100 | Material share of 7075 cost at 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small (2 × 1.5 × 0.75 in) | 0.4 lb | $66.87 | $63.12 | $3.75 | $29.42 | $26.07 | $3.35 | 23% |
| Medium (5 × 3 × 1.5 in) | 3.0 lb | $138.92 | $107.09 | $31.83 | $72.46 | $54.94 | $17.52 | 48% |
| Large (10 × 6 × 2.5 in) | 17.8 lb | $362.26 | $244.74 | $117.52 | $285.16 | $185.30 | $99.86 | 69% |
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 and the material split are computed by QuotedPart's pricing engine from the stated part and US catalog defaults.
- 7075-T6 and 6061-T6 small-lot prices are OnlineMetals' one-bar list prices as recorded in QuotedPart's catalog audit. — source (checked 2026-10-21)
Questions
Does 7075 wear out tools faster than 6061?
Somewhat. 7075 is harder and slightly more abrasive, but carbide end mills run at nearly the same speeds and feeds in both. Our catalog prices 7075 at 95% of 6061's removal rate; most of the cost difference is the material.
Should I charge more per hour for 7075?
No. Charge the same machine rate and let the material line carry the difference. A higher hourly rate hides the real reason the part costs more and overcharges small parts where the alloy barely matters.
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
Cost guides
6061 versus 7075 machining cost at 1, 10, and 100 parts
Price the same CNC-milled reference part in 6061-T6 and 7075-T6 with material, cycle-time, setup, and quantity effects separated.
Cost guides
6061-T6 aluminum CNC milling cost at 1, 10, 100, and 1,000 parts
A worked 6061-T6 aluminum 3-axis milling estimate with engine-computed setup, cycle, material, quantity-break, and lead-time assumptions.
Cost guides
Cost to machine brass, copper and bronze: one turned part priced in each
A 7/8 in brass 360 adapter prices at $402 for one and $10.49 each at 1,000. The same part in C110 copper, C932 and C954 bronze, with every minute shown.
Cost guides
Cost to machine Delrin (acetal): a guide block and a roller at 1 to 1,000 pieces
A 6 in Delrin guide block costs $326 for one and $25.64 each at 100; a turned Delrin roller $5.58 each at 1,000. Setup is nearly the whole price at low quantity.