QuotedPartCost guides · Updated 2026-10-30
How much does it cost to machine Inconel 718?
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.
A small Inconel 718 seat ring, Ø2.5 × 1 in with a 1.25 in bore, a seal groove and six tapped holes, prices at $1,213 for one, $166.34 each at 10 and $137.88 at 100, at US small-shop rates with a 30% markup. That is 3.0 times the same ring in 316 stainless at 100 pieces. Two things drive it: 718 costs $34.00/lb in our catalog against $8.99 for 316, and it cuts at about a third of 316's rate. On a one-off, the minimum one-foot cut piece of 2.5 in bar is $654 by itself.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
The part and its routing
The ring has a 2.5 in flange 0.4 in thick and a 2.0 in body 0.6 in long, a 1.25 in through bore, one seal groove, and six 1/4-20 holes tapped 0.5 in deep in the flange face. General tolerance is ±0.002 in. It is turned in two operations on a CNC lathe; the face holes are drilled and tapped on the lathe's axis in this estimate, so there's no mill setup.
In nickel alloys a carbide edge lasts only minutes of cutting, so the routing includes edge changes and offset checks on top of the cutting time. Tapping 718 is slow, and the six taps are a real share of the cycle.
| Operation | Work center | Rate | Setup min (lot) | Run min (part) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAM programming | CAM programming | $95/h | 60 | 0.0 |
| Turn, 2 ops | CNC lathe | $90/h | 81 | 20.7 |
| Handling and tool changes, 2 lb stock | CNC lathe | $90/h | 0 | 1.5 |
| Deburr | Deburr / bench | $55/h | 5 | 1.5 |
| Inspect | Inspection | $75/h | 18 | 0.8 |
718, 625, C-276 and Monel against 316 and duplex
Our catalog rates the nickel alloys at 0.09 (718 and C-276), 0.12 (625) and 0.16 (Monel 400) of 6061's removal rate, scaled from their published machinability ratings so 316 stays at 0.28. Prices per pound are the catalog's starting prices for nickel alloy bar; nickel prices move, so check them against your supplier's quote that week.
At one piece the cut-piece minimum swamps everything else, and the alloy price per pound decides the ranking. At 100 pieces machining matters more, and the gap to 316 is the material plus about twice the lathe time.
| Alloy | $/lb (catalog) | Removal vs 6061 | Lathe min per part | Material per part at 10 | 1 pc | 10 pcs | 100 pcs | × 316 at 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inconel 718 | $34.00 | 0.09 | 22.2 | $67.95 | $1,212.51 | $166.34 | $137.88 | 3.0 |
| Inconel 625 | $38.00 | 0.12 | 18.7 | $78.26 | $1,334.68 | $172.91 | $144.46 | 3.2 |
| Hastelloy C-276 | $48.00 | 0.09 | 22.2 | $104.12 | $1,664.95 | $213.36 | $184.90 | 4.1 |
| Monel 400 | $26.00 | 0.16 | 14.5 | $55.83 | $1,045.89 | $135.56 | $107.11 | 2.4 |
| Duplex 2205 | $8.00 | 0.21 | 12.6 | $15.23 | $534.35 | $79.08 | $50.62 | 1.1 |
| Stainless 316 | $8.99 | 0.28 | 11.1 | $17.55 | $560.46 | $79.17 | $45.23 | 1.0 |
Where the 718 price goes
For one ring, material is $653.78 of the $932.70 cost, because the shop buys a foot of 2.5 in bar to make a 1 in part. If your supplier cuts nickel alloy to length, a 2.0 lb slug for one ring cuts about $586 from the one-off cost; ask before you quote. By 10 pieces the lot needs more than a foot of bar anyway, so each ring pays only for its own stock: $67.95. At 100, material is $67.95, machine and labor $35.68, and setup $2.43 per ring.
| Quantity | Material each | Setup + programming each | Machine + labor each | Outside services each | Cost each | Price each (30% markup) | Lead days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $653.78 | $243.24 | $35.68 | $0.00 | $932.70 | $1,212.51 | 9 |
| 10 | $67.95 | $24.32 | $35.68 | $0.00 | $127.95 | $166.34 | 9 |
| 100 | $67.95 | $2.43 | $35.68 | $0.00 | $106.06 | $137.88 | 15 |
What else to price on a nickel alloy job
The seat ring is plain. Real 718 work usually adds some of these:
- Condition. Solution-annealed 718 machines better than aged 718. If the print calls for aging after machining, the outside heat treat is a lot charge plus days of lead time.
- Inserts and taps. Budget tooling per part: a nickel alloy job can use a tap per few dozen holes and an insert edge every few parts.
- Certs and traceability. Oil and gas and aerospace buyers want mill certs to a spec (AMS 5662 for 718 bar, NACE MR0175 for sour service). Not every distributor stocks certified material.
- Scrap risk. A ruined part costs a lot of bar. Some shops add a contingency on first lots in a new alloy rather than raise the hourly rate.
- Long lead times on bar sizes your distributor doesn't stock.
Engine assumptions
- • Part: fictional seat ring, Ø2.5 × 0.4 in flange and Ø2.0 × 0.6 in body, Ø1.25 in through bore, one groove, six 1/4-20 × 0.5 in deep face taps, ±0.002 in.
- • Inconel 718: $34.00/lb for a small lot; removal rate 0.09 × 6061-T6.
- • Inconel 625: $38.00/lb for a small lot; removal rate 0.12 × 6061-T6.
- • Hastelloy C-276: $48.00/lb for a small lot; removal rate 0.09 × 6061-T6.
- • Monel 400: $26.00/lb for a small lot; removal rate 0.16 × 6061-T6.
- • Duplex 2205: $8.00/lb for a small lot; removal rate 0.21 × 6061-T6.
- • Stainless 316: $8.99/lb for a small lot, falling toward $6.25/lb from about ten full bars; removal rate 0.28 × 6061-T6.
- • Edge changes: 1.5 min for every 15 min of cycle in materials cutting under 0.6 × 6061.
- • CNC lathe: $90/h, 65 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).
- • Stock: at least one 1 ft cut piece per lot.
- • Markup: 30% on cost; $65 minimum line charge. No freight, tax, certs or expedite.
| Alloy | $/lb (catalog) | Removal vs 6061 | Lathe min per part | Material per part at 10 | 1 pc | 10 pcs | 100 pcs | × 316 at 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inconel 718 | $34.00 | 0.09 | 22.2 | $67.95 | $1,212.51 | $166.34 | $137.88 | 3.0 |
| Inconel 625 | $38.00 | 0.12 | 18.7 | $78.26 | $1,334.68 | $172.91 | $144.46 | 3.2 |
| Hastelloy C-276 | $48.00 | 0.09 | 22.2 | $104.12 | $1,664.95 | $213.36 | $184.90 | 4.1 |
| Monel 400 | $26.00 | 0.16 | 14.5 | $55.83 | $1,045.89 | $135.56 | $107.11 | 2.4 |
| Duplex 2205 | $8.00 | 0.21 | 12.6 | $15.23 | $534.35 | $79.08 | $50.62 | 1.1 |
| Stainless 316 | $8.99 | 0.28 | 11.1 | $17.55 | $560.46 | $79.17 | $45.23 | 1.0 |
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, minutes and material lines are computed by QuotedPart's pricing engine from the stated seat ring and US catalog defaults; nickel alloy prices are the catalog's starting prices, not audited list prices.
Questions
Why is Inconel so hard to machine?
It work-hardens at the cut, keeps its strength at the high temperatures the tool edge reaches, and is abrasive. Speeds run at a fraction of stainless, inserts wear in minutes, and a dwell or rubbing pass hardens the surface for the next pass.
Should I charge a higher hourly rate for Inconel?
Price the minutes, the tooling and the material honestly instead. A higher rate on every minute undercharges the material risk on one-offs and overcharges long runs.
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
Cost to machine 4140 steel: a turned shaft priced in 4140, 4130, 4340, 8620 and 1045
A 6 in 4140 pre-hard drive shaft is $412 for one, $80.13 each at 10 and $30.33 at 100. The same part in 4130, 4340, 8620 and 1045, with turning minutes and material shown separately.
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.
Cost guides
12L14 versus 1018 machining cost for turned parts
Our pricing engine comparison keeps the turned geometry and shop rates fixed while changing only the steel assumption. 12L14 usually wins on cycle time and bar pri