QuotedPartCost guides · Updated 2026-10-30
How much does electroless nickel add to a machined part?
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Electroless nickel adds $238.87 per part at one, $23.90 at 10, and $2.39 at 100 to this turned 303 part; the finished quotes are $534.39, $64.99 and $20.53. The added amount is mostly the finisher’s lot minimum at low quantity, then the per-part line and any masking or thickness requirement.
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The 303 stainless with electroless nickel example part
The worked part is a two-inch turned pin with a drilled end and groove. Nickel can change dimensions and friction at the bore or mating diameter, so the drawing should state coating thickness and which surfaces may be plated. This example part does not invent a tolerance stack.
How the quantity break works
The lot minimum drives the first quantity row. At higher quantities, the per-part finish line matters more, but the outside vendor may add rack, handling, test coupon or certification charges. Those are not hidden in our pricing engine result and should be written into the assumptions.
What the material or process changes
Machining still needs its own setup, cycle and inspection. If the plated diameter must be ground or lapped, add that operation after plating and account for its lead time. A finish name without a thickness and acceptance test is not enough for a firm quote.
How to turn this into a firm quote
Send the finisher the alloy, surface area, masking plan, thickness and test requirement. Keeping the coating as a separate line makes a no-plate or passivated alternative easy to compare.
Questions to settle before release
Ask the plater for thickness tolerance, phosphorus range, masking, test coupon and post-plate dimensional inspection. Confirm whether the part needs a bake for hydrogen relief or a grind on a mating diameter. Rack orientation and surface cleanliness can change the invoice. Our pricing engine keeps the lot minimum visible; the process specification determines whether that minimum is enough for a releasable quote.
For this electroless nickel cost estimate, for a firm release, have the programmer and machinist read the assumptions together. They can spot an inaccessible feature, an extra load, a tool change or an inspection step before the number reaches the buyer. Treat the computed table as a shared starting point: the shop’s measured method and the customer’s print decide which edits belong in the final route.
For electroless nickel, record coating thickness and masking so the plated dimensions remain manufacturable. The final release should preserve the drawing revision, stock source and inspection decision with the computed table.
Pricing engine output for the stated Stainless 303 CNC turning example part
- • Material: Stainless 303; the US catalog stores its small-lot price and machinability factor.
- • Process: CNC turning; setup, machine time, deburring and inspection are generated from the example-part geometry.
- • Markup: 30% default US catalog markup; quantities are 1, 10, 100.
- • Fictional 2 in turned part from 1.5 in bar; one drilled end hole and one groove.
- • Outside finishes: Electroless nickel using the catalog lot minimum and lead time.
- • These are computed examples, not supplier quotes or market averages.
| Qty | Setup min (lot) | Cycle min (part) | Cost / part | Quoted / part | Lot price | Lead days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 123.3 | 4.1 | $411.07 | $534.39 | $534.39 | 16 |
| 10 | 123.3 | 4.1 | $49.99 | $64.99 | $649.90 | 16 |
| 100 | 123.3 | 4.1 | $15.79 | $20.53 | $2053.00 | 17 |
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.
- The figures are computed from the stated example part and US catalog assumptions.
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