QuotedPartCost guides · Updated 2026-10-30
What should a machined fixture plate cost?
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.
This 6061 fixture plate quotes at $464.53 for one, $83.77 each at 10, and $41.17 each at 100 pieces. The pocket, holes and tapped holes make setup and inspection meaningful; a larger plate, reamed locating holes or a dedicated setup would add work. A locating-hole class can matter more than the material line. Record flatness, parallelism, datum scheme and inspection method before promising a locating surface.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
The 6061-T6 aluminum fixture
Fixture work often pays for accuracy twice: once in the machining and again in proving that the locating features are where the assembly expects them. The reference plate uses a general ±0.005 inch tolerance, not a precision dowel-bore callout. Add probing, CMM time or a second operation when the print demands it.
How the quantity break works
The stock line uses a plate blank and the machine route includes CAM, milling, handling, deburring and inspection. A soft-jaw or modular fixture is not assumed. If the plate must be surfaced on both faces, count that setup rather than assuming a single top-side pass.
What the material or process changes
Quantity changes the economics. A one-off fixture pays all programming and setup; ten copies spread that work, while a hundred can justify a repeat fixture or pallet. Our pricing engine does not assume a learning curve, so a shop can choose to add one only when its own records support it.
How to turn this into a firm quote
Quote the plate size, flatness, hole table, threads, surface finish, material temper and any anodize. When a fixture is reused, record its actual setup and cycle so future estimates improve from measured work rather than generic percentages.
Questions to settle before release
A fixture plate quote should name flatness, parallelism, locating-hole class, threads, edge break and datum inspection. Ask whether the customer supplies a model of the mating assembly and whether a probing routine is required. If the plate is reused, record the actual setup and cycle after the first run. That feedback is more valuable than a generic fixture percentage on the next job.
For this fixture plate cost estimate, use the first production run as a check on this estimate. Capture actual setup minutes, cycle minutes, material weight and outside invoices, then update the shop rate or fixture assumption that was wrong. That small feedback loop is more useful than rounding every quote upward. It also gives the next estimator a concrete explanation when the customer asks why a repeat job moved.
Pricing engine output for the stated Aluminum 6061-T6 CNC milling example part
- • Material: Aluminum 6061-T6; the US catalog stores its small-lot price and machinability factor.
- • Process: CNC milling; 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 4 × 3 × 1 in milled block; no finish or outside process.
- • No outside finish, tax, freight, or customer-specific rate is included.
- • 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 | 191.0 | 13.5 | $357.33 | $464.53 | $464.53 | 11 |
| 10 | 191.0 | 13.5 | $64.44 | $83.77 | $837.70 | 11 |
| 100 | 191.0 | 13.5 | $31.67 | $41.17 | $4117.00 | 14 |
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 fixture and US catalog assumptions.
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 aluminum price per pound for quoting machined parts
The US catalog used for this example lists 6061-T6 at $9.50 per pound for a small lot and a lower volume price for full-bar quantities. A quote is not just
Cost guides
17-4 PH versus 316 machining cost and substitution
The same milled block costs differently in 17-4 PH and 316 because the catalog gives each grade a distinct stock price and machinability factor. The paired
Cost guides
304 versus 316 stainless machining cost at small-shop rates
For the same milled block, 316 costs more than 304 in our pricing engine because its stock price is higher and its machinability factor is slightly lower. The pair
Cost guides
7075 aluminum price per pound and machining effect
The catalog lists 7075-T6 at $17.05 per pound for a small lot, roughly above its 6061 stock line. On the same bracket geometry, our pricing engine shows how that m