QuotedPartCost guides · Updated 2026-10-30
How do I price large parts (big machines, cranes, long setups)?
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.
Price a large part from the same parts as a small one, plus three things small parts don't have: crane or hoist time to load each setup, handling and tool-change minutes that grow with weight and cycle, and the higher rate of the machine that fits it. On one A36 base design scaled up, our engine prices one piece at $521 at 6 × 4 × 1.25 in (11 lb of stock), $864 at 12 × 8 × 2.5 in (79 lb) and $1,871 at 24 × 16 × 5 in (614 lb) on a $95/h VMC. If that last part needs a large-envelope machine at $150/h with a 90 minute setup, it becomes $2,602 for one and $1,766 each at 20.
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One design, three sizes
The base is a steel plate block with six tapped holes in the top, two through holes in the side, and a pocket covering a quarter of the top, 40% of the thickness deep. Each scale doubles every dimension, so volume and weight go up eight times per step. The tapped holes grow from 1/2-13 to 1-8, and the corner radii and side holes grow with the part. Tolerances stay at ±0.005 in, three setups each.
Programming barely changes: the same features need the same toolpaths. Cutting time rises much less than eight times per step: the surface to finish grows only four times, and parts over 10 in across get bigger tools that remove more per minute. Mill time per part goes from 29 to 81 to 190 minutes.
| Scale | Size (in) | Stock per part | Mill min per part | Handling and tool-change min per part | Hoist setup min | 1 pc | 5 pcs | 20 pcs | Lead days at 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ×1 | 6 × 4 × 1.25 | 11 lb | 29 | 1.5 | 0 | $520.69 | $175.38 | $106.31 | 13 |
| ×2 | 12 × 8 × 2.5 | 79 lb | 81 | 25.0 | 30 | $864.19 | $432.71 | $366.05 | 17 |
| ×4 | 24 × 16 × 5 | 614 lb | 190 | 57.9 | 30 | $1,871.10 | $1,515.59 | $1,448.92 | 24 |
What large parts add: hoist, handling and edges
Our routing adds a handling operation once stock passes 20 lb. Over 45 lb, it puts 30 minutes of hoist and rigging on the lot (slings, a lifting eye, a crane booking) and 5 minutes on every setup of every part to pick, place and indicate it, plus a small amount per pound. In steel a carbide edge lasts about 15 minutes of cutting, so a long cycle stops for an insert change and offset check every quarter hour. On the ×4 base this is 58 minutes a part on top of 190 minutes of cutting.
Material grows fastest of all: $14.35 a part at ×1, $86.63 at ×2 and $676.53 at ×4 for a lot of 20. Plate over 3 in thick is priced by weight with no cut-piece minimum in our catalog, and the 479 lb finished part means about 135 lb of chips per piece.
Pricing the bigger machine
A part that doesn't fit your standard VMC, or is too heavy for its table, goes on a larger machine with a higher hourly rate, and its setups are longer: bigger workholding, more clamps, more indicating. The table prices the ×4 base at $150/h and 90 minutes per setup as an example; use your own large machine's rate. Every machine minute costs more, so the price rises about in proportion to the machine's share of the cost.
| Machine | Rate | Mill setup (lot) | 1 pc | 5 pcs | 20 pcs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard 3-axis VMC | $95/h | 90 min | $1,871.10 | $1,515.59 | $1,448.92 |
| Large-envelope VMC (example) | $150/h | 180 min | $2,601.65 | $1,897.74 | $1,765.75 |
Checklist for a big-part quote
Before you send the price:
- Does it fit? Check travel, table load and the spindle-to-table clearance with the loaded part and workholding, not just the part.
- How is it lifted? A part over what one person can lift safely needs a hoist at every setup; price each one.
- Stress and flatness. Thick plate moves when you remove a lot of it. Rough, release the clamps, flip and finish if the flatness callout is tight, and consider stress-relieved plate.
- Inspection. A CMM may not be big enough; a surface plate and height gauge take longer.
- Freight and crating. A 400 lb part ships on a pallet, in a crate, by truck. Add it to the quote or exclude it in writing.
- Lead time. Long cycles fill machine days; our engine caps the machine-time share of lead time at three weeks, which a job with dozens of large parts can exceed.
Engine assumptions
- • Part: fictional A36 base at 6 × 4 × 1.25, 12 × 8 × 2.5 and 24 × 16 × 5 in; six tapped holes, two side holes, one pocket; ±0.005 in; three setups.
- • Stock: plate 1/4 in over the finished thickness.
- • Steel A36: $2.47/lb for a small lot, falling toward $1.10/lb from about ten full bars; removal rate 0.45 × 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).
- • Large-envelope VMC (example): $150/h, 90 min standard setup.
- • Handling: from 20 lb of stock, 0.014 min a pound over 20 per setup; over 45 lb, 30 min of hoist rigging per lot and 5 min per setup.
- • Bigger tools on bigger parts: roughing and finishing rates scale up for parts over 10 in across.
- • Markup: 30% on cost; $65 minimum line charge. No freight, tax, certs or expedite.
| Scale | Size (in) | Stock per part | Mill min per part | Handling and tool-change min per part | Hoist setup min | 1 pc | 5 pcs | 20 pcs | Lead days at 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ×1 | 6 × 4 × 1.25 | 11 lb | 29 | 1.5 | 0 | $520.69 | $175.38 | $106.31 | 13 |
| ×2 | 12 × 8 × 2.5 | 79 lb | 81 | 25.0 | 30 | $864.19 | $432.71 | $366.05 | 17 |
| ×4 | 24 × 16 × 5 | 614 lb | 190 | 57.9 | 30 | $1,871.10 | $1,515.59 | $1,448.92 | 24 |
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 stock weights are computed by QuotedPart's pricing engine from the stated part and US catalog defaults; the large-envelope machine rate and setup are example values.
Questions
Should I just use a higher hourly rate for big parts?
Only for time on the bigger machine. Price the hoist, handling and edge-change minutes as minutes, so a large but simple part and a small part with long cycle times both come out right.
Why doesn't the price go up eight times when the part is twice as big?
Programming and setup barely change, and bigger tools remove more metal per minute. Material does go up about eight times, which is why it becomes the biggest line on large steel parts.
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
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