QuotedPartCost guides · Updated 2026-10-30
What hourly rate should a laser cutting quote use?
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Use $175.00/h as the fiber-laser rate in this example; the 6 × 4 × 0.25 inch CRS plate quotes at $71.31 for one, $14.76 each at 10, and $9.10 each at 100. Pierces, perimeter length, setup and material determine the per-part result, so the rate should be replaced with your measured shop cost.
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The CRS sheet example part
Hourly rate is only one input. The laser still needs a program and setup, then spends time on pierces, travel and the cut itself. A short perimeter can be expensive at one piece because setup is fixed. A nested sheet can lower material waste, but nesting and sorting add handling that this single-part example part does not model.
How the quantity break works
Thickness changes the answer quickly. The waterjet page linked below uses a different process and rate; its slower cut speed can still win when a thick edge or no heat-affected zone matters. For thin CRS, laser speed usually makes the machine-hour share smaller than the stock, pierce count and finishing decisions.
What the material or process changes
When setting your own hourly rate, include the laser, chiller, gas, lens replacement, operator time, floor space and an allowance for downtime. Keep consumables in the machine rate or as a clearly named line. The example includes a 30% default markup after cost; it is not a quote to a buyer.
How to turn this into a firm quote
Ask for the flat pattern, material certificate and edge requirement. Deburring, tapping and bending are separate operations. Re-run the table after adding them so the rate remains tied to actual minutes instead of a blanket “laser price per inch.”
Questions to settle before release
Reconcile the hourly rate with a month of actuals: productive cutting hours, gas, power, optics, maintenance, operator time and the hours the machine is waiting for material. Then decide which costs belong in the rate and which belong on a consumables line. A rate that looks low on a single gusset can lose money when pierces, sorting and rework are counted. The table gives you a repeatable baseline to compare with that measured shop data.
For this laser cutting hourly rate 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.
Pricing engine output for the stated CRS sheet (1008/1010) sheet cutting example part
- • Material: CRS sheet (1008/1010); the US catalog stores its small-lot price and machinability factor.
- • Process: sheet cutting; 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 6 × 4 × 0.25 in plate with eight holes and a 20 in perimeter.
- • 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 | 20.0 | 2.1 | $54.85 | $71.31 | $71.31 | 6 |
| 10 | 20.0 | 2.1 | $11.35 | $14.76 | $147.60 | 6 |
| 100 | 20.0 | 2.1 | $7.00 | $9.10 | $910.00 | 6 |
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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