QuotedPartCost guides · Updated 2026-10-30
What should I charge for manual machining and repair work?
Price one of your own parts: Drop a STEP model or PDF drawing — about 90 seconds, no account.
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At an assumed $75/hour costing rate, a manual repair with twenty setup minutes and thirty work minutes sells for $81.25 after 30% markup and a $75 minimum. The CNC alternatives below show why a faster cutting cycle need not win a one-off repair. Build the hourly rate from your own recoverable costs; this is not a US rate survey.
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Charge for the machinist's occupied time
Diagnosis, indicating, protecting a worn surface, choosing a datum and measuring the result are real repair work. The example's fifty total minutes are a stated allowance for one job, not a universal manual-machining standard. Customer material is assumed, so the table contains no stock purchase or resale part.
A $75 minimum selling line is applied after the 30% markup. The manual work-center rate itself is a new example input; QuotedPart's catalog does not establish a national manual-shop rate. The CNC comparison uses existing $95/hour VMC and $90/hour lathe centers with explicitly different setup and running allowances. No quantity discount is used on these single jobs.
| Route | Setup min | Run min | Cost before markup | Sell price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual | 20 | 30 | $62.50 | $81.25 |
| CNC mill | 60 | 12 | $114.00 | $148.20 |
| CNC lathe | 65 | 10 | $112.50 | $146.25 |
Choose a process for the order, not the machine label
A handwheel can be economical when the part already exists, the quantity is one and the work needs judgment more than a repeated toolpath. CNC can be attractive when geometry repeats, the setup can be reused or a controlled profile is difficult to make manually. The table is a routing comparison, not proof that manual work is always cheaper.
The repair may also reveal damage after disassembly. Quote diagnosis separately when uncertainty is substantial. Ask for an approval limit before proceeding into work that could exceed the customer's budget. Keep purchased bearings, welding, heat treatment and transport outside the machining hour unless the rate card explicitly includes them.
Give time-and-materials work a clear boundary
Example wording: 'Diagnosis and repair machining are billed for actual occupied shop time at the agreed rate, subject to the minimum charge shown. Purchased parts and outside services are additional. We will request written approval before exceeding the stated authorization limit.' Replace the rate, minimum and limit with values agreed for that order; this is commercial drafting, not a legal warranty.
Define what stops the clock and what counts as billable setup. Waiting on another job should not quietly become customer time, while deliberate inspection and a trial assembly may belong to the repair scope. Record those decisions on the work order so invoicing does not depend on someone's memory.
Compare completed repairs against their actual hours and gross recovery. If small jobs repeatedly consume unbilled diagnosis and cleanup, fix the minimum or the documented scope. Raising the rate alone can make long jobs look expensive while leaving short interruptions undercharged.
Repair estimate assumptions
- • One customer-supplied repair part, no material purchase. Manual$75/h and20 setup +30 run min; CNC mill$95/h and60+12; lathe$90/h and65+10.
- • Entered operations priced by engine; 30% markup, no rules/learning; $75 minimum selling line explicitly set in example catalog.
- • Not market-rate evidence. Replacement parts, diagnosis beyond allowance, welding, outside treatment, tax and freight excluded.
| Route | Setup min | Run min | Cost before markup | Sell price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual | 20 | 30 | $62.50 | $81.25 |
| CNC mill | 60 | 12 | $114.00 | $148.20 |
| CNC lathe | 65 | 10 | $112.50 | $146.25 |
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.
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