QuotedPartCost guides · Updated 2026-10-30
How much should I charge per bend on a press brake?
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An eight-bend cover in this example carries $9.88 per bend at one piece, $1.30 at ten and $0.44 at 100. Those are effective forming prices, not a universal bend rate: the $80/hour brake center charges setup once and forming time on every part, then adds 30% markup.
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Why a flat bend price breaks on small lots
Use a 12 × 8-inch developed CRS blank, 0.060 inch thick. Our pricing engine allows 20 minutes of base brake setup plus three additional minutes per unique bend in the part routing. Running time is 0.2 minute per bend. Thus this table includes more than merely putting the tooling in the machine; the setup allowance also represents program and sequence work.
Only the brake operation is priced here. Laser cutting, purchased sheet, deburr and inspection do not appear in the per-bend value. Dividing an entire fabrication quote by bend count would make a complicated laser profile look like expensive forming. Keep this operation view beside the complete part estimate when a buyer asks why one bend costs more than another.
| Bends/part | Qty | Setup min/lot | Run min/part | Brake sell/part | Effective sell/bend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 23 | 0.2 | $40.21 | $40.21 |
| 1 | 10 | 23 | 0.2 | $4.33 | $4.33 |
| 1 | 100 | 23 | 0.2 | $0.75 | $0.75 |
| 4 | 1 | 32 | 0.8 | $56.85 | $14.21 |
| 4 | 10 | 32 | 0.8 | $6.93 | $1.73 |
| 4 | 100 | 32 | 0.8 | $1.94 | $0.49 |
| 8 | 1 | 44 | 1.6 | $79.04 | $9.88 |
| 8 | 10 | 44 | 1.6 | $10.40 | $1.30 |
| 8 | 100 | 44 | 1.6 | $3.54 | $0.44 |
Part size changes handling, not just tonnage
The compact cover is assumed to fit one operator and the available tooling. A long panel may require supports, a second person or staged handling. A small return flange may create an access problem even when its bend length is short. These cases need a revised route instead of the same twelve-second allowance with a larger material envelope.
Bend count is also a poor stand-in for tool changes. Several bends can share a tool arrangement; one difficult feature can force a completely different station. Write the sequence, check the available daylight and flange access, and ask whether the cosmetic face needs protection. The table proves cost arithmetic, not bend feasibility.
Recover the first good part and protect repeats
A one-piece order still needs a program, back-gauge check and first article. That is why the setup share dominates the top quantity row. At production quantity, the same fixed allowance spreads out and the per-bend number approaches running time plus markup. A minimum charge can protect exceptionally small orders, but it should be added visibly rather than disguised as slower cycling.
On a repeat, confirm that the program, tooling and drawing revision are reusable before reducing setup. Retain a first-piece inspection allowance for springback and angle verification. If actual forming takes twice the assumed cycle, change the run minutes on that operation; increasing a generic markup makes the next quantity break harder to explain.
For a quick customer conversation, quote a forming subtotal and the quantity it covers. That keeps a useful per-bend shorthand while preserving the reasons the first part costs more. Use the linked calculator to replace the rate and minutes with shop-specific values.
Brake example inputs
- • CRS blank 12 × 8 × 0.060 in; one, four or eight 90° bends; same assumed operator handling.
- • $80/h; setup 20 + 3 × bends minutes/lot; run 0.2 × bends minutes/part; machine-paced run has no learning reduction.
- • 30% markup on operation cost; no floor in this isolated operation table. Material, cutting, welding, outside finish, tax and freight excluded.
| Bends/part | Qty | Setup min/lot | Run min/part | Brake sell/part | Effective sell/bend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 23 | 0.2 | $40.21 | $40.21 |
| 1 | 10 | 23 | 0.2 | $4.33 | $4.33 |
| 1 | 100 | 23 | 0.2 | $0.75 | $0.75 |
| 4 | 1 | 32 | 0.8 | $56.85 | $14.21 |
| 4 | 10 | 32 | 0.8 | $6.93 | $1.73 |
| 4 | 100 | 32 | 0.8 | $1.94 | $0.49 |
| 8 | 1 | 44 | 1.6 | $79.04 | $9.88 |
| 8 | 10 | 44 | 1.6 | $10.40 | $1.30 |
| 8 | 100 | 44 | 1.6 | $3.54 | $0.44 |
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