QuotedPartCost guides · Updated 2026-10-30
What do sheet metal shops charge per hour?
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The example rate card uses $175/hour for laser, $80 for brake, $90 for welding, $55 for bench assembly and $75 for inspection. A mixed-route cover sells for $45.07 of labor per part at ten pieces after 30% markup. These are editable small-shop assumptions, not a published survey of what every US fabricator charges.
See how QuotedPart connects to your workflow with its API, MCP server, autonomous quoting and shop-specific learning.
Decide whether your card contains cost or sell rates
Here the work-center figures are costing rates: the pricing calculation adds markup afterward. A shop that already loads its target profit into a quoted hourly sell rate should not blindly add another 30%. Write that distinction on the rate card. Two superficially identical '$90 per hour' figures can represent very different recoveries.
For a simple audit, each center below runs a half-hour operation without setup, material or quantity learning. That isolates the rate arithmetic. The last column is the engine-priced result with 30% markup. It shows what the entered rate actually does to a customer number, rather than treating the dollar figure as an industry benchmark.
| Center | Costing rate/h | 30-minute operation cost | With 30% markup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiber laser | $175.00 | $87.50 | $113.75 |
| Press brake | $80.00 | $40.00 | $52.00 |
| Welding and fabrication | $90.00 | $45.00 | $58.50 |
| Deburr / bench | $55.00 | $27.50 | $35.75 |
| Inspection | $75.00 | $37.50 | $48.75 |
A blended rate depends on the routing mix
The cover example allows fifteen laser setup minutes and two running minutes, thirty-two brake setup minutes and 0.8 running minute, twenty corner-weld setup minutes and eight running minutes, plus five assembly setup minutes and four running minutes. It uses no material, finish, hardware purchase or floor. Each operation is deliberately held at its stated run allowance across quantities.
Dividing this route's labor cost by total occupied hours gives a blend for this route only. A laser-heavy job will have a different blend from a welded assembly. Applying one of those averages to the other job can underrecover an expensive center while making uncomplicated bench work look uncompetitive.
| Qty | Setup min/lot | Run min/part | Cost/lot | Sell/lot | Sell/part |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72.00 | 14.80 | $143.56 | $186.63 | $186.63 |
| 10 | 72.00 | 14.80 | $346.70 | $450.70 | $45.07 |
| 100 | 72.00 | 14.80 | $2,377.00 | $3,090.00 | $30.90 |
Build the rate from your shop's available hours
Ownership, service, tooling, power, floor space and labor belong in the center's annual cost. Office work, quoting, insurance and shared inspection need a deliberate overhead allocation. Divide by hours that can actually be recovered on customer orders. Name whether setup hours are billable so utilization and a separate setup charge do not pay for the same time twice.
One operator tending a laser while another forms parts is different from a single person carrying the whole route. If labor is charged separately from machine time, model that attendance explicitly. These catalog rates are combined allowances; the table does not prove your staffing plan can achieve them.
Check the rate card against completed jobs by center. A persistent brake loss may come from underestimated setup rather than an inadequate hourly rate. Correct the observed cause and preserve the other centers' assumptions. Keep outside processing on its invoice model rather than blending coating dollars into a fabrication hour.
Rate-card inputs
- • US catalog costing rates: laser175, brake80, weld90, bench55, inspection75 USD/h.
- • Half-hour isolated operations and the explicitly stated cover route. Engine pricing, 30% markup, zero floor, zero material; manual route has no learning reduction.
- • Not a market rate range. No hardware, stock, finish, shipping, tax, engineering or separate operator charge.
| Center | Costing rate/h | 30-minute operation cost | With 30% markup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiber laser | $175.00 | $87.50 | $113.75 |
| Press brake | $80.00 | $40.00 | $52.00 |
| Welding and fabrication | $90.00 | $45.00 | $58.50 |
| Deburr / bench | $55.00 | $27.50 | $35.75 |
| Inspection | $75.00 | $37.50 | $48.75 |
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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