QuotedPartCost guides · Updated 2026-10-30
How much does a welded steel frame or weldment cost?
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The fictional support stand below sells for $1,040.53 as a one-off or $432.72 each in a ten-stand batch. That covers the cut list, fabrication, four drilled mounting holes and outside wet paint. It is priced as hollow members and feet, rather than as a solid block the size of the frame.
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Start with members you can actually purchase
The 24 × 18-inch top uses two 24-inch and two 15-inch square-tube members, plus four 12-inch legs. Four 4 × 4 × 1/4-inch feet complete the structure. Assigned piece masses are 1.65, 1.03, 0.83 and 0.515 kg respectively. These explicit mass assumptions represent thin-wall tube and plate; check the actual section weight from your supplier before buying.
Our pricing engine adds 15% material allowance to the cut-list mass and prices A36 at $2.47/lb. That is an estimating input, not a structural grade certification or a live tube price. Saw kerf, unusable ends and a particular minimum bar purchase can demand a different allowance. A full stick charged to one frame may cost more than the weight model.
| Qty | Cut-list kg | Setup min/lot | Run min/stand | Cost/stand | Paint lot | Sell/stand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10.74 | 85 | 142.4 | $800.41 | $392.00 | $1,040.53 |
| 10 | 10.74 | 85 | 142.4 | $332.86 | $392.00 | $432.72 |
Fit-up is not free because the weld is short
The drawing schedule allows 72 inches of total weld. Fabrication uses 2.5 cutting minutes per member, fifteen cutting setup minutes per lot, sixty fit-and-weld setup minutes, then fifteen base minutes plus weld length divided by 20 mm/min per stand. That last relationship represents fit, tack, weld and cleanup together; it is not an arc travel speed.
Four mounting holes add ten drilling setup minutes and 1.5 minutes per hole. All fabrication time uses $90/hour. Quantity-related run reduction is shown in the table; the lot setup remains fixed. A tighter squareness requirement, an unstable tack sequence or weld distortion can invalidate this allowance. Ask the welder how the first stand will be restrained and checked.
Paint and finished-assembly scope
Outside wet paint uses a $350 minimum or $6 per stand, whichever is larger, followed by a 12% fee. There is no measured solid geometry here, so the piece rate is unscaled. At these quantities, the paint minimum is important. Our pricing engine adds 30% markup to all costs, with a $65 minimum line price that does not control this example.
This is a support-stand cost exercise with no rated load, engineering approval, ground pads or machined mounting faces. Add machining after welding when the print requires it; do not call a welded surface flat merely because the frame looks square. Surface prep, masking, transport, assembly hardware and special packaging also need explicit quotes if required.
A guard, a base frame and a bracket assembly should each get their own cut list and weld scope. This stand demonstrates the accounting method. Reusing its envelope as a material block or copying its weld minutes to an unrelated structure defeats the point of a transparent fabrication estimate.
Frame inputs
- • 12 pieces: 2 × 1.65 kg, 2 × 1.03 kg, 4 × 0.83 kg, 4 × 0.515 kg; 15% stock allowance; A36 $2.47/lb.
- • 72 in weld, four holes; fabrication formulas and $90/h described above. Engine quantity-learning factor applies to run time.
- • Paint minimum $350 versus $6/stand +12% fee; 30% markup; no automatic markup rules; no load rating, machining, freight, tax or tested finish specification.
| Qty | Cut-list kg | Setup min/lot | Run min/stand | Cost/stand | Paint lot | Sell/stand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10.74 | 85 | 142.4 | $800.41 | $392.00 | $1,040.53 |
| 10 | 10.74 | 85 | 142.4 | $332.86 | $392.00 | $432.72 |
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