QuotedPartCost guides · Updated 2026-10-30
How much does wire EDM cost per hour and per square inch?
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For eight contour inches through 0.75-inch stock, this example gives $133.90 per part at ten, or $22.32 per cut square inch. It assumes $110/hour and 8 square inches/hour for a rough burn. QuotedPart has no built-in EDM work center or automatic EDM-time model; this calculation prices an explicitly entered example route.
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What a posted hourly rate can tell you
Wired Dynamics Manufacturing posts $60–$65/hour for 0.006–0.010-inch wire depending on wire and automation, checked October 30, 2026. Its page is undated and says smaller wire costs more. That is one shop's public rate, not a current nationwide rate survey or an offer for this fictional part. The worked model deliberately uses a separate $110/hour assumption.
Determine whether the rate includes wire, filters, power, unattended operation and target profit. Here $110 is an input costing rate with 30% markup afterward. If your vendor already quotes a selling rate, applying that same markup may be intentional resale margin, but it is not an operating cost. Name the distinction.
| Thickness in | Cut area in² | Burn min/part | Sell/part at 1 | Sell/part at 10 | At 10, sell/cut in² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 | 2 | 15.0 | $156.00 | $62.40 | $31.20 |
| 0.75 | 6 | 45.0 | $227.50 | $133.90 | $22.32 |
| 1.5 | 12 | 90.0 | $334.75 | $241.15 | $20.10 |
Cut area is length multiplied by thickness
The contour is a two-inch square, giving eight perimeter inches. Multiplying that length by stock thickness gives the exposed cut area. Dividing area by the assumed throughput gives burn hours, converted to minutes in the table. This simple relationship is useful for a first check; actual generator settings and cut charts must establish the throughput.
The route adds thirty EDM setup minutes per lot, twenty programming-and-inspection setup minutes at $75/hour and ten minutes per part at that inspection center. It contains no stock cost, no minimum charge and no quantity-learning discount. Setup spreads over ten pieces, while the assumed rough burn remains the same on every piece.
Skim cuts can change the economic answer
Rough-only cutting and a fine-finish, tight-size job have different routes. Wired Dynamics also discusses multiple passes for finer finishes, but this table does not assign skim time. Add the actual passes from your machine's process data rather than doubling all time indiscriminately. Start holes, rethreading, slug handling and flushing constraints also deserve explicit allowances.
A stacked job needs review of total thickness, stack security, conductivity and the accepted dimensional result. It is not automatically equivalent to several independent thin parts with the setup divided among them. Ask the operator what can reliably be cut together.
Keep the blank purchase and any prior machining outside this area-only calculation. For a complete quote, add those costs, post-cut inspection, packaging and delivery. The purpose of the table is to make the entered assumptions challengeable, while being clear that no EDM capability or qualified cycle has been inferred from a CAD upload.
EDM example inputs
- • 8 contour inches; thickness0.25/0.75/1.5 in; rough throughput8 in²/h assumed, no skim.
- • Added example center$110/h with30 setup minutes. Inspection/program$75/h,20 setup +10 min/part. Engine prices entered operations; EDM time is not auto-predicted.
- • 30% markup, no rules/floor/learning; quantities1/10. No stock, start-hole drilling, wire charge outside assumed hourly rate, tax or freight.
| Thickness in | Cut area in² | Burn min/part | Sell/part at 1 | Sell/part at 10 | At 10, sell/cut in² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 | 2 | 15.0 | $156.00 | $62.40 | $31.20 |
| 0.75 | 6 | 45.0 | $227.50 | $133.90 | $22.32 |
| 1.5 | 12 | 90.0 | $334.75 | $241.15 | $20.10 |
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.
- Wired Dynamics posts $60–$65/h for 0.006–0.010 in wire, dependent on wire and automation; its undated page was checked 2026-10-30. — source (checked 2026-10-30)
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