CNC Machining

Often, customers ask: How much does this part cost? Why do your company quote 500 while theirs quotes 300? Today, let's discuss the logic behind the CNC processing quote with everyone.

The core formula for the quote

CNC quote = Material cost + Processing cost + Surface treatment cost + Profit.

Material cost:

The material cost is the most transparent part. The market price of materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, copper, POM, and nylon varies for each material. The unit price of materials reported by suppliers to you usually already includes the cutting cost - cutting the large sheet into the required blank size.

There is a pitfall here: material utilization. The same part, cut from sheet metal versus cut from bar stock, has different wasted materials and thus different costs. For oddly shaped parts, the waste is more, and the material cost naturally goes up.

Processing cost:

The processing cost depends on one word: time.

The hourly cost of a CNC machine is usually calculated based on the machine's value. The prices of three-axis, four-axis, and five-axis machines are different. The longer the processing time, the higher the cost. What affects the time? Complexity, precision requirements, material hardness. Harder materials move slower, and thus the time is naturally longer.

In simple terms: Your part needs to be processed for several hours on the machine, so you pay for several hours.

Programming and clamping: Costs that are easily overlooked

Many people only focus on the cutting time and forget the preparatory work before.

Programming: Simple parts can be hand-programmed, while complex ones need to use CAM software, and the working hours of programming engineers are also money.

Clamping: Should you use a dedicated fixture? Should you use four-axis? The longer the preparation time for these, the higher the cost per part will be.

The small batch is the one that suffers the most from this - two hours of programming, ten minutes of processing, the unit price won't come down. For large batches, these fixed costs are spread over hundreds or thousands of parts, and the unit price becomes much more favorable.

Surface treatment: Choose the effect you want

The parts after cutting may not be ready for use directly. Deburring, sandblasting, oxidation, galvanizing, heat treatment - each of these is an 

additional process that requires expenses.

Moreover, these processes are usually outsourced, and the suppliers also add management costs. The price is naturally higher than doing it yourself.

Why do the quotations from different factories differ so much?

The same part, Factory A quotes 500, Factory B quotes 300. It's not necessarily that one is cheating you.

Perhaps Factory B has more machines and happens to have a machine idle, so they offer a low price to take the job. Maybe Factory A uses imported 

machines, good tools, and strict inspections, so the cost is already high. Or maybe Factory B didn't calculate the programming and inspection costs, 

and when they finished, they found they had lost money. So they won't take your order next time.

Another common reason: quantity. The unit price for 50 pieces and 500 pieces is definitely different. So when making the inquiry, be sure to clearly 

state the quantity and precision requirements. Otherwise, the quoted price is meaningless.

If you want a lower quotation:

There are several things you can cooperate with the supplier on:

First, don't make the design too complex. Don't make curved surfaces where it's possible to be straight, don't make non-standard sizes where 

standard sizes are possible, and don't set tolerances of plus or minus 0.01.

Second, try to make the batch size as large as possible. Producing 100 pieces and 1000 pieces can result in a price difference of 30% to 40%.

Third, use the same material for several parts. Using the same type of aluminum for the plates makes better arrangement and higher utilization rate, 

and the total price will naturally be lower. 

The CNC quotation is not a matter of mysticism. The cost is calculated based on kilograms for materials, hours for time, and processes for surface 

treatment. You can go to ask three companies with the drawings, clearly stating the same quantity and the same precision requirements. 

By comparing the quotations, you can tell who is honest and who is just playing tricks.

If you have specific parts, you can send the drawings to me. I will roughly estimate the reasonable price range for you.

Email：ciky@hainamould.com

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