What drives the cost of a machined part

Change one option at a time and watch which decisions actually move the number. Every figure here is a relative multiplier, not a price.

This is not a quotation tool. Absolute prices depend on the specific geometry, current material rates and available capacity — what this shows is the relative weight of each decision, so you can see where the money goes before you finalise the drawing.

Batch size

Programming, fixturing and first-off inspection are paid once regardless of quantity. On a single piece they are the whole price; spread over 250 they almost disappear.

Material

Material affects the price twice: what the billet costs, and how fast we can cut it. Titanium is expensive on both counts — stock price and a cutting speed roughly a quarter of aluminium's.

Tightest tolerance on the drawing

The single tightest dimension sets the process for the whole part: which machine, how many finishing passes, how much inspection. One ±0.01 mm callout can move a part into a different cost bracket on its own.

Faces needing machining

Each re-grip costs fixture time, operator handling and a fresh alignment — and it adds its own positional error between the features cut before and after.

Surface finish

As-machined is free — it is what comes off the cutter. Everything else is either an extra operation in-house or a trip to an outside plater, which also adds days to the lead time.

Quality documentation

Inspection reports are labour. A full dimensional report means measuring every dimension on the drawing on a CMM and writing it up — on a part with 40 dimensions that is real time.

Relative cost index

1.00×

This is the baseline configuration: 250 pieces in 6061 aluminium, general tolerances, two faces, as-machined, no inspection report.

Where it comes from

250 pieces—
Aluminium 6061—
ISO 2768-m (general)—
2 faces—
As-machined (Ra 1.6)—
None — in-process only—

Worth considering

Nothing in this configuration stands out as an avoidable cost. Send the file and we will look at the geometry itself.

Multipliers are indicative of order of magnitude for typical prismatic parts. Your actual quotation is calculated from the real geometry.

How to use this

Find the biggest bar

The longest bar in the breakdown is where your money is going. If it is a requirement you cannot relax, at least you know what you are paying for.

Check it is really needed

Tolerance and finish callouts are often applied to a whole drawing when only two or three features need them. That is the single most common avoidable cost.

Send the file

Geometry drives the rest. Upload a STEP and a manufacturing engineer marks up anything difficult and returns it with the quotation.

Design Guide Engineering Data Compare materials side by side

Want the real number instead of the index?

Upload your drawing. You get a firm price, a lead time and a manufacturability review — usually within 24 hours, at no charge.

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