Metalworking
Stock by weight, consumables, and machine time.
Metal fabrication has costs that don't show up on the steel receipt: shielding gas, filler rod, cut-off and grinding discs, and the wear on saws and welders. Add finishing — grinding, sanding, coating — and the hours of skilled work, and a 'simple' bracket or table frame carries far more than its raw stock.
CrafterBy costs stock by weight or length, tracks gas and consumables, and adds machine time per tool — so fabrication jobs are priced for the real work, and repeat jobs are a quick reprice.
The challenge
- Not costing stock by weight or length used
- Ignoring shielding gas, discs, and consumables
- Forgetting welder, grinder, and saw run-time
- No repeatable price for fabrication jobs
How CrafterBy helps
- Cost stock by weight or length used
- Track gas, filler, and grinding/cut-off discs
- Add machine time for each tool
- Reuse templates for repeat fabrication
How to price your Metalworking work
- 1Add each stock (tube, sheet, bar) as a material priced by weight or length.
- 2Enter the amount the job consumes, plus a cut-off waste allowance.
- 3Add shielding gas, filler rod, and discs as consumables.
- 4Add welder, grinder, and saw time, plus finishing labor.
- 5Set a margin for overhead and profit.
Worked example
Steel table frame (welded)
- Steel tube stock, ~9 kg$27.00
- Gas, filler rod, cut-off + flap discs$9.50
- Machine time — saw, welder, grinder (1.5 hr)$12.00
- Labor — cut, weld, grind, finish (3 hr @ $32)$96.00
- Cut-off waste allowance$4.00
Consumables and machine time add up to more than most makers guess — cost them explicitly.
Common pricing mistakes
Charging for steel but not for gas, discs, and grinder wear.
Ignoring the hours of finishing after the welding is done.
Quoting fabrication from memory instead of a real material + time model.
What you'll cost & track
Materials you'd track
Equipment run-cost
Price products like
Frequently asked questions
How do I price metal fabrication?
Cost stock by weight or length, add shielding gas, filler, and discs, then add machine time and finishing labor. Consumables and grinding time are the costs makers most often miss — track them explicitly.
Should I charge for shop machine time?
Yes. Welders, saws, and grinders consume power and wear out, and consumables run alongside them. A per-hour machine cost keeps big equipment from eroding your margin.
How do I price a repeat fabrication job?
Save the first job as a template — stock, consumables, machine time, and labor — and reprice it in seconds if steel or gas prices change. That's exactly what CrafterBy's templates are for.