Milling quote calculator: cost per part by line item and batch size
Enter the billet, the times and your shop's rates, and get the cost of a part split into six line items. You also see how the price per part falls with batch size and at which quantity a batch starts to pay.
Part of Pro, 15 EUR a month.
- 6 line itemsin the price of every part
- 7 materialswith density, price per kg and tool wear
- 4 machine classesstarting rate 22, 50, 85 or 150 EUR an hour
- 7 batch sizes and yoursa curve from 1 to 250 parts
What a milling quote works out
The milling quote calculator is an online tool from EduFacturing, part of Pro, that works out the cost of a milled part in six line items: material, machine hour, labour, tool wear, setup and transport. The times and the rates are yours; the tool supplies the arithmetic and starting guides.
The core idea is splitting the costs. Programming, setup and transport are paid once for the batch, while material, cutting, inspection and loading repeat for every part. That is why the first part is expensive and the hundredth is far cheaper.
The calculation runs in your browser and updates on every field change.
Six line items, batches and break-even
Splits the price into six line items
Material, machine hour, labour, tooling, setup and transport, each per part and for the whole batch. Their sum is the price per part.
Shows the price across batch sizes
The price per part at 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 250 parts plus your own batch size, with the share of fixed cost in each.
Finds the break-even point
Given a selling price, it tells you after how many parts the fixed cost is paid back, or that there is no such point.
Shows how to quote: what to ask the customer for
Seven points for an honest quote: a model and drawing with tolerances, material, quantity, roughness, coatings, packaging and a deadline.
When you need to quote a milled part
A quotation helps when the price has to be defended in front of the customer.
A shop pricing a part
Show the customer, line by line, where the total comes from, instead of one lump price.
A customer asking about several quantities
See the price per part at 1, 10, 50 and 100 parts and how much of it is fixed cost.
Checking whether a batch pays
With your target price you see at which quantity the batch pays back, or that at this price it never does.
A lesson in costing
In a machining course, show how the machine hour, the setup and the batch size shape the price.
How the cost of a milled part is worked out
Every field change goes through the same steps.
Material
Billet mass is volume · density. The billet is bought whole, so the waste (when you enter the finished part's weight) is shown for information only and never charged twice.
Machine and tooling
Machine time per part is multiplied by the machine hour rate you enter. Tool wear is a share of that cost set by the material, from 2% for POM to 20% for hardened tool steel.
Fixed and variable
Programming, setup and transport are fixed. Setup is the time you enter plus 6 minutes per tool. Inspection is 0.5, 3 or 8 minutes per part, and every clamping takes 4 minutes.
| Applies to | Formula | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Billet | V = X·Y·Z / 1000; m = V·ρ / 1000 | X, Y, Z in mm, V in cm³, ρ in g/cm³, m in kg |
| Fixed cost | F = programming + setup + transport | setup = (T + n·6/60) · shop rate; T in hours, n tools |
| Variable cost | v = material + machine + tooling + inspection + loading | all per one part |
| Price per part | c = v + F / q | q is the batch size |
| Break-even | q* = ⌈F / (p − v)⌉ | p is the selling price; if p ≤ v there is no point |
Fixed cost apart from variable cost
Fixed and variable cost are kept apart
The price per part is v + F / q, so you can see how much of it is setup and programming.
The source sits next to the guide
Under the material and the machine hour the source is named: ASM Handbook and MatWeb for the density of the metals, summarised public ranges for prices.
It says when the answer is no
When the selling price is below the variable cost, it states that no quantity helps.
The defaults are not a quote. Raw material prices are summarised market ranges, come from a table by material and are not editable in the fields, while the machine hour shares and the inspection and clamping times are general shop practice. The EDi Brain rules core has rules for cutting parameters and design in milling, but none for costing (machine hour, rates, raw material prices), so replace the rates with your own.
The tool does not calculate cutting parameters: you enter the machine time. Scrap, rework, coatings such as anodising and documentation are not separate lines, and supplier volume discounts are not modelled.
Questions about milling cost
How much does CNC milling cost per part at different batch sizes?
One part costs 109.89 EUR with the defaults, 20 parts 26.29 EUR each, 250 parts 22.24 EUR each. Defaults: aluminium billet 100 × 80 × 20 mm, 18 min per part, rates of 50, 35 and 28 EUR per hour, transport 25 EUR.
Why is the first part so expensive?
Because it carries the whole fixed cost F alone, and the price per part is c = v + F / q. With the same defaults F is 88.00 EUR and v is 21.89 EUR.
What goes into a machine hour rate?
The tool shows typical shares: depreciation 30%, shop profit 20%, overheads 20%, maintenance 15%, electricity 8% and coolant with consumables 7%. The shares are a guide; your own rate comes from your own accounts.
How is the break-even point found?
As q* = ⌈F / (p − v)⌉. With the defaults and a selling price of 30 EUR the margin is 8.11 EUR per part and the break-even point is 11 parts. At 10 EUR there is none, because the price is below the variable cost of 21.89 EUR.
How accurate are the material prices?
They are summarised public prices for small orders, not a commodity quote: 7 EUR per kg for aluminium 6061-T6 and 35 EUR per kg for titanium Ti-6Al-4V. The price per kg is not an input field, so for a real batch compare the material per part with the quote from your supplier.
How much does the milling quote calculator cost?
It is part of Pro at 15 EUR a month. Pro also opens the other Pro tools in the catalog.
The milling quote calculator is part of Pro
Pro costs 15 EUR a month and opens all 45 Pro tools.
In the Cost & planning group:
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Price your part
Part of Pro, 15 EUR a month.