How to quote a sheet metal part faster

What goes into a sheet metal quote?

Every line on a sheet metal quote comes from something on the drawing. A typical quote has:

• Material: the gauge and grade from the title block, and the flat blank size it needs.
• Cutting: laser or turret punch, with programming and setup plus run time per part.
• Forming: press brake setup and time per bend; hems and offsets take longer.
• Hardware: self-clinching studs, nuts and standoffs, each with an insertion time and a part cost.
• Welding, grinding and finishing: in-house, or an outside service like powder coat or plating.
• Markup and quantity breaks: the shop's markup on each kind of cost, and a price at every quantity the customer asked for.

How do you work out material cost for a sheet metal part?

Start from the flat blank, not the finished part. Take the blank length and width (the flat pattern after bend allowance), work out its area, divide by how much of the sheet you expect to use, and multiply by the sheet's price per square foot, or by weight if your shop buys by the kilo.

Nesting matters: a part that nests well on a 48 × 96 or 60 × 120 sheet uses far less than its envelope suggests. A setup on your own price list prices each grade and gauge the way you actually buy it.

Laser or punch: how do you choose and estimate cutting time?

Thicker plate, tight profiles and short runs usually go to the laser. Thin gauge with many standard holes, louvres or forms, at volume, usually goes to the turret. Cutting time follows the total cut length and the number of pierces; punching time follows the number of hits. Add programming and setup once per order.

How do you price press brake bending?

Count the bends and look at what they need. Each different tool setup costs setup time; each bend costs run time per part. Long or heavy parts may need two people at the brake, and hems, offsets and tight flanges take extra handling. Price setup once per order and run time per piece.

How do quantity breaks change a sheet metal price?

Setup is paid once and shared across the order, so the unit price falls steeply at first and then levels off at the run cost plus material. That is why a part can cost several times more each at 10 pieces than at 100.

Worked example: a bracket at 10, 50 and 100 pieces

A mounting bracket in 14 gauge cold-rolled steel: a 200 × 130 mm flat blank, four holes and a slot, two 90° bends, two studs, powder coated. The rates below are sample rates, not anyone's real ones.

Spread the setup across the order: cost each = $64.75 ÷ quantity + $2.61.

Studs, powder coat and your markups go on top. Done by hand, this is fifteen or twenty minutes of reading the drawing and filling in a spreadsheet for each part.

How does OneThou draft it?

1. Reads the drawing. Material, gauge and finish from the title block; blank size, holes, bends, hems, hardware and notes from the views. Each feature it found is marked on the drawing so your estimator can check it at a glance.
2. Picks the routing. Laser or punch, brake crew, welding and finishing, following the rules your shop uses, and shows why.
3. Prices it your way. Your work centres and hourly rates, your price list for the sheet, your markups and your quantity breaks. Every number can be traced back to a line.
4. Hands it to your estimator. Any line can be changed; the price updates as you go. Then export to Excel or CSV.

Drafts take under a minute. In production they have taken between 11 and 39 seconds.

What should you check on a sheet metal drawing before quoting?

• Revision letter and the material callout, including grade and finish.
• Flat pattern or bend allowance notes, and any K-factor the customer specifies.
• Hardware callouts and which side they go in from.
• Tolerances tighter than your standard, which can change the routing.
• Finishing, masking and packaging notes, and any outside processes.