What the Sheet Metal Cost Calculator does
This tool turns a part’s size and operations into a price. Enter the blank dimensions, the material and its price per kilo, how many bends and pierces the part needs and your rates, and it returns the material cost, the labour, the unit price with margin and the batch total. A breakdown bar shows how material, labour and margin make up each part. It is built for fabricators quoting panels, brackets and enclosures.
Everything runs in your browser and updates as you type, so you can test scenarios and quantities instantly.
How to use it
- Set the blank length, width and thickness, and pick the material.
- Enter the material price per kg.
- Set the number of bends and pierces and your cost for each.
- Set the margin and quantity.
- Read the unit price and batch total, with the weight, material and labour costs below.
Why use it here
It is free, instant and private, with no sign-up. It brings material, labour, margin and quantity into one number you can quote, and the breakdown makes it clear where the cost sits. Because it is fast, it is easy to compare designs or test a price before you commit.
Tip: get the blank size from the box flat pattern or bend allowance calculators, the weight from the metal weight calculator, and how many parts come off a sheet from the sheet yield calculator.
Frequently asked questions
- How is the part cost calculated?
- Material cost is the blank weight (length × width × thickness × density) times your price per kilogram. Labour is the number of bends times the cost per bend plus the number of pierces or cuts times the cost per pierce. The unit price adds your margin, and the batch total multiplies by the quantity.
- What should I put for cost per bend and per pierce?
- Use your own shop rates: a simple way is machine time plus handling per operation. Even rough figures give a consistent comparison between parts; refine them against real job times for accurate quotes.
- Does it include setup or programming time?
- Not separately. For low quantities, fold setup and programming into the per-bend and per-pierce figures, or raise the margin. For larger batches those fixed costs spread thin and matter less per part.
- Can I use it for laser or punch quoting?
- Yes. Treat each cut, hole or pierce as a pierce with a representative cost, and the bends as your press-brake operations. The breakdown bar shows how material, labour and margin make up the unit price.
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Last updated: June 23, 2026