How to quote sheet metal work: material, cutting, bending and finish

Start with the grade, thickness, tolerance notes and finish call-out on the drawing, because a note such as mild steel two millimetre with powder coat changes the whole quote. Every gap becomes a buyer question.

Count the features, since holes, slots, countersinks, tapped holes and bends each cost time and each one adds a line to the cutting estimate. Mark any bend that sits tight to an edge or a hole, because the press brake setup may need a special tool.

Check the revision letter. Write it on the quote, because a price given against revision B cannot be argued against revision D later without a fresh conversation about cost.

Nest the part on the standard sheet size you buy, say 2500 by 1250, then note how many parts fit and what is left over. That leftover is a cost you carry unless the offcut has a known second use, such as brackets, gussets or small plates for another job.

Set a utilisation figure for each material and review it every quarter, since thin stainless nests differently from thick mild steel plate. Your supplier’s cut-to-size charge may beat the scrap you would make yourself, so compare the two before you buy full sheets.

Add a small allowance for first-off parts. It is cheap protection.

Cutting time comes from cut length, pierce count and thickness on your laser or turret punch, and most machine software reports it without extra work. If not, time one job. That becomes your rate.

Bends need two figures, the count and the setups, since ten bends on one part with one tool are quick while ten bends needing three tool changes are not. Setup is per job. Handling is per part.

Deburring and tapping are slow, manual and often left out of the quote, which is how a profitable-looking job loses its margin at the bench.

Welding is priced by the metre of weld and by the fixture needed, and a tack weld differs hugely from a full seam with grinding. Say which one you quoted.

Finishing covers powder coat, zinc plating, anodising or wet paint, and these are usually outside processes with a minimum batch charge and a lead time. Get the rate before quoting.

Large panels surprise people on freight, so add pallets, edge protection and transport as separate lines before the buyer asks why delivery cost more than expected.

A quote is a forecast, so after each job compare the sheet you drew from stock with the sheet you quoted, then compare actual laser and press brake hours. The gap names the wrong pass.

Keep those gaps in one sheet or one system and revise your rates twice a year, so utilisation and setup figures stop being opinions.

This week, pull your last five jobs. Take the real material and hours, rework each quote, and start with the pass that shows the biggest gap between forecast and result.