To get a metal fabrication quote that is accurate on the first reply, send a 3D CAD file together with the material, the quantity and the finish. Our metal fabrication quote includes a DFM review and a lead time, and comes back within 24 hours.
Key facts: metal fabrication quote
| Best file formats | STEP, IGES, SolidWorks (.sldprt), Inventor (.ipt), Parasolid, DWG/DXF, dimensioned PDF |
| What else to state | Material and grade, quantity, annual volume if known, finish, and which tolerances are critical |
| Turnaround | Price, DFM review and lead time within 24 hours |
| Minimum order quantity | None |
The four things that decide the price
A quotation is built from the drawing, not from a price list, so the fastest way to an accurate number is to answer four questions in the first message.
Material and grade. Stainless steel 304 or 316 costs several times more per kilogram than cold rolled steel, and it also cuts and machines more slowly. Naming the grade removes guesswork from both the material line and the process line.
Quantity, and annual volume if you know it. Volume decides which route is economic. A part at 500 pieces per year is laser cut; the same part at 50,000 is stamped. Telling us the likely annual figure lets us price the route you will actually use rather than the one that suits the first order.
Critical tolerances. A formed bracket at ±0.1 mm and a machined component at ±0.005 mm are different products with different costs. Marking which features are critical is the single most useful thing you can put on a drawing, because it keeps tight limits where they are needed and nowhere else.
Finish. Deburred, zinc plated, powder coated, anodised and passivated are separate operations with separate costs. Finishing is frequently the line item that pushes a quote above expectation, so deciding it early avoids a re-quote. Our metal surface treatment page explains what each finish does.
What you get back
A DFM review, a price and a lead time. The DFM review is where a design problem is raised — a bend radius that will crack, a hole too close to a bend line, a tolerance that is expensive for no functional reason. That conversation is free, and it is cheaper before production than after it.
If two process routes are both viable at your volume, ask for both to be priced. Our comparison guides cover the decisions most often worth comparing, and equipment and capacity lists what the plant can hold. Material and test standards we refer to are published by ASTM International.
Frequently asked questions
What should I send to get an accurate metal fabrication quote?
Send a 3D CAD file together with the material, the quantity and the finish. A DFM review, a price and a lead time come back within 24 hours.
Which file formats are best for a metal fabrication quote?
STEP, IGES, SolidWorks, Inventor, Parasolid, DWG and DXF, or a dimensioned PDF.
What decides the price in a metal fabrication quote?
The material and grade, the quantity and annual volume, which tolerances are critical, and the finish. A part at 500 pieces a year is laser cut, while the same part at 50,000 is stamped.