CNC project cost & pricing calculator
Work out what a CNC job actually costs and what to charge for it. Enter your material, machine time and shop rates; the calculator keeps per-part costs (which scale with quantity) separate from one-off design and setup, then applies your margin to suggest a price per part. Set the rates to your own shop - the defaults are only a starting point.
An estimate to price from, not a quote. It assumes machine time, tooling, power and material scale with quantity, while design and setup are charged once. Set the rates to your own shop; the defaults are only a starting point.
The costs people forget
Most under-pricing comes from leaving out costs that feel free. Machine time is the biggest: the machine has to earn back what it cost to buy, so a machine-time rate that covers only electricity is charging nothing for the machine itself. Tooling wear is the next - every cut spends a fraction of a bit, and bits are not cheap, especially the carbide and compression cutters that metal and plywood need.
The other classic error is charging setup per part. Design, fixturing and toolpath work happen once for a run of ten identical parts, not ten times, so they belong in the one-off job cost - which is why this tool separates the two. Get that split right and your per-part price falls sensibly as quantity rises, which is exactly how real quoting works.
Once you have the number
The suggested price is your total cost plus a margin. Margin is not profit until you have paid yourself for the labour hours - if your own time is not in the labour line, the margin is really your wage. Treat the output as a floor and a starting point, then adjust for the things a calculator cannot see: a tricky setup, a high scrap rate, or a material you have to buy a full sheet of to make one part.
Frequently asked
- How do I price a CNC project?
- Add up the costs that scale with quantity - material, machine time at your shop rate, tooling wear and electricity per part - then add the one-off costs that don't, mainly design and setup labour. That gives your true cost. Apply a margin on top to get a price. The common mistake is charging setup per part or forgetting machine time entirely, which is why this calculator separates per-part from per-job costs.
- What machine-time rate should I charge?
- It should cover the machine's cost of ownership plus a return, not just electricity. Take the purchase price, spread it over the hours you expect it to run in its life, and add maintenance, tooling and space - many small shops land somewhere in the low tens of dollars per hour for a desktop machine, but set your own number rather than copying one. The calculator lets you enter it directly.
- Should I include my own labour?
- Yes - design, setup, finishing and packing are real hours and pricing without them means working for free. Put design and setup in the one-off 'per job' labour so it's charged once across the whole run, and fold finishing into it or into overhead. If you don't pay yourself, the margin isn't profit, it's your unpaid wage.
- Is this a quote?
- No - it's an estimate to price from. The numbers are only as good as the rates you put in, and it can't know your material yield, scrap rate or the fiddly parts of a specific job. Use it to set a floor and a starting price, then adjust for the realities of the work in front of you.